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James Hoyt Wilhelm
Chicago White Sox
Pitcher
Born: July 26, 1922, Huntersville, NC
Acquired: Purchased by the Boston Braves from Mooresville (North Carolina State), October 28, 1947
Major League 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
Died: August 23, 2002, Sarasota, FL (age 80)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1985
Hoyt Wilhelm served during World War II, seeing action at the Battle of the Bulge, before making his big league debut with the Giants in 1952 at the age of 29. On the strength of his resiliency and his knuckle ball, he went on to have a Hall of Fame career over the next 21 seasons, pitching until he was nearly 50 years old. His sole postseason action came in 1954 when his Giants swept the Indians in four games in the World Series. Wilhelm was an eight-time All-Star and his league's ERA leader in 1952 with the Giants and 1959 with the Orioles. He threw a no-hitter with the Orioles in 1958 and 1959 was perhaps his best season as he appeared in 32 games and went 15-11 with a 2.19 ERA and a career-high 139 strikeouts. He appeared with nine different teams, spending the most time with the White Sox. Between 1963 and 1968 with the White Sox, Wilhelm went 41-33 with a 1.92 ERA and 99 saves. He was the oldest player in the majors between 1966 and his retirement in 1972.
Wilhelm holds the major league record for wins in relief (124) and he was also the first pitcher in major league history to reach the 200 save plateau and to appear in 1,000 games. For his career, Wilhelm was 143-122 in 1,070 games pitched (currently 6th all-time) with 228 saves (41st) and 1,610 strikeouts. Upon his retirement, he had the lowest career ERA (2.52) of any pitcher since 1927 (Walter Johnson) to have pitched in at least 2,000 innings. He briefly managed in the minor leagues following his retirement, and then was a minor league pitching coach with the Yankees for 22 years. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 2002.
Building the Set
April 17, 2021 from San Diego, CA - Card #255
With no in-person baseball card shows scheduled until at least June in my area, I've fallen into a pattern with my 1965 Topps set building. After adding a group of commons (say 10 to 20 cards) I then feel the need to add a few star cards as well. Back in the 1980s and 1990s when my Dad and I were actively building Topps sets, we'd follow a similar pattern when attending baseball card shows. I'd spend time hunched over a common box, picking out a stack of 1974 or 1976 or 1973 commons while my Dad would scour the showroom floor for deals on a few star cards. After adding 18 common and semi-star cards through eBay auctions in late March, I went directly to Kit Young Cards to offset those purchases with a few minor star card additions. This Wilhelm card was one of four cards that arrived from San Diego in mid-April, the day of Mom's birthday, and the card cost $7.
The Card / White Sox Team Set
This is a fantastic card, with Wilhelm showing off his knuckle ball grip. Looking through his gallery of Topps flagship cards, he also displayed this grip on his 1954 and 1961 cards as well as the combo cards he shared with Roy Face (#347) in 1960 and 1962. On the back of the card, his successful 1964 season is highlighted. Wilhelm appeared in a career-high 73 games in 1964, going 12-9 with a 1.99 ERA for the White Sox - all in relief - while striking out 95 over 131 1/3 innings.
1965 Season
At 42 years old, Wilhelm appeared in 66 games, going 7-7 with a 1.81 ERA and 21 saves. Wilhelm pitched 144 innings and had 106 strikeouts. He and Eddie Fisher (#328) split closing duties for the White Sox, with Fisher appearing in a league and team-leading 82 games and recording 24 saves. Showing no signs of slowing down, Wilhelm would go on to pitch in seven more seasons.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1952 Topps #392
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20): 1952-1954, 1956-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Update Decades' Best #DB-6
464 - Wilhelm non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/22/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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| April 17, 2021 - Mimi and Ben celebrate |
April 17, 2021 from San Diego, CA - Card #255
With no in-person baseball card shows scheduled until at least June in my area, I've fallen into a pattern with my 1965 Topps set building. After adding a group of commons (say 10 to 20 cards) I then feel the need to add a few star cards as well. Back in the 1980s and 1990s when my Dad and I were actively building Topps sets, we'd follow a similar pattern when attending baseball card shows. I'd spend time hunched over a common box, picking out a stack of 1974 or 1976 or 1973 commons while my Dad would scour the showroom floor for deals on a few star cards. After adding 18 common and semi-star cards through eBay auctions in late March, I went directly to Kit Young Cards to offset those purchases with a few minor star card additions. This Wilhelm card was one of four cards that arrived from San Diego in mid-April, the day of Mom's birthday, and the card cost $7.
The Card / White Sox Team Set
This is a fantastic card, with Wilhelm showing off his knuckle ball grip. Looking through his gallery of Topps flagship cards, he also displayed this grip on his 1954 and 1961 cards as well as the combo cards he shared with Roy Face (#347) in 1960 and 1962. On the back of the card, his successful 1964 season is highlighted. Wilhelm appeared in a career-high 73 games in 1964, going 12-9 with a 1.99 ERA for the White Sox - all in relief - while striking out 95 over 131 1/3 innings.
1965 Season
At 42 years old, Wilhelm appeared in 66 games, going 7-7 with a 1.81 ERA and 21 saves. Wilhelm pitched 144 innings and had 106 strikeouts. He and Eddie Fisher (#328) split closing duties for the White Sox, with Fisher appearing in a league and team-leading 82 games and recording 24 saves. Showing no signs of slowing down, Wilhelm would go on to pitch in seven more seasons.
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First Mainstream Card: 1952 Topps #392
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20): 1952-1954, 1956-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Update Decades' Best #DB-6
464 - Wilhelm non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/22/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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