Dick Woodson

Richard Lee Woodson was born on March 30, 1945 in Oelwein, Iowa.

The Minnesota Twins signed him as an amateur free agent in 1964. He broke camp with the Twins in 1969, and his Major League debut did not go well. Woodson entered with the score tied and the bases loaded in the 12th inning of a road game against the Kansas City Royals. Joe Keough was the first batter he was tasked with facing, and Keough delivered a walk-off single. Outing number two didn't go well either. Woodson lasted only one inning while starting against the California Angels, allowing three runs. Minnesota was able to climb out from their early hole and win that game 5-4.

Things started to calm down after that, and Woodson finished his rookie year with a 3.67 ERA over 110.1 innings. He was 7-5 with one save, making ten starts and 34 relief appearances. Woodson was 1-2 with one save and a 3.82 ERA for the Twins in 1970, working exclusively out of the bullpen. He made appearances in the 1969 and 1970 ALCS, allowing three runs across 2.2 innings of postseason relief work.

Woodson spent all of 1971 in Triple-A, then worked as a full time starter for Minnesota in 1972. He was 14-14 with a 2.72 ERA, tossing nine complete games and three shutouts. Woodson was 10-8 with a 3.95 ERA in 1973, but was limited to just 23 starts due to injuries.

History was made after the 1973 season when Woodson became the first player in Major League history to file for salary arbitration. Players had been allowed to do this since the 1968 Collective Bargaining Agreement, but no player had dared to test the owners yet. Woodson was the first player, going toe to toe with Twins owner Calvin Griffin. The arbitrator sided with Woodson, granting him the $30,000 salary against the Minnesota counteroffer of $23,000.

This victory led to 28 other players across baseball filing for arbitration before Opening Day, but it also led to a fractured relationship between Woodson and the Twins organization. He was traded to the New York Yankees for Mike Pazik and cash just one month into the 1974 season. Woodson had gotten off to a 1-1 start through four starts, owning a 4.33 ERA.

He struggled with the Yankees, posting a 5.79 ERA after the trade. Woodson was traded to the Atlanta Braves in the off-season, and was sent to the minor leagues. He had a 7.02 miserable Triple-A ERA in 1974, then retired when the year was over.