Wally Hood (hoodwa02)

Wallace James Hood Jr.

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 190 lb.
• School University of Southern California
• High School Fairfax High School (Los Angeles)
• Debut September 23, 1949
• Final Game September 30, 1949
• Born September 24, 1925 in Los Angeles, CA USA
• Died June 16, 2001 in Glendale, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Wally Hood, a pitcher for the University of Southern California baseball team, was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees on June 29, 1948. The 22-year-old right-hander was assigned to the Newark Bears of the Yankee's AAA affiliate in the International League. Wally chalked up a 6-5 record and a 4.19 ERA while pitching 86 innings in his first season in pro baseball.

Hood, who would never pitch below AA ball during his seven-year run in the minors, was with the Newark Bears and the Kansas City Blues in 1949, his second year in the minors, and put together an 8-8 record with a 4.92 ERA while pitching 161 innings. Wally received a call from the Yankees in late September that year. The Californian made his big league debut on September 23rd and in his two appearances he allowed no hits and no runs and never appeared in the big leagues again.

Hood spent five more seasons in baseball, all in the minors. The righthander went from a 7-16 record and a 5.42 ERA record in 1950 with the Kansas City Blues to an 11-9 record in a split season with the San Francisco Seals and the Hollywood Stars, both teams of the Pacific Coast League, in 1951.

The Yankees sent Hood to the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1952 season. Hood reported to the Fort Worth Cats of the AA Texas League and had the best numbers of his career, going 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA in the final months of the season.

Wally held on through 1954 when he went 4-5 with a 5.43 ERA for the Montreal Royals of the International League. He called it quits at the age of 28 with a seven-year career record of 52-62 and a 4.61 ERA in 951 innings.

His father was Wally Hood Sr.

Wallace James Hood Jr. died June 16, 2001 at the age of 76 in Glendale, CA. He was posthumously inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Related Sites

• BR Minors Page