Hoyt Wilhelm’s intriguing baseball career lasted two decades. A veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, the eight-time All-Star from Huntersville, North Carolina, was a standout for the New York Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox and Atlanta Braves, though he did not reach the majors until he was nearly 30.
He pitched a no-hitter as a starter, won as many as 15 games a season, was the first reliever to win more than 100 games and save more than 200, and broke Cy Young’s record for most games on the mound. Along the way, he relied almost entirely on his baffling skill with a rare weapon of choice—the knuckleball. This first full-length biography covers the life and career of the first relief pitcher in the Hall of Fame.

Lew Freedman is a long-time, prize-winning journalist for such newspapers as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Tribune, Anchorage Daily News and Wyoming’s Cody Enterprise. Specializing in sports and the outdoors, he has written more than 100 books. He lives in Columbus, Indiana.

Lew Freedman
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 218
Bibliographic Info: 11 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9206-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5100-2
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1

Introduction 3

 1. A North Carolina Guy 7

 2. From North Carolina to North Carolina 16

 3. War 23

 4. Starting Over 29

 5. Minneapolis: Make It or Break It 35

 6. The Majors at Last 42

 7. A Hot Commodity 51

 8. The World Series 60

 9. Entrenched with New York 73

10. On to Other Teams 80

11. Lightning Strikes 88

12. Rebirth with Orioles 98

13. Trying to Make Sense of It 108

14. Out of Control 116

15. Hanging Tough with the Orioles 125

16. Good Company 134

17. Wilbur and Hoyt 143

18. White Sox and Still Going 155

19. A Thousand Games 165

20. Running Out of Teams 173

21. A Call from the Hall 181

Epilogue 189

Notes 195

Bibliography 203

Index 205