Bob Wiesler

Robert George Wiesler (August 13, 1930 – August 10, 2014) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees and Washington Senators in parts of five seasons spanning 1951–1958. Listed at 6' 3", 188 lb., he was a switch-hitter and threw left-handed.

Wiesler was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1949 out of Beaumont High School in St. Louis, Missouri.

Wiesler gained a promotion to the Joplin Miners in 1950, and he simply dominated, going 15-7 with 11 complete games and two shutouts, while leading the Western Association with a 2.35 ERA and 277 strikeouts, en route to a league pennant and an All-Star recognition.

The strong armed lefty opened 1951 with the Kansas City Blues of the American Association, and he responded with a 10-9 mark and a 2.92 ERA in a career-high 194 innings, striking out 162 batters to claim his third strikeout title in a row. He joined the Yankees on August 3 of this year and lost two decisions in four appearances. He was then called up for military service, missing the 1952 season while serving with the United States Army during the Korean War conflict.

Following his discharge, Weisler pitched for the Yankees in parts of two seasons. In 1954, he went 3-2 with a 4.15 ERA in five starts and one relief appearance, and 0-2 with a 3.91 ERA in 16 games (seven starts) in 1955.

He spent most of the 1957 season with Triple-A Richmond Virginians, where he went 12-12 with a 3.75 ERA in 33 games. He also appeared in three games (two starts) for the Senators, going 1-1 with a 4.41 in innings. In his last game of the season, he pitched a seven-hit, one run complete game against the Baltimore Orioles at Memorial Stadium.

He was signed by Yankees scout Lou Maguolo.

After baseball, Wiesler was employed with the Anheuser-Busch Brewery company in St. Louis. Following his retirement, he moved to Florissant, Missouri, where he died in 2014 at the age of 83. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.