Today's "Super Veteran" is none other than
knuckleball-extraordinaire Hoyt Wilhelm, who was definitely a SUPER
veteran by the time 1972 rolled around.
Take a look:
Wilhelm's fascinating career was (finally) winding down, as he
appeared in 16 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers at the ripe old age of
49!
He'd post a 0-1 record that season, with a 4.62 earned run average.
Wilhelm could be one of the more interesting baseball careers in the history of the sport.
The guy didn't appear in a Major League game until he was 29, yet
goes on to post a 21 year career that led him straight to the Hall of
Fame!
Just amazing…
And as I have mentioned before, I always found it so cool that in
those 21 years, the ONLY two years where he qualified for the E.R.A.
crown, 1952 & 1959, he WON the E.R.A. crown.
Add in an incredible seven years of posting a sub-2.00 earned run
average, 1000 appearances (the first pitcher ever to do so), and even
tossing a no-hitter against the Yankees in 1958 (the last pitcher to
throw a complete game no-hitter against them),
you see why Wilhelm's career is the stuff of legend.
Rightfully so, Wilhelm found himself among the all-time greats when
he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985, becoming the
first pitcher who was mainly a reliever so honored.