Vintage Fridays: Hoyt Wilhelm, 1961 Post #80

Okay, I'll admit right off the bat that this one is a bit of a cheat. I found myself in need of a Hoyt Wilhelm card for today, but I'd already featured all of the vintage Wilhelms in my team collection in previous blog posts. I turned a crisis into an opportunity, and stuck this guy in my shopping cart at Check Out My Cards. All for the greater good of the blog...the greater good.

I'm not as active in the discussion threads at Camden Chat as I once was, but I still keep close tabs on the links, articles, and opinions at the site. I'm happy to call managing editors Stacey and Mark friends of mine, and the same goes for contributing author Bill. So when Stacey contacted me over the holidays to ask permission to use some of my card scans for a new project at CC, I quickly agreed. Said project has now launched, so I will share a link to Stacey and Mark's countdown of the Top 40 Orioles of All Time. So far they've revealed numbers 40, 39, and 38: Storm Davis, Gus Triandos, and ol' knuckleballin' Hoyt, respectively. I'd strongly recommend reading the work of the double-play combo of Folkemer and Brown, and bookmarking that link so you don't miss the rest of the players as they're unveiled. You definitely probably won't be sorry!

Hoyt Wilhelm, 2001 Upper Deck Hall of Famers #88

I'm making an executive decision here. There's a Giants logo on the back, so the TeamSets4U website lists it as a Giants card. But the keen-eyed among you will note that this is an action photo of Hoyt Wilhelm delivering a pitch for the Orioles. It's a great picture, and the first card I have of the ageless knuckleballer in action, so I'm claiming it for the O's.

As you can see, Hoyt retired in 1972 as the all-time leader in games pitched, but was deposed by another one-time Oriole, Jesse Orosco. Eventually he was also passed by Dennis Eckersley. One other Oriole makes the list - Lee Smith. If we were to update the list for the current day, John Franco and Mike Stanton would also place ahead of Wilhelm. Additionally, Dan Plesac, Mike Timlin (yet another former Baltimore pitcher), Mariano Rivera, and Trevor Hoffman would all be in the top ten, pushing Smith (among others) out. Considering the changes in pitcher usage in the modern era, it's unsurprising that the number of pitchers appearing in 1,000 or more games has nearly tripled in the last decade.

Vintage Fridays: Hoyt Wilhelm, 1959 Topps #349

Today is the 49th birthday of former Oriole Jamie Moyer. After missing the 2011 season with Tommy John surgery, the veteran of 24 big league seasons intends to pitch again in 2012, and has already worked out for scouts from several teams. Nothing would make me happier than to see someone 20 years older than me on a major league roster next year. In honor of Jamie Moyer, here is a brief history of players who suited up for the Orioles in their forties.

1957: Dizzy Trout makes a brief comeback, pitching twice in relief for the O's at age 42, his first big league action since 1952.

1960: First baseman Bob "Rope" Boyd bats .317 in 88 trips to the plate at age 40. The club reacquires Dave Philley (also 40) in September and he bats .265/.342/.471 in 14 games.

1961: Philley bats 157 times in his age 41 season, struggling to the tune of .250/.293/.361.

1962: Knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm turns 40 on July 26. In his final season in Baltimore, he goes 7-10 and leads the club with a 1.94 ERA and 15 saves. Traded to the White Sox the following winter, he sticks around for another decade and sets a record with 1,070 games pitched.

1970: Reliever Dick Hall earns a win with three spotless innings on his 40th birthday, September 27. It runs his record to 10-5 for the year with 3 saves and a 3.08 ERA. He adds seven scoreless frames during the postseason, helping the Birds to their second World Series win in five years.

1971: Hall slips to 6-6 with a 4.98 ERA and retires at season's end.

1977: The end of an era. Brooks Robinson hits the big 4-0 in May and hangs up his spikes later that summer, capping 23 seasons in orange and black. In 52 at-bats he ekes out a line of /149/.212/.255. He does give the fans one final thrill with a pinch-hit, walkoff three-run homer on April 19.

1992: Mike Flanagan had a memorable 1991 season, returning to the O's as an effective reliever and finishing the last game at Memorial Stadium. Camden Yards didn't treat him as well. At age 40, Flanny allowed 31 earned runs in 34.2 innings for an 8.05 ERA. Rick Dempsey made a surprise curtain call at age 42, appearing in 7 games in June and July and one more in September when the team was short-handed behind the plate. He had a hit and a pair of walks in 11 plate appearances.

