Duane Wilson

Duane Lewis Wilson

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut July 3, 1958
• Final Game July 12, 1958
• Born June 29, 1934 in Wichita, KS USA
• Died November 9, 2021 in Wichita, KS USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Left-hander Duane Wilson was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1952 season. The young pitcher spent seven years in the minors before getting his chance at major league hitters. The Red Sox farmed Duane out to the High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms of the class D North Carolina State League, his only season in a "D" league, and the 18-year-old responded with a 9-4 record and a 2.60 ERA while appearing in 21 games.

During his climb up the minor league ladder, Duane never had a losing season. He pitched for seven different teams in six different leagues. He had two good years back to back, going 14-11 with a 2.88 ERA with the class A Albany Senators in 1956 and the AA Oklahoma City Indians in 1957. Duane then started 1958 with the Memphis Chickasaws and was 9-5 with a 2.50 ERA when he was called up to the Red Sox in late June.

He made two starts for the Red Sox, one apiece against the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers, pitching 6 innings with no decisions. These were his only appearances in the majors. Duane finished up 1958 with the Minneapolis Millers at 6-5, giving him a combined 15-10 record with a 3.49 ERA for the year.

Wilson spent 1959 with the Minneapolis club, with a 3-3 record. He decided to end his career in baseball at the age of 25 with an eight-year minor league record of 85-70 and a 3.38 ERA while pitching 1,216 innings.

Wilson recalled his brief stay in the majors. "I was called up in late June of '58. I'll never forget Ted Williams walking into the clubhouse and saying to me, 'Good to see you made it, Lefty.' Jimmy Piersall was a character. I was shagging flies in the outfield during batting practice when he told me, 'Don't think they just come to see Williams. They come to see me."

After baseball Wilson returned home to Wichita, KS, where he was in the banking business starting in 1964. He was a vice-president for the Stockyards National Bank until 1985 and then with the Southwest National Bank, where he still worked part-time in retirement. He died in Wichita in 2021.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• Duane Wilson at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors Page