Doc Ayers

Who was Doc Ayers?

Yancey Wyatt "Doc" Ayers was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was known for throwing the spitball, and was one of the 17 pitchers allowed to continue throwing the pitch after it was outlawed in 1920. Ayers played nine seasons in the American League with the Washington Senators and Detroit Tigers. He batted and threw right-handed.

Ayers was the opposing pitcher for the Senators on June 23, 1917, against the Boston Red Sox. Ernie Shore relieved starting pitcher Babe Ruth after the first batter walked and Ruth was ejected for arguing with the umpire. The runner was caught stealing, and Shore retired the next 26 batters for a no-hitter. Manager Clark Griffith removed Ayers for a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning.

Ayers was a noted spitball pitcher who was allowed to throw the pitch after it had been banned in the major leagues after the 1919 season, having received special permission to do so. In 1920, he struck out 103 batters and led the American League in strikeouts per nine innings. In 299 career games, Ayers posted a 65–79 win-loss record with a 2.84 ERA and 109 games finished.