The Illuminated Donkey

Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm passed away Friday, and though his career ended when I was an infant, the knuckleballer was always one of my favorite players. I started looking into his career when my favorite player, Kent Tekulve, was chasing his career appearances record (Tekulve would eventually pull up short, and the ageless Jesse Orosco has since cleared the record by 100 games and counting).

There have certainly been better relievers in baseball, but almost nobody can boast a more unique set of accomplishments.

• Wilhelm didn't make his debut until he was 28, but would pitch until he was nearly 49, appearing in 1,070 games, a record that stood for almost 30 years.
• That 1952 rookie year was perhaps his best. He appeared in a record 71 games for the pennant-contending Giants, won 15 and saved 11, led the league in ERA, and finished fourth in MVP voting. Famously, he hit a home run in his first at-bat, the only homer of his career. (There are reports that he hit the only triple of his career in his second at-bat, but this may be apocryphal.)
• Wilhelm didn't start a game until 1958, and only started 52 in his career. In one of those 1958 starts, however, he no-hit the Yankees in a nationally televised game.
• The following year, Wilhelm started 27 games, winning 15 with a 2.19 ERA. He became the first pitcher to win ERA titles in both leagues. Despite his success, he would start only 15 more games in his career.
• Though he never led the league, he retired with a record 227 saves (Wilhelm is now no longer in the top 20).

There's something about relievers like Wilhelm, Quisenberry, and Tekulve that make them natural favorites for guys like me who were not shall we say, blessed with athletic ability. I'll always remember watching Tekulve in one of his last games making the unbelievably hyped Gregg Jefferies look completely ridiculous, swinging at pitches nowhere near the zone. I'm sure fans who got to watch Wilhelm pitch have their own favorite moments like that.