With all the baseball I've watched it is easy to forget the names of players that were once part of my daily vocabulary. Every once in a great while a name will pop into my head and I will wonder what has become of them.
Yesterday, I somehow conjured up LaMarr Hoyt who is best remembered for winning the 1983 AL Cy Young Award for the Chicago White Sox en route to their first AL West crown. Hoyt was difficult to miss with his long hair, beard and high leg kick a la Juan Marichal. I wondered what had become of LaMarr Hoyt. Despite his achievements, he hasn't merited an article on SABR. I've come across quite a few of Hoyt's contemporaries who have Facebook pages, but not the onetime ace of the White Sox.
Then this morning on Twitter, former Chisox executive and former Los Angeles Dodgers GM Dan Evans announced that Hoyt had passed away. Evans did not indicate when Hoyt died or what caused his death.
Normally when a player passes away, MLB and the club(s) for which he played customarily issue a statement sending their condolences. But as of this hour there is nothing on MLB.com or the official websites of either the White Sox or the San Diego Padres for whom Hoyt also pitched. Ditto for their social media accounts. Nor have I seen anything on ESPN, Sports Illustrated let alone any other news outlet.
Is it that Hoyt's death hasn't been confirmed? Is Evans simply wrong? If that is the case it's been more than 12 hours since Evans posted his tweet. If he was wrong you would think the record would have been corrected by now.
Or has everyone under the age of 45 forgotten about Dewey LaMarr Hoyt?
A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Hoyt was drafted out of high school by the New York Yankees in 1973. At the beginning of the 1977 season, the Yankees sent Hoyt along with Oscar Gamble to the Chisox for a young shortstop who would later live in infamy in Boston. That, of course, would be Bucky Dent.
Hoyt would make his big league debut with the White Sox at the tail end of the 1979 season as a September call up. He pitched effectively in the bullpen during the 1980 and 1981 seasons. Hoyt saved 10 games in the strike shortened '81 season along with Ed Farmer.
In 1982, White Sox manager Tony La Russa moved Hoyt into the starting rotation. This is when the AL sat up and took notice of Hoyt as he led the junior circuit in wins with 19. He would lead the AL in wins the following season with 24 during his Cy Young campaign. The 1983 Chisox were an interesting cast of characters with star players like Carlton Fisk, Greg Luzinski and Harold Baines, AL Rookie of the Year Ron Kittle, Rudy Law and Vance Law (who weren't brothers much less relatives) as well as journeymen like Julio Cruz and Jerry Dybzinski. But their anchor was Hoyt who led a starting rotation which included Richard Dotson (who won 22 games), Floyd Bannister, Britt Burns and a 40-year old Jerry Koosman with Dennis Lamp saving games out of the bullpen.
In his lone post-season appearance, Hoyt pitched a complete game in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles surrendering only a run on five hits. Unfortunately for the Chisox, the Orioles won the next three games to win the ALCS and went on to win the World Series. One can only wonder what might have happened had the series been a seven game format and Hoyt could have pitched once, possibly twice more.
After leading the AL in wins in back to back seasons, Hoyt would struggle in 1984 leading the AL in losses with 18. The White Sox shipped Hoyt off to the San Diego Padres in a multi-player deal which included a young shortstop who would win AL Rookie of the Year in 1985 and then 20 years later manage the Chisox to their first World Series title in 88 years. I am talking, of course, about none other than Ozzie Guillen. As for Hoyt, 1985 was a rebound year as he won 16 games in San Diego and was named the NL's starting pitcher in the All-Star Game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. His three innings of work was enough to earn him All-Star Game MVP honors.
Beginning in 1986, Hoyt would be arrested several times on drug possession charges. His performance suffered posting an 8-11 record with a career high 5.15 ERA. MLB Commissioner Peter Ueberroth would suspend Hoyt for the 1987 season though his suspension was reduced to 60 days on appeal. The Padres would release Hoyt and he would return to the White Sox although he would never again pitch in MLB. After yet another arrest, Hoyt briefly served time in federal prison. In 244 appearances (including 172 starts) over eight seasons, Hoyt went 98-68 with a 3.99 ERA striking out 681 batters while walking only 279 in 1311.1 innings pitched.
Hoyt's baseball career was over at 32 and he would be shunned and never given another chance. Consequently, Hoyt largely faded from public view which naturally caused a recession of memory. This is a shame because for a few short years Hoyt was arguably the best pitcher in Major League Baseball. Whether LaMarr Hoyt is still with us or not, his achievements are something worth remembering. If he is still among us I hope he knows there are people who appreciate what he did on the pitcher's mound.
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