Hooks Wiltse

George Leroy Wiltse

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut April 21, 1904
• Final Game September 25, 1915
• Born September 7, 1879 in Hamilton, NY USA
• Died January 21, 1959 in Long Beach, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Hooks Wiltse pitched a dozen seasons in the majors, mostly for the New York Giants under manager John McGraw in the dead-ball era. He won 139 games and appeared the World Series in two different years.

The brother of major leaguer Snake Wiltse and Arthur Wiltse, who also played ball, Wiltse was born in Hamilton, New York, and played local ball before joining the Troy Trojans in the New York State League in 1902. In 1903, he won 21 games for Troy, and the next summer, 1904, he made his major league debut with the Giants. He was immediately successful at the major league level, going 13-3 in his first year while setting a major league record by winning his first 12 major league decisions, a record that Wiltse still shares with Butch Metzger. Wiltse's streak was from May 29th to September 15th.

Wiltse hurled a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 4, 1908, striking out 6 during 10 innings of work. He went on to record a career-high 23 wins that year and notched 20 victories in 1909. He went on to pitch in two games during the 1911 World Series. He did not appear on the mound during the 1913 Series, but played in two games as a first baseman after injuries to Fred Snodgrass and Fred Merkle.

Wiltse closed out his major league career playing for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops in the Federal League in 1915.

In his 12-year major league career, Wiltse's lifetime ERA was 2.47, and he never had an ERA above 3.27.

After his major league days, Wiltse continued as a minor league player-manager for another decade, with much of that time spent with the Buffalo Bisons. Wiltse was a part owner of the Reading Pretzels in 1917, and apparently lost much of his money on the venture. He was said to be done with baseball, but returned the next year as manager of Buffalo [1]. He was a New York Yankees coach in 1925. In 1932-1933, he was an alderman in Syracuse, NY. In 1952, he was elected to the International League Hall of Fame. Wiltse died at the age of 79 in Long Beach, New York, on Long Island.

Notable Achievements

• 15 Wins Seasons: 4 (1905, 1906, 1908 & 1909)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 2 (1908 & 1909)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 4 (1906 & 1908-1910)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1908)
• Won a World Series with the New York Giants in 1905 (he did not play in the World Series)

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Playoffs	Notes
1915	Jersey City Skeeters	International League	16-33	--	--	Replaced by Joe Yeager (36-52) on June 23
1916	Albany Senators / Reading Pretzels	New York State League	58-70	6th	none
1917	Reading Pretzels	New York State League	51-70	5th	none
1918	Buffalo Bisons	International League	53-68	6th	none
1919	Buffalo Bisons	International League	81-67	3rd	none
1920	Buffalo Bisons	International League	96-57	3rd	none
1921	Buffalo Bisons	International League	99-69	3rd	none
1922	Buffalo Bisons	International League	95-72	3rd	none
1923	Buffalo Bisons	International League	83-81	5th	none
1924	Buffalo Bisons	International League	53-63	--	--	Replaced by Bill Webb (31-20) on August 11
1926	Reading Keystones	International League		8th	none	Replaced Byrd Lynn

Further Reading

• Gary Belleville: "July 4, 1908: Giants’ Hooks Wiltse denied 10-inning perfect game by umpire error, settles for no-hitter," SABR Baseball Games Project.

Related Sites

• Hooks Wiltse at the SABR Bio Project