Hoyt Wilhelm

Hoyt Wilhelm
Wilhelm with the New York Giants in 1953
Pitcher
Born: (1922-07-26)July 26, 1922 Huntersville, North Carolina, U.S.
Died: August 23, 2002(2002-08-23) (aged 80) Sarasota, Florida, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 18, 1952, for the New York Giants
Last MLB appearance
July 10, 1972, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	143–122
Earned run average	2.52
Strikeouts	1,610
Saves	228
Teams
New York Giants (1952–1956) St. Louis Cardinals (1957) Cleveland Indians (1957–1958) Baltimore Orioles (1958–1962) Chicago White Sox (1963–1968) California Angels (1969) Atlanta Braves (1969–1970) Chicago Cubs (1970) Atlanta Braves (1971) Los Angeles Dodgers (1971–1972)
Career highlights and awards
8× All-Star (1953, 1959, 1959², 1961–1962², 1970) World Series champion (1954) 2× ERA leader (1952, 1959) Pitched a no-hitter on September 20, 1958 Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1985
Vote	83.8% (eighth ballot)

James Hoyt Wilhelm (July 26, 1922 – August 23, 2002), nicknamed "Old Sarge", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, California Angels, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers between 1952 and 1972. Wilhelm was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.

Wilhelm grew up in North Carolina, fought in World War II, and then spent several years in the minor leagues before starting his major league career at the age of 29. He was best known for his knuckleball, which enabled him to have great longevity. He appeared occasionally as a starting pitcher, but pitched 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 appear in 1,000 games.

Wilhelm was nearly 30 years old when he entered the major leagues, and pitched until he was nearly 50. He retired with one of the lowest career earned run averages, 2.52, in baseball history. After retiring as a player in 1972, Wilhelm held longtime coaching jobs with the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves. He lived in Sarasota, Florida, for many years, and died there in 2002.