Bill Dietrich

Though Dietrich was a Philadelphia product, the Athletics Connie Mack waived him to Washington in 1936, believing he would never gain control. Unable to see without his glasses, Dietrich was a stubborn fireballer with streaks of wildness. He often hurt himself by getting frustrated by late-inning walks and hits, or by teammates’ errors. He improved his control in his 10-plus seasons with the White Sox, but was never a strikeout pitcher, and rarely a winner. Yet on June 1, 1937 he no-hit the Browns, 8-0. Believing a seventh-inning error had been ruled a hit, he did not know what he had accomplished until his teammates mobbed him after the last out. He won a career-high 16 games in 1944 while losing 17, tops in the AL.