Dick Hyde Washington Senators
Career: Signed in 1949, Dick Hyde spent six seasons in the Senators' system with a couple of years off in the service of Uncle Sam. He got his shot in 1957 as a middle reliever and did well enough to earn the stopper's role in '58. That year he led the AL with 19 saves. Bear in mind that came on a 61-win team. His 1.75 ERA was matched by a 1.134 WHIP and a 10-3 record. It all earned him enough MVP votes to finish 12th in the balloting.
He only had six other saves in a career that lasted through 1961. His '58 year was really lightning-in-a-bottle.
In 1960: Hyde had been roughed up just a bit through the end of May (0-1, 4.15 in 9 appearances) and was soon sold to the Orioles. He spent the rest of the season with the Os' top farm team in Miami. There he posted an 0-5 record with an inflated ERA over 34 innings of relief.
Off The Charts: Hyde passed away just a few months ago, in April 2020, at the age of 91. In 1959, Hyde was included in deal-gone-bad between Washington and the Red Sox. On June 11, Hyde and Herb Plews were sent to Boston for Murray Wall and Billy Consolo. When the Sox found that Hyde had a sore arm, he and Wall were returned to their original teams.
The Card: The cartoon and the blurb on the back of the card refer to his career-topping 1958 season.
Yes, this card really is this miscut.
Anytime you can get your name referenced in the same sentence with Walter Johnson... you're doing pretty well. Sad to hear that he passed away, but it's great that he lived a long life.
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