Hoyt Wilhelm

At 80 years old, Hoyt Wilhelm has this physical status:

James Hoyt Wilhelm (July 26, 1922 – August 23, 2002), also known as "Old Sarge," was an American Major League baseball pitcher with the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore White Sox, Chicago Braves, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1952 to 1972.

Wilhelm was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 and is one of 83 pitchers enshrined in the Hall. Wilhelm grew up in North Carolina, served in World War II, and then spent several years in the minor leagues before starting his professional career at the age of 29.

He was best known for his knuckleball, which enabled him to have a long career.

He appeared occasionally as a starting pitcher, but mainly as a reliever.

Wilhelm won 124 games in relief, which is still the major league record.

He was the first pitcher to reach 200 saves and the first to play in 1,000 games. Wilhelm was almost 30 years old when he first joined the major leagues and pitched until he was almost 50 years old.

He retired with one of the lowest career earned run averages in baseball history, 2.22.

Wilhelm, who retired as a player in 1972, spent long time with the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves.

He lived in Sarasota, Florida, for many years, and died there in 2002.

Early life

Wilhelm was born in 1922, though it was later determined that he was 1923. In Huntersville, North Carolina, he was one of eleven children born to poor tenant farmers John and Ethel (née Stanley) Wilhelm. He played baseball at Cornelius High School in Cornelius, North Carolina. After learning about pitcher Dutch Leonard, knowing he couldn't throw fast, he started playing with a knuckleball. He played it with a tennis ball, wishing it would be his best chance at Big League glory.

In 1942, Wilhelm made his first appearance with the Class-D North Carolina State League's Mooresville Moors. He served in the European Theater during World War II and was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded, and was awarded the Purple Heart for his service. While serving in the Army, he rose to the rank of staff sergeant, and he spent his entire career with a piece of shrapnel embedded in his back as a result of the wounds he suffered in combat. Because of his service in the military, Wilhem received the nickname "Old Sarge."

Wilhelm returned to the Moors in 1946 and 1947 seasons after being released from service, winning 41 times in the 1946 and 1947 seasons. He later remembered being kicked out of a Class D minor league team and seeing the boss tell him not to worry about the knuckleball, but he kept going with it. Wilhelm was purchased by the Boston Braves from Mooresville in 1947 and drafted by the New York Giants from the Braves in the 1947 minor league draft.

Wilhelm's first stint in the Giants organization was in Class B with the 1948 Knoxville Smokies, for whom he won 13 victories and 9 losses. He appeared in just a few games with the Class A Jacksonville Tars of the South Atlantic League, and he played in Jacksonville in 1949, achieving a 17-12 win-loss record and a 2.66 earned run average. In 1950, Wilhelm was promoted to the Class AAA Minneapolis Millers, where he appeared in 25 of the 35 games he pitched in, a 15-11.95 ERA. His appearance with the Millers in 1951 was the same as the year before, mainly as a starter but also doing eleven relief appearances. In 1951, his ERA was down to 3.94, but his record was down to 11-14.

Later life

Wilhelm managed two minor league teams in the Atlanta Braves system for single seasons following his release as a player. He coached the 1973 Greenwood Braves of the Western Carolinas League to a 61-66 record and then broke his 33-33 record with the 1975 Kingsport Braves of the Appalachian League. He also spent 22 years as a minor league pitching coach for the New York Yankees. Wilhelm said that he did not teach pitchers the knuckleball because people were supposed to be born with a knack for throwing it. Joe Niekro has worked with major league players who wanted to develop their knuckleballs, including Joe Niekro. Even though Lolich pitched for the San Diego Padres, the Yankees gave Wilhelm permission to work with Mickey Lolich in 1979.

Wilhelm was on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame for eight years before being elected. Although Wilhelm didn't get enough votes for induction in 1983, sportswriter Jim Murray chastised them, saying that while Wilhelm never had the look of a baseball player, he was "the best player in history at what he does." In 1984, he fell short by 13 votes by 13 votes. In 1985, Wilhelm was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He said he had fulfilled all three of his initial major league dreams, including being named to an All-Star team, and throwing a no-hitter at his induction ceremony.

Peggy and his wife Peggy lived in Sarasota, Florida. Patti, Pam, and Jim were raised together as a family. In 2002, Wilhelm died of heart disease in a Sarasota nursing home.

Wilhelm was named in the 2013 Bob Feller Act of Valor Award for his service in the United States Army during World War II.

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Major league career

Despite the fact that Wilhelm was primarily a starting pitcher in the minor leagues, he had been called up to a Giants team whose strong starting pitchers had led them to a National League (NL) pennant the year before. Leo Durocher, the Giants' manager, did not think that Wilhelm's knuckleball tactic would be more effective for more than a few innings at a time. Wilhelm was assigned to the team's bullpen by the coach.

