Snake Wiltse
From BR Bullpen
Lewis De Witt Wiltse
- Bats Right, Throws Left
- Debut May 5, 1901
- Final Game May 18, 1903
- Born December 5, 1871 in Bouckville, NY USA
- Died August 25, 1928 in Harrisburg, PA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Lewis "Snake" Wiltse is one of three Snakes - the others being Snake Deal and Snake Henry. His real name was Lewis DeWitt Wiltse, and he won 29 games in his first two years in the majors, along with an above-average batting average in those two years.
Wiltse was born in Bouckville, NY, in upstate New York near Syracuse. He did not break into the majors until age 29. In 1899-1900, immediately before coming to the majors, he played for Toledo and Syracuse.
Snake was not successful in his initial foray into the majors with the 1901 Pirates, going 1-4. He was released in June 1901 and was signed a month later by the 1901 Athletics of the new 1901 American League. He went 13-5 for the A's, helping manager Connie Mack (Mack was then only 38 years old) to finish above .500.
The following year Wiltse went 8-8 for the A's in the first half of the season and was sold to the 1902 Orioles, for whom he went 7-11. He finished up his major league career appearing in four games with the 1903 New York Highlanders.
Snake spent most of 1903 going 19-12 for the minor league Orioles, and then in 1904 went 20-8 for them. Wilbert Robinson, who had managed him as a player-manager in 1902, was with the team in the minors in 1903-04. Robinson became a major league coach in 1905 while Wiltse stayed with Baltimore for part of the season and then jumped to York.
Snake continued to pitch in the minors through 1910. His most notable later year was 1908, when he went 13-9 split among two teams.
His brother Hooks Wiltse pitched 12 years in the majors, beginning in 1904.
Sporting Life in 1900 reported that Lewis lived in Ilion, NY and was employed "in the typewriter works".
The SABR biography of Snake Wiltse says he had an unusual delivery which was twisted out of shape. (Presumably, that's how he got his nickname.) He started in semi-pro ball in 1894, along with his brother George (Hooks), and brother Arthur also played. The biography details Snake's battles with baseball front offices over the reserve clause and over his jumping from the Orioles in 1905.
