George Benjamin Winn was born in Perry, GA, on October 26, 1897, to George W. Winn and Mamie Gaddy Winn. George’s father was a merchant from South Carolina, and the family lived in a boarding house until at least 1900. But by the time George broke into the major leagues in 1919, his father had been elected Sheriff of Houston County. George attended Georgia Military College and then Mercer University, where he earned the nickname “Breezy.”
George made his major league debut on April 29th, 1919, for the Boston Red Sox at Washington’s Griffith Stadium. George was brought in to pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning, and he retired all three of the batters he faced. His second chance came at Fenway Park against the Detroit Tigers. That day, Boston was losing 5-1 after four innings. George pitched the top of the fifth and dug a deeper hole; he gave up four hits and three earned runs. He had his only at-bat for the Red Sox in this game and struck out.
On July 7th, Boston sold Winn’s contract to the Hartford Senators. Then, on the 16th, George was traded to the Des Moines Boosters. He went 7-6 for the Boosters with a .295 batting average.
On February 4th, 1920, George joined the Oakland Oaks and stayed with them until June 5th, 1922, when he was sold to the Nashville Volunteers. While in Nashville, he was more known for his abilities as an outfielder than as a pitcher.
George was then traded several times to different teams, including the Cleveland Indians, New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Brewers, Little Rock, and Shreveport, and even played for the Macon Peaches in 1926.
After retiring from professional baseball, George became a car salesman for Dunlap Chevrolet. He also worked as a parts procurement manager for Steve M. Solomon Jr. Motor Company in Macon, GA. He and his wife, Righton Miller Winn, lived together in Macon at 107 Callaway St. until her death in 1954. George died in 1969 after moving to Roberta, GA. George and Righton are buried together in Orange Hill Cemetery in Hawkinsville.
Research compiled by: Jacob Whitehead
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