Photo credit: Collection
Hoyt Wilhelm spent the 1950 and 1951 seasons with the Minneapolis (MN) Millers (the Class-AAA American Association team of the NY Giants).
Photo credit: Collection
1950: Hoyt Wilhelm was 15-11, with a 4.95 ERA in 35 games (25 of those were starts), and he struck out 99 in 180 innings pitched. At the plate, he hit .230 in 61 at-bats and had 1 double.
--He pitched two 4-hitters and one 2-hitter in 1950:
**The first 4-hitter was his debut and was the second game of a double-header, a 7-inning, 7-1 victory on April 23 at the Kansas City Blues (AAA of the NY Yankees) to help the Millers improve to 3-1 on the season.
**The second 4-hitter was a 4-1 win on May 1 at home against the St. Paul Saints (AAA of the Brooklyn Dodgers) to help the Millers improve to 5-1 on the season.
**His 2-hitter came in a 9-0 win on Aug. 11 at home against the Columbus Red Birds (AAA of the St. Louis Cardinals) to help the Millers improve to 65-52 on the season.
Photo credit (first photo, left)--Minneapolis Tribune (Wilhelm, left, with Adrian Zabala, on March 28, 1951, during spring training); Second photo (right)--(Wilhelm, right, No. 31, playing checkers during a rain delay in Minneapolis)
1951: Hoyt Wilhelm was 11-14, with a 3.94 ERA in 40 games (29 starts), and he struck out 148 (2nd in the American Association) in 210 innings pitched (tied for the lead in the American Association). At the plate, he hit .243 in 74 at-bats and had 3 doubles. (his .243 batting average was his third-best in the minors, behind his .299 with Mooresville in 1947 and his .244 with Jacksonville in 1949). Wilhelm's last start for the Millers (Sept. 6) was an 8-3 win in the second game of a double-header at home against the Milwaukee Brewers (AAA of the Boston Braves), who would go on to win the American Association's regular-season title.
**Wilhelm would play with future Hall of Famer Willie Mays (20 years old at the time), who suited up for 35 games at the beginning of the season before being promoted to the Giants, hitting .477 (.799 slugging percentage), with 8 HRs, 30 RBIs, 3 triples, 18 doubles and 5 stolen bases).
Photo: 1950 Minneapolis Millers, American Association winners; Wilhelm is on the back row, second from right (on the end)
The 1950 Minneapolis Millers (NY Giants AAA team) finished 90-64-1 to win the 8-team American Association regular-season title, the Millers first American Association title in 15 years (Minneapolis last won in 1935 when they finished 91-63). In the first round of the playoffs, the third-place Columbus Red Birds (St. Louis' AAA team) beat Minneapolis 4 games to 2 games. Wilhelm was 1-1 in the playoffs, pitching a 5-hitter on Sept. 15 to help the Millers to a 4-1 Game 3 victory (their first win of the series). He would come back on Sept. 19 on just three days rest and lose 8-3 in the deciding Game 6.
Photo: 1950 Minneapolis Millers (American Association winners; Wilhelm is back row, third from right (on the end).
Photo: 1951 Minneapolis Millers (Wilhelm is on the first row, second from right, on the end).
The 1951 Minneapolis Millers would finish 77-75 and in fifth place in the 8-team American Association, one place out of the playoffs. The Millers were 2 1/2 games behind the fourth-place Louisville Colonels (AAA team of the Boston Red Sox).
Photo: Nicollet Park, Minneapolis
The famous park where Hoyt Wilhelm played during the 1950 and 1951 seasons with the Millers opened as Wright Field in 1896 and cost $4,000 to build, but was soon renamed Nicollet Park. It was renovated in 1912 when the wooden park was replaced with a steel and concrete structure, and the park was expanded in 1937 (adding lights) before closing in 1955. The team moved to Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington for the 1956 season.
Photo: Nicollet Park, Minneapolis
Though 1955 was the last season the Minneapolis Millers played in Nicollet Park before moving to Metropolitan Stadium, the Millers only lasted five more seasons before ceasing operation in 1960 (the Minnesota Twins began play in 1961).
Photo: Nicollet Park, Minneapolis
The left field line was 334 feet from home plate, center field was a deep 435 feet from home, and the right field line was a hitter's dream at 279 feet.
*The first night game was played on July 16, 1937, when the Millers (AAA of the Boston Red Sox then) won 4-1 over their rival, the St. Paul Saints (AAA of the Chicago White Sox). On Stew Thornley's incredible website, http://www.stewthornley.net/, he writes, "Attendance: 6,381 for the first regular-season night game under lights for the Millers at home. Cooke homers. The Millers and Saints are the last two American Association teams to play night games under the lights. (The Millers had played games starting at 7:00 p.m., without lights, in 1918.)"
