posted on Apr, 12 2006 @ 03:24 PM
Lol, YR.
Your answer is, as you obviously know, CORRECT.
The best-known piece of trivia on Wilhelm is that he hit a HR in his first Major League at bat--something only one other Hall of Famer could say--but
then he never hit another. And, that one-and-only HR was hit in the Polo Grounds, with the unbelievably shallow foul lines (279 with an overhang; 257
with an overhang).
But Wilhelm remains easily the best reliever I ever saw. If relievers counted alongside starters for career Adjusted ERA, his 146 would be only 2
points below Lefty Grove for 1st place all time, not counting an active pitcher named Pedro Martinez (at a mere 166).
Wilhelm took awhile to master his famous knuckler, getting his MLB debut at age 29, but lasting until age 49. He pitched with a slew of teams, but
the ones he spent five or more years with were the New York Giants (1952-1956), the Baltimore Orioles (1958-1962) and the Chicago White Sox
(1963-1968).
Here's the unbelievable stat I once heard: At one time (and, as far as I know, today as well) the record for passed balls in an inning was four in
the AL and three in the NL, with four catchers sharing the latter record. What do all five catchers have in common? At the time they set those
records, they were catching Hoyt Wilhelm.
BHN