Don Wilson

Donald Edward Wilson (February 12, 1945 – January 5, 1975) was an American professional baseball pitcher who spent his entire nine-season Major League Baseball career with the Houston Astros.

Wilson attended Centennial High School and later Compton Community College in California before the Astros signed him in 1966. Known early on for his wildness, he was also regarded as one of the hardest throwers in the National League. He made his debut as a September call-up on the 29th against the Cincinnati Reds, pitching six innings with seven strikeouts and two runs allowed in a 3-2 win.

In his first full season, 1967, Wilson went 10-9 with a 2.79 ERA over 31 games (28 starts), striking out 159 batters while walking 69 and throwing ten wild pitches in 184 innings. On June 18, he no-hit the Atlanta Braves 2–0 at the Astrodome—the first no-hitter ever thrown in a domed stadium or on artificial turf—striking out 15, including Hank Aaron for the final out. The following season, he posted a 13-16 record with a 3.28 ERA across 33 games (30 starts) and 208.2 innings, with 175 strikeouts and 70 walks. On July 14, in the second game of a doubleheader at Crosley Field, Wilson set an Astros club record with 18 strikeouts in a 6-1 win over the Reds.

Wilson opened the 1969 season as the Astros' Opening Day starter, the eighth different pitcher to do so in the franchise's first eight years. He pitched six innings against the expansion San Diego Padres, allowing two runs on three hits with four strikeouts and one walk in a 2-1 loss. That season, he went 16-12 with a 4.00 ERA in 34 starts and 225 innings, walking 97 and striking out a career-high 235. He led the league in wild pitches (16) and ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings (9.400).

On May 1, the day after Jim Maloney no-hit the Astros, Wilson threw his second career no-hitter, a 4-0 win over the Reds. This back-to-back no-hit feat was only the second in MLB history, following Gaylord Perry and Ray Washburn the previous September. The no-hitter was revenge for Wilson, who had allowed seven runs in five innings and taken the loss in a 14-0 Astros defeat to the Reds nine days earlier. That year, the Astros finished .500 (81-81) for the first time, and their pitching staff set a big-league record for strikeouts in a season.

Wilson, Larry Dierker (232), and Tom Griffin (200) each struck out at least 200 batters—only the second time in MLB history a team had three such pitchers.

In 1970, Wilson went 11-6 with a 3.91 ERA over 29 games (27 starts) and 184.1 innings, striking out 94 and walking 66. His best season came in 1971, when he posted a career-best 2.45 ERA and a 16-10 record in 35 games (34 starts). He threw a career-high 18 complete games and 268 innings, striking out 180 and walking 79 while facing over a thousand batters for the only time in his career. He led the league in hits per nine innings (6.5) and was selected to his only All-Star Game, pitching the seventh and eighth innings with one walk and two strikeouts. He also earned Astros MVP honors.

Wilson was the Opening Day starter again in 1972, the second Astros pitcher after Dierker to have multiple starts in the first game. He pitched 7.1 innings against the San Francisco Giants, allowing four runs on seven hits in a 5-0 loss. He finished the year 15-10 with a 2.68 ERA (his third and final sub-3.00 ERA) in 33 starts, throwing 13 complete games in 228.1 innings with 172 strikeouts and 66 walks. He reached 1,000 career strikeouts on September 11, fanning Willie Crawford of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1973, he declined to 11-16 with a 3.20 ERA in 37 games (32 starts) and 239.1 innings, striking out 149 and walking 92.

In his final season, 1974, Wilson went 11-13 with a 3.08 ERA in 33 games (27 starts) and 204.2 innings, striking out 112 and walking a career-high 100. He won his 100th game on July 30 against the Reds at Riverfront Stadium, pitching eight innings with four runs allowed on five hits, nine strikeouts, and four walks in an 8-4 victory. His last game was a two-hit, 5–0 shutout against the Braves on September 28.

On January 5, 1975, Wilson died at his home in Houston's Fondren Southwest community. His wife, Bernice, found him in the passenger seat of his Ford Thunderbird, parked inside the attached garage with the engine running. The carbon monoxide gas fatally asphyxiated his five-year-old son, Donald "Alex" Alexander, who was sleeping in the master bedroom above the garage. His nine-year-old daughter, Denise, was found unconscious in another bedroom and hospitalized. Bernice was treated for carbon monoxide inhalation and a jaw injury she could not recall.