Name: LaMarr Hoyt
Rank: 24
Position: P
Years With White Sox: 1979-1984
Acquired by the White Sox, along with Robert Polinsky and Oscar Gamble, from the Yankees for Bucky Dent days before the start of the 1977 season, LaMarr Hoyt made his major league debut two years later, on September 14, 1979, against the A’s, throwing an inning of scoreless relief at Comiskey Park. He appeared in one other game, ending the year with 3 innings pitched without giving up a run.
Hoyt split the 1980 season between Triple A and Chicago. With the White Sox, he went back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation, ending the season with a 9-3 record and a 4.57 ERA.
Hoyt worked almost exclusively out of the bullpen in 1981. He earned 10 saves while posting another 9-3 record, while lowering his ERA to 3.57. He moved in to the rotation full time in 1982 and tied a club record by winning his first 9 decisions. He ended up leading the American League in wins, posting a 19-15 record, while walking a minuscule 48 batters in nearly 240 innings.
A slow start, for both Hoyt and the White Sox, in 1983 gave way to a tremendous run that ended with Hoyt leading all of baseball with 24 wins against only 10 losses, good enough for a Cy Young award and some MVP consideration. He lowered his walk total to 31 while upping his innings pitched to nearly 261. In the ALCS against the Orioles, he threw a complete game in the first game of the series, giving up only one run in the only White Sox victory.
Hoyt, and the White Sox, faltered in 1984, failing to live up to expectations following the successes of 1983. Never a thin man, Hoyt’s weight became an issue in 1984, as battery mate Carlton Fisk described the pitcher as having “everything it takes, including a lot of stomach.” Hoyt finished the year 13-18, leading the league in losses after leading in victories for the past 2 years. His ERA jumped to 4.47, his worse total since 1980.
Following the season, Hoyt, along with 2 minor leaguers, was traded to the Padres for Ozzie Guillen, Tim Lollar, Bill Long, and Luis Salazar. Hoyt rejoined the White Sox organization on July 1, 1987, hoping to work his way back from a shredded shoulder and drug addictions, but a fourth drug arrest in December brought his career to an end.
Hoyt’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:
