Early Wynn Marquee Hall of Fame 1972

His first eight seasons were spent on Washington clubs that mostly lost, and he went 72-87 for them. Over twenty-three seasons spanning four decades he won 300 games against 244 losses, with 2,334 strikeouts, 290 complete games, 49 shutouts and a 3.54 earned run average.

Cleveland traded for him after the 1948 season, and its pitching coach Mel Harder taught him a curve and a slider. He won twenty or more games five times over the next eleven years, went 23-11 for the 1954 Cleveland team that finished 111-43, and at thirty-nine took the Cy Young Award with a 22-10 season for the White Sox.

He threw at hitters and said he would knock down his own mother if she dug in. He stood at 299 wins after 1962, was released, signed with Cleveland again, and needed most of 1963 to get the last one. The two pennant winners he pitched for, Cleveland in 1954 and Chicago in 1959, both lost the World Series. The writers elected him in 1972, on his fourth ballot.