Wilhelm made his MLB debut with the Giants on April 18, 1952, at the age of 29, giving up a hit and two walks when only recording one out. Wilhelm batted for the first time in the majors on April 23, 1952, in his third game with the New York Giants. Wilhelm, the Boston Braves' rookie, made a home run over a short right-field fence at the Polo Grounds. Despite going to bat a total of 432 times in his career, he never reached another home run.

Wilhelm, who primarily worked in relief, led the NL with a 2.43 ERA in his rookie year. He played 15 games and lost three. Wilhelm came in fourth in the NL Most Valuable Player Award voting this season, behind rookie Joe Black of the Dodgers. Jim Konstanty had won it for the Phillies in 1950, and Ellis Kinder had finished seventh in the AL voting in 1951, so relief pitchers were starting to receive praise from the sportswriters. In the Rookie of the Year Award voting, Wilhelm came in second place. Joe Black was voted second. Wilhelm made 69 relief appearances in 1953, his win-loss record was lowered to 7–8 and he gave 77 walks against 71 strikeouts. Wilhelm was drafted to the NL All-Star team this year, but he did not play in the game because team boss Charlie Dressen did not think that any of the catchers would be able to handle his knuckleball. In February 1954, the Giants renewed Wilhelm's deal.

Wilhelm was a key piece of the 1954 Giants' pitching staff that helped the 1954 Giants win the world championship. He pitched 111 innings, finishing with a 12–4 record and a 2.10 ERA. Ray Katt pushed four passed balls in one inning to tie for the first time in the major leagues; since being tied twice. Wilhelm was pitching in the second game and gave up two runs in a doubleheader when Stan Musial set a record by hitting five home runs in a doubleheader that year. Wilhelm's first postseason appearance in the 1954 World Series was represented in the 1954 World Series. He pitched 2+13 innings in two games, earning a save in the third game. In a four-game sweep, the team captured the World Series.

Wilhelm's ERA climbed to 3.93 over 59 games and 103 innings pitched in 1955, but he had a 4–1 record. In 89+13 innings, he finished the 1956 season with a 4–9 record and a 3.83 ERA. Wilhelm's difficulties in the mid-1950s were attributed to the fall in the career of Giants catcher Wes Westrum, who said that baseball was "a game of inches," and that for Hoyt, "wes was the inch in the right direction."

Wilhelm was traded by the Giants to the St. Louis Cardinals on February 26, 1957, as the Giants' Whitey Lockman. Wilhelm was described as the kind of pitcher who "makes us a concrete pennant threat" at the time of the trade. He'll be able to help us where we need assistance the most." He made 11 saves in 40 games with the Cardinals this season, but he ended with a 1–4 record and his highest ERA to that point in his career (4.25). In September, the Cardinals released him on waivers, and the Cleveland Indians claimed him, who used him in two games this year.

Bobby Bragan, the Cleveland manager, used Wilhelm occasionally as a starter. Despite his 2.49 ERA, none of the Indians' catchers could withstand Wilhelm's knuckleball. On August 23, 1958, Baltimore Orioles general manager Frank Lane, who was furious due to the numerous passes, allowed the Baltimore Orioles to select Wilhelm off waivers. Wilhelm lived in Baltimore near the home of third baseman Brooks Robinson and their families, who became close friends. Wilhelm no-hit the eventual World Champions New York Yankees 1–0 at Memorial Stadium on September 20 in just his ninth appearance. He allowed two baserunners to walk on walks and knocked out eight. Hank Bauer bunched along the baseline at one point in the ninth inning, but Robinson allowed the ball to roll and foul. The no-hitter was the first in the franchise's Baltimore history; the Orioles had relocated from St. Louis after the 1953 season.

In 1959, the Orioles had trouble catching the Wilhelm knuckleball, and they set a MLB record of 49 passed balls. Gus Triandos had four passed balls while catching for Wilhelm during one of his life's toughest day" in April. Wilhelm and Triandos "developed the theory that a knuckleball pitcher and a fast catcher make an awful pair," Bill James wrote. "Heaven is a place where no one throws a knuckleball," Triandos once said.

Despite the passing balls, Wilhelm won the American League ERA by a 2.19 ERA. During the 1960 season, Orioles manager Paul Richards devised a bigger mitt so his catchers would be able to tackle the knuckleball. During that year, Richards was very well-equipped with starting pitchers. He said eight of his pitchers could start as starters by the middle of the season. Wilhelm played 11 of the 41 games in which he appeared. He had an 11-2008 record, a 3.31 ERA, and seven saves. He played only one game the first year, but he was an All-Star, with 18 saves and a 2.30 ERA.

