Earl Wilson, 70, Tigers Pitcher
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Earl Wilson, who threw a no-hitter in 1962 and was a starting pitcher on the Detroit Tigers’ 1968 championship team, died Saturday of a heart attack in a suburb of Detroit. He was 70.
Wilson pitched for three teams during an 11-year career. He was Boston’s second black player when he broke in with the Red Sox in 1959, joining the team a few weeks after infielder Pumpsie Green. He endured racist epithets from fans in Boston, the last of the original 16 major league teams to have a black player.
He was traded to the Tigers in 1966 and went 22-11 the following year. In 1968, he was the third starter on Detroit’s championship team, going 13-12 and 0-1 in the World Series victory over St. Louis.
Wilson finished his career with San Diego in 1970, with a record of 121-109.
