Quick Facts
Biography
Donald Edward "Don" Wilson, (February 12, 1945 – January 5, 1975) was a professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball with the Houston Astros.
Biography
Career
Wilson's professional career began after he graduated from Compton Community College in Compton, California and was recruited by the Astros in 1966, where he played until 1974. Especially early in his career when he was prone to wildness, Wilson was known as one of the hardest throwers in the National League.
On June 18, 1967, Wilson no-hit the Atlanta Braves 2–0 at the Astrodome. The no-hitter was the first ever pitched either in a domed stadium or on artificial turf. Along the way, he struck out 15 batters, including Hank Aaron for the final out.(Audio) In the second game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field on July 14, 1968, Wilson set the Astros club record for single-game strikeouts with 18. On May 1, 1969, the day after the Reds' Jim Maloney no-hit the Astros 10–0 at Crosley Field for his second career no-hitter, Wilson returned the favor and no-hit the Reds 4–0 for his second career no-hitter. (Audio) The back-to-back no-hit feat was only the second in MLB history, the first having been accomplished in September of just the year before by Gaylord Perry and Ray Washburn. This second no-hitter was vengeance for Wilson: in his previous start against the Reds nine days earlier, he had given up seven runs in five innings and was the losing pitcher in the Reds' 14–0 drubbing of the Astros at the Astrodome. That year, the Astros finished .500 (81-81) for the first time in club history, and Wilson struck out 235 batters (his career best in a brief career) in 225 innings in fashioning a 16–12 record. That season, the Astros set what was then a big-league record for strikeouts in a season by a pitching staff. Two other Houston starters, Larry Dierker and Tom Griffin, also struck out at least 200 batters that season, with Dierker's 232 in 305 innings leading the way. The 1971 season saw Wilson make the National League All-Star Team as well as earn Astros MVP honors. Wilson's last game was a two-hit, 5–0 shutout against the Atlanta Braves on September 28, 1974.
Death
 | |
| Don Wilson's number 40 was retired by the Houston Astros in 1975. |
On January 5, 1975, Wilson died at the house he shared with his wife, daughter, and son in Houston's Fondren Southwest community. Wilson's wife, Bernice, found him in the passenger seat of his Ford Thunderbird, parked inside the garage, with the engine running. The garage was attached to the house, and the carbon monoxide gas fatally asphyxiated his son, Donald "Alex" Alexander (aged 5), who was sleeping in the master bedroom above the garage. Wilson's daughter Denise (aged 9), was found unconscious in another bedroom and hospitalized. Bernice was treated for carbon monoxide gas inhalation and for a jaw injury that she could not remember incurring. On February 5, 1975, Dr. Joseph Jachimczyk, the Harris County medical examiner, ruled the deaths of Don and Alex Wilson accidental. Dr. Jachimczyk's autopsy report showed that Wilson had a blood alcohol content of 0.167%. One theory is that Wilson drove into his garage, activated the automatic door closer, and then passed out.
Wilson's uniform number was retired by the Astros on April 13, 1975, and a black circular patch with his number 40 in white was worn on the left sleeve of the Astros "rainbow jerseys" the following season.
