Joe Haynes

Who was Joe Haynes?

Joseph Walton Haynes was an American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox. He married Thelma Mae Robertson Griffith, niece and adopted daughter of Washington owner Clark Griffith, in 1941, after he had been traded by his future father-in-law.

Born in Lincolnton, Georgia, Haynes was named to the 1948 American League All-Star Team. He led the American League in games pitched and games finished in 1942 and in earned run average in 1947. In 14 years, he had a 76–82 win-loss record, appearing in 379 games pitched, with 147 games started, 53 complete games, 5 shutouts, 159 games finished and 21 saves in 1,581 innings pitched. He allowed 1,672 hits, 823 runs, 704 earned runs, 95 home runs and 620 walks, with 475 strikeouts, 26 hit batsmen, 35 wild pitches, 6,890 batters faced, four balks and a 4.01 ERA.

Of Haynes' 379 appearances, 218 came with the White Sox, where he won 55 of 98 decisions and posted an above-average ERA. He was reacquired by Washington after the 1948 season, but was ineffective, going only 10–21 in 112 games in his second stint with the Senators.