Rick Ferrell got in partially with the help of his brother, who talked him up for a book, saying he deserved to be in Cooperstown. He was also the AL leader in games caught, which was starting to creep into the news as Bob Boone approached the all-time record and Carlton Fisk approached his record. Eppa Rixey got HOF support when Warren Spahn started approaching his NL record for wins by a lefty, so sometimes it just paid to be in the news.
That 4.04 career ERA for Wes is what has likely kept him out. People made a huge deal about Jack Morris having a 3.90 ERA and getting in, so imagine what a 4.04 would look like to voters before Morris.
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