Wilhelm, Hoyt

▪ 2003

      American baseball player (b. July 26, 1923, Huntersville, N.C.—d. Aug. 23, 2002, Sarasota, Fla.), pitched knuckleballs that fluttered over the plate, baffling major league batters for 21 seasons. Unfortunately, his dancing pitch sometimes baffled his own catchers too, until Baltimore Orioles manager Paul Richards designed an oversized catcher's mitt to handle it. Altogether he pitched in 1,070 games—a record when he retired at the age of 48—and had an outstanding lifetime 2.52 earned run average, with 143 wins, 122 losses, and 227 saves. He pitched for nine teams but spent most of his years with the New York Giants, the Orioles, and the Chicago White Sox. In 1985 he became the first relief pitcher to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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