Wilhelm had his fourth All-Star season in 1962, ending with a 7–10 record, a 1.94 ERA, and 15 saves. Wilhelm was traded by the Oriolos with Ron Hansen, Dave Nicholson, and Pete Ward to the Chicago White Sox for Luis Aparicio and Al Smith on January 14, 1963. Wilhelm had raised his pitching staff by 40% early in the season, according to White Sox boss Al López. Wilhelm was "worth more than a 20-game winner," he said, and he puts so little effort that he might not live as long as Satchel Paige." He had 21 saves and a 2.64 ERA.

Wilhelm made career debuts in both saves (27) and games pitched (73), his highest saves (27) and games pitched (73). His ERA dropped to 1.99 this season, but it remained less than 2.00 throughout the 1968 season. When Chicago catcher J. C. Martin allowed 33 of them in one season, he set another new passed balls record in 1965. That figure was the highest single-season baseball record for the sport. Wilhelm's career-lowest ERA (1.31) came in 1967, when he set an 8–3 record for the White Sox with 12 saves.

Wilhelm was close to breaking the all-time games pitched record of Cy Young (906 games) in the 1968 season. For game number 907, Chicago manager Eddie Stanky began to consider using Wilhelm as a starting pitcher. However, Stanky was fired by the White Sox long before the record was broken. Wilhelm later set the world record as a relief pitcher. In addition, he set MLB records for consecutive errorless games by a pitcher, career victories in relief, games, and innings pitched in relief. Despite Wilhelm's popularity, the White Sox, who had won at least 83 games per season in the 1960s, did poorly. They reached their high point in 1968 with a 67–95 record.

Wilhelm was praised during his apprenticeship with relief pitcher Wilbur Wood, who came to the 1967 White Sox in a trade. On his arrival in Chicago, Wood occasionally threw a knuckleball, but Wilhelm encouraged him to throw it full out. Wood had won 13 games, saved 16 games, and had a 1.87 ERA by 1968. Wilhelm credited him with assisting him in mastering the knuckleball technique, although White Sox coaches were unaware of how to throw it. Wood appeared in more games (241) over the course of his career (1968-70) than any other pitcher and more innings (312+333) than every other relief pitcher.

MLB grew after the 1968 season, and an expansion draft was developed in which the new teams could select specific players from the existing teams. Wilhelm was left unprotected by the White Sox, presumably because they did not know that teams would be interested in a much older pitcher. Wilhelm was the 49th pick in the Kansas City Royals' expansion draft on October 15, 1968. He was traded by the Royals to the California Angels for Ed Kirkpatrick and Dennis Paepke in the offseason.

Wilhelm played 44 games for the 1969 California Angels, including ten saves and a 5–7 record. Wilhelm and Bob Priddy were traded to the Atlanta Braves for Clint Compton and Mickey Rivers on September 8, 1969. He ended the 1969 season by pitching in eight games for the Braves, winning four saves and a 0.73 ERA over 12+1 innings pitched. Wilhelm played for the Braves for the majority of the 1970s, playing in 50 games for the team and receiving ten saves.

Wilhelm was selected off waivers by the Chicago Cubs on September 21, 1970, for whom he appeared in three games. Hal Breeden was recalled to the Braves on November 30, 1970. The trade back to the Braves was a point of controversies as the Cubs acquired Wilhelm late in the season to raise playoff hopes. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn investigated the transaction and found no proof of impropriety linked to the transactions that brought Wilhelm to the Cubs and then quickly back to the Braves in December.

Wilhelm was released by the Braves on June 29, 1971 after playing in three games for the Braves for the first time this year. He joined the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 10, 1971 and played in nine games for the Dodgers, losing two earned runs in 17+2/3 innings. He played in eight games for the Spokane Indians, the team's Class AAA minor league affiliate. Wilhelm played six of those games and had a 3.89 ERA.

Wilhelm played in 16 games for the Dodgers in 1972, a 4.62 ERA over 25 innings. On July 21, 1972, the Dodgers released him. He had never appeared in another game.

Wilhelm had played in a then major league record 1,070 games at the time of his retirement. He is the first pitcher to play in 1,000 games in his career and the first pitcher to save 200 games in his career. Wilhelm is one of the oldest players to play in the major leagues; his last appearance was 16 days before his 50th birthday.

After 1927 (Walter Johnson) who had played more than 2,000 innings, Wilhelm retired with the lowest career earnings run average of any major league hurler since 1927.

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