Pete Gray is notable for making it to the Major Leagues despite having only one functional arm. Although his MLB career was short (just 77 games in 1945), Pete Gray made an impact on the game and its history. His story should not be forgotten.
Peter J. Wyshner, Jr., was born on March 6, 1915, in Pennsylvania. He suffered an accident around the age of six that resulted in him losing his right arm from the elbow down. However, young Peter longed to play baseball, and taught himself to hit and field lefthanded. As he got older, Wyshner swung a 38 ounce bat. His incredible bat speed enabled him to successfully swing the log with only one arm.
Wyshner, who changed his name to Gray while he was playing semipro ball, was an instant success in organized baseball. Before his professional debut in 1942, the crowd applauded him nicely. He rewarded them by making a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. He batted .381 that season and .289 in the next. In 1944, he batted .333 and led the league with 68 stolen bases, earning him the Southern Association MVP Award. He got his call up to the Majors in 1945 as a backup outfielder for the defending AL champions, the St. Louis Browns.
A lot of people probably thought that Gray wouldn't have a chance to hit Big League pitching. As a result, all the outfielders played very shallow for him. This cost him many a hit, and Gray wound up hitting only .218 on the season. However, it might have been twice as high, .436, if he hadn’t had his accident. One can only imagine how well Gray would have done if he had two intact arms.
Pete Gray's cool. I've been researching NY/Brooklyn semi-pro for a long time, and he played for the Bay Parkways in 1939 and 1940 (as you hinted at).
ReplyDeleteToo bad his pro career was so short. He didn't just play in WWII - he hit .290 for Elmira in 1948 - but WWII was his only real chance. Even with just one arm he had more in him - and if he had two arms who knows what he could have done?
I doubt he would have hit .436 or anything close to that because people with one arm usually get much stronger in their only arm. (I know you were joking about the .436 but I think it's an interesting fact anyway.)