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Gary Peters, the 1963 American League Rookie of Year for the Chicago White Sox, died at 85, the team announced Thursday.
A two-time All-Star, the left-handed pitcher spent parts of 11 seasons with the White Sox (1959-69). His final three seasons were with the Boston Red Sox (1970-72).
Peters had a 124-103 career record with a 3.25 ERA and 1,420 strikeouts in 359 appearances (286 starts).
After making 12 appearances total from 1959-62, Peters had 30 starts (41 outings overall) in 1963, going 19-8 while leading the American League with a 2.33 ERA. He had 13 complete games, struck out 189 and walked just 68 in 243 innings.
He was named the AL Rookie of the Year and placed eighth in Most Valuable Player voting.
A Nov. 30, 1963 Chicago Tribune article with the headline “Gary Peters voted best rookie of ‘63″ noted a string of 11 consecutive victories for the “6 foot 2 inch, 200-pound Pennsylvanian.”
It also mentioned his ability at the plate: “Peters also was the leading hitter among pitchers in the majors. He batted .259, making 21 hits, including three homers, one triple and four doubles. The lefty, who came into professional baseball as a first baseman, drove in 12 runs.”
Peters led the AL with 20 victories — a career-high — the next season. He was an All-Star and placed seventh in MVP voting.
Peters topped the AL in ERA (1.98) again in 1966. He went 16-11 with a 2.28 ERA and a career-best 215 strikeouts the next season, making the All-Star team and finishing ninth in MVP voting.
He is eighth on the White Sox all-time list with 1,098 strikeouts.
“The White Sox send our condolences to the family and friends of Gary Peters,” the team said in part of a tweet.
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