HOUSTON – Longtime Colt .45 and Houston Astro player, Larry Dierker spent 10 seasons as Jimmy Wynn’s teammate between 1964 and 1973. In an interview with KPRC 2, Dierker remembered some of Wynn’s career highlights and the impact he had on the Astros. Wynn died Thursday at the age of 78, the team announced.
Favorite moment
"That game where he hit three home runs."
Dierker remembers when Wynn became the first Houston Astro to hit three home runs in a game at the Astrodome, playing against the San Francisco Giants.
Dierker believes Wynn would have had many more home runs, had it not been for the deep fences at the Astrodome.
"There's no one in Astros history that reached those seats as often as Jimmy. I wonder what would have happened if he had played for the Cubs or the Braves."
Wynn's most famous home run came in Cincinnati at Crosley Field, where he hit a ball so far it exited the stadium and ended up on the freeway.
Wynn’s personality
“He was an easy-going guy. I never saw him have any disagreement with a teammate, never saw him yell at a pitcher,” said Dierker. “Everybody liked him.”
‘The Toy Cannon’
Standing at just 5′9″ and weighing about 160 pounds, Wynn generated tremendous power for his size.
His nickname, “The Toy Cannon,” is one of baseball’s best.
When asked if Wynn liked the nickname, Dierker thought he did.
“I think he was aware of his power and I think he was proud of it, as he should have been,” said Dierker. “It was a pretty darn good nickname, I’ll tell you that.”
Houston Chronicle beat writer John Wilson gave him that nickname in the 1960s.