Photo credit: Collection
Hoyt Wilhelm began his minor league career in 1941, signing with the Mooresville (NC) Moors on May 6, but he was released three weeks later, on May 27, without playing a game. He was signed again on April 13, 1942, released on June 28, and then re-signed before finishing the season with a 10-3 record and a 4.25 ERA. He entered the U.S. Army in 1943, fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, earned a Purple Heart from injuries sustained in battle in 1945, and then rejoined the Moors for the 1946 and 1947 seasons. He went 21-8, 2.47 ERA in 1946 (earning all-star recognition), and 20-7, 3.38 ERA in 1947, helping Mooresville win the North Carolina State League both years.
Photo credit: The Charlotte News
In 1948, Wilhelm played for the Knoxville (TN) Smokies (Class B, Tri-State League), going 13-9 and posting a 3.62 ERA. He began the season with the Jacksonville (FL) Tars (Class A, South Atlantic League), but only pitched in six games before heading to Knoxville.
Photo credit: The Charlotte Observer
In 1949 he would begin the season where he did the previous year, in Jacksonville (Class A, South Atlantic League). This time he would finish there, going 17-12 and posting a 2.66 ERA.
Photo credit: Collection
He spent the 1950 and 1951 seasons with the Minneapolis (MN) Millers (Class AAA, American Association), posting a 15-11 record, 4.95 ERA, and 99 Ks in 1950, and an 11-14 record, 3.94 ERA with 148 Ks in 1951. He helped the Millers to a 90-64 record in 1950 to give them the regular-season title, but they fell in the playoffs to Columbus, 4 games to 2 games.
Photo credit: Collection
During the winters of 1950-51 and 1951-52, Hoyt Wilhelm played for the Habana Leones (Havana Lions) or Reds in Cuba. He was an all-star in 1950-51 (going 8-6, with a league-leading 2.36 ERA), helping Habana win the Cuban Winter League title (after going 41-32-1) and advance to the Caribbean Series (before losing). In the 1951-52 season, he went 2-5, and posted a 3.52 ERA, as Habana (41-30-1) won the Cuban Winter League title again and also went on to win the Caribbean Series. However, Wilhelm was called back to the states to prepare for his first spring training with a major league club, the NY Giants, and didn't participate in the Caribbean Series.
Photo credit: Collection
On June 29, 1971, Wilhelm was released by the Atlanta Braves. But 11 days later, on July 10, 1971, he was signed by the L.A. Dodgers and assigned to the Spokane (WA) Indians (Class AAA, Pacific Coast League) to help young knuckleballer Charlie Hough and to give Wilhelm a chance to make it back to the big leagues. In eight games with Spokane, he went 2-3, with a 3.89 ERA, and 1 save, earning a trip back to the majors where he would spend the rest of the 1971 season and part of the 1972 season before being released on July 21, 1972, five days before his 50th birthday.
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