Hoyt Wilhelm's Career - Briefly

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In 1939, Hoyt Wilhelm began playing baseball at Cornelius (NC) High School, where he learned to throw his famous knuckleball after reading about four knuckleballers on the Washington Senators pitching staff and seeing a picture of pitcher Dutch Leonard's grip (Wilhelm threw a no-hitter at Cornelius High and also had a two-homer game in 1941 during his senior year).

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During his summers in high school (1939-1941), Wilhelm played for the Davidson (NC) American Legion Post 86 baseball team.

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He broke into professional baseball by signing with the Mooresville (NC) Moors on May 6, 1941 (Kannapolis Daily Independent, May 7, 1941), but was released three weeks later (Kannapolis Daily Independent, May 28, 1941). He signed and played  his first game for the Moors in 1942.

Photo credit: The Charlotte Observer

He served in the army during World War II from 1943-1945, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and earning a Purple Heart from injuries sustained in battle. He played baseball for the 395th Infantry Division of the 99th Infantry in 1943 (Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi) and 1944 (Camp Maxey, Texas).

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After six more years in the minors (with the Mooresville Moors, Knoxville Smokies, Jacksonville Tars and Minneapolis Millers), he debuted in the majors with the N.Y. Giants in 1952, homering in his first at-bat (never hitting another) and winning his lone World Series in 1954.

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After brief stints with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians, Wilhelm threw a no-hitter for the Baltimore Orioles against the eventual World Series champion N.Y. Yankees in 1958.

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After joining the Chicago White Sox, he pitched in his 907th game to break Cy Young's record for games pitched.

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After the White Sox left Wilhelm unprotected in the 1968 expansion draft, the Kansas City Royals drafted him. Before playing for Kansas City, the Royals traded him to the California Angels (where he played in 1969) before being traded to the Atlanta Braves (where he pitched in his record 1,000th major league game - seen in photo above, May 10, 1970).

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After playing for the California Angels, Atlanta Braves (twice), and Chicago Cubs, Wilhelm's playing days ended in 1972 when the Los Angeles Dodgers released him five days before his 50th birthday.

Photo credit: Brett Honeycutt

He retired from baseball in 1995 after 22 years as a minor league coach, 20 of those as a pitching coach in the N.Y. Yankees farm system. 

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In 1985 he was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and became the first relief pitcher to be inducted.