Mel Parnell, who spent his entire big-league career with the Red Sox and led the American League in wins with 25 in 1949, passed away Tuesday at age 89 following a long battle with cancer.
Parnell’s 123 wins were the most by a Red Sox left-hander. Besides his 25-win season in 1949, he finished with 21 wins in 1953 and 18 in both 1950 and ’51. Known for his screwball, he hurt his arm in 1954 at age 32 and never pitched another full season, though he did pitch a no-hitter against the White Sox in 1956, his last year in the big leagues.
He talked about the no-hitter with the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 2002:This is something a pitcher dreams of. You never expect it to happen.
On that particular day, I had a very good screwball. My slider was working good. That gave me pitches that I could work in and out on hitters. I pretty much was able to get the ball right where I wanted it with each pitch, and things fell in line for me.Parnell, who briefly worked as a Red Sox broadcaster in the 1960s, was elected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997.