Oscar Judd
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Thomas William Oscar Judd (February 14, 1908 - December 27, 1995) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox (1941-1945) and Philadelphia Phillies (1945-1948). A native of London, Ontario, Canada, the left-hander stood 6'0" and weighed 180 lbs.
Judd was primarily used as a starting pitcher during his eight-season career. He made his major league debut in relief on April 16, 1941 against the Washington Senators at Fenway Park. He pitched in just six more games for Boston that year but did earn his first big league save.
His first major league win came in his second season and second major league start, a 13-4 victory over the Senators at Griffith Stadium on April 22, 1942. The losing pitcher was Hall of Famer Early Wynn. Judd finished the season 8-10 with a 3.89 earned run average.
Judd's best season was 1943. The 36-year-old was 11-6 with a 2.90 ERA and was an American League All-Star. Two years later, on May 31, 1945 he was selected off waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies from the Red Sox. His overall record for Boston in five seasons was 20-18 with an ERA of 3.68 in 72 games.
His best season with Philadelphia was 1946, when he won 11 games, lost 12, and hit .316 for a mediocre Phillies team that finished in fifth place with a 69-85 record. He finished in a tie for 36th place in the National League MVP voting.
Judd was 40 years old when he made his final major league appearance on May 11, 1948. He was the sixth-oldest player to appear in a National League game that season.
Career totals for 206 games (161 as a pitcher) include a 40-51 record, 99 games started, 43 complete games, 4 shutouts, 32 games finished, and 7 saves. He allowed 334 earned runs in 771.1 innings pitched for an ERA of 3.90. As a hitter he was well above average for a pitcher, and was used many times a pinch hitter. His lifetime batting average was .262 (83-for-317) with 3 home runs, 19 runs batted in, a .322 on base percentage, and a slugging average of .356. He only grounded into two double plays during his entire career. Judd finished in his league's top ten five times for wild pitches, leading the National League with 8 in 1947.
Judd died at the age of 87 in Ingersoll, Ontario.
