Do you remember Earl Wilson (left) and Pumpsie Green (right) in 1959 playing for the Red Sox? Pumpsie played for the Sox from 1959-1962 and finished his career the following season with the Yankees. Appeared in only 277 games and batted .233, .242, .261, .233. Hit a total of 12 home runs for the Sox, of which 2 came in a game on August 25, 1961.
Through his career, Green was a modest infielder who had the distinction of being the first black player to play for the Red Sox, the last major-league club to integrate. In his Boston tenure, he was used mostly as a pinch runner or day-off replacement for infielders Pete Runnels and Frank Malzone. He made his debut on July 21, 1959, pinch-running in a 2-1 loss against the White Sox.
In an 11-season career, Earl Wilson posted a 121-109 record with 1452 strikeouts and a 3.69 ERA in 2051.2 IP. A 6-foot-3, 215-pound pitcher who relied on sliders and fastballs. Wilson made his major league debut with the Red Sox on July 31, 1959, as their first black pitchers. On June 26, 1962, at Fenway Park, Wilson no-hit the L.A. Angels, 2-0, a game in which he hit a home run. He also became the first black major league pitcher in the American League to pitch a no-hitter. Was with the Red Sox from 1959-1966 and was nothing much more than a .500 pitcher, winning a total of 56 games while losing 58. Probably would have achieved more success as a position player, as he was one of the better hitting pitchers in baseball, slugging 6 home runs in 79 at bats in 1965. Named to AL All Star time in 1966 and 1967.