1996: In another homecoming, the Orioles reacquire 40-year-old Eddie Murray in a midsummer trade with the Indians. He hits 10 home runs, including the 500th of his career, to help the team capture the A.L. Wild Card. The Birds bow out in the ALCS despite a .333/.429/.467 postseason batting performance by Eddie.

1997: Ah, Jesse Orosco. The Jurassic lefty appeared in 71 games, going 6-3 with a 2.32 ERA that was his lowest since 1989. At 40, he was just getting warmed up.

1998: Orosco strolled in from the bullpen another 69 times, posting a 4-1 record, a 3.18 ERA, and 7 saves. Nothing to see here.

1999: At age 42, Orosco showed some signs of wear. In 65 games, he had a 5.34 ERA. Of course, he only totaled 32 innings (19 ER), so earned run average isn't the most telling stat. He also struck out 35 batters, a rate of 9.8 per 9 innings. He broke Hoyt Wilhelm's record for games pitched, and went on to obliterate that mark by continuing to take the mound through 2003, his age 46 season. His record now stands at 1,252 games. Designated hitter Harold Baines is an All-Star at age 40, hitting .322/.395/.583 with 24 HR and 81 RBI in 104 games for the O's before a late-season trade to Cleveland. He slumps with the Tribe, but still finishes with his best power numbers in 15 years.

2000: Back for a third tour of duty, the 41-year-old Baines hits .266/.349/.437 with 10 home runs in 72 games. At midseason, he's traded to the White Sox, and retires a year later with his original team. Cal Ripken, Jr. blows out 40 candles in August and finishes an injury-plagued season at .256/.310/.453 with 15 HR and 56 RBI in 83 games.

2001: A lost season for the Orioles (98 losses) becomes a farewell tour for Ripken, who slumps to .239/.276/.361 with 14 HR and 68 RBI. A late-season diversion arrives in the form of 42-year-old Tim Raines, who is acquired from the Expos in October to play alongside his son, an O's rookie. Tim Sr. goes 3-for-11 with a home run and 5 RBI.

2004: Rafael Palmeiro turns 40 on September 24, and goes 0-for-4. It is part of a subpar season for the mustachioed one, as he bats .258/.359/.436 with 23 HR and 88 RBI. Fellow prodigal Oriole B.J. Surhoff also turns 40 in 2004, and produces a season of .309/.365/.420 with 8 HR and 50 RBI while missing over a month due to injury.

2005: Raffy doesn't make it to his 41st birthday in Charm City. Something about a B-12 shot, mumble mumble. Before all of that goes down, he does collect his 3,000th career hit, and finishes his time in the majors at .266/.339/.447 with 18 HR and 60 RBI in 110 games. Surhoff wraps up his career in 2005 as well, with a tad less infamy. In another injury-truncated season, he has a line of .257/.282/.356. Sidearmer Steve Reed gives the Orioles a third 40-year-old, but also sees his long career run aground with a 6.61 ERA in 32.2 innings of relief.

2006: 40-year-old Jeff Conine has a nondescript time of it in Baltimore: .265/.325/.401 before a late August trade to the Phillies.

Unsurprisingly, the O's haven't suited up a quadragenarian in the past five seasons, as they make a more concerted youth effort. I wouldn't expect them to break that streak this year, as much fun as it is to imagine Jamie Moyer rejoining the Birds 16 years after they last parted ways.

Hoyt Wilhelm, 2003 Donruss Team Heroes #66

When I was 17, I got a tattoo. It was the Pearl Jam "Stickman" insignia, and I got it inked on my lower back. Chalk it up to the impulsiveness of youth, I guess. I managed to keep it from my parents for several months, but eventually the truth came out and I had to do a little squirming. I remember futilely trying to convince my mother that it was a one-time urge that was out of my system; she insisted that nobody gets just one tattoo.

My younger sister got that tattoo urge, but waited until she was 20 and had worn down my parents to the point that they offered grudging consent. She never tired of reminding them that she had waited until she was of legal age, unlike me. Also unlike me, she didn't stop with just one. She's gotten nine different surfaces on her body inked with various insects: butterflies, a ladybug, a spider, ants, cicadas, you name it. But now it seems that she's gotten bored with bugs and moved on to birds. Last weekend, my sister had logos from two of her favorite sports teams emblazoned on her ankle: the Capitals and the Orioles. I particularly like the Oriole bird that she chose, this crazed-looking character that the club used as a secondary logo from 1965-1967.

She also intends to get the Ravens' "B/R" crest permanently inscribed on her leg, but hasn't decided exactly where to place it yet. It's worth noting that the O's are 2-0 since she added The Bird on Saturday, and at the moment they're leading the Red Sox 5-0 in the middle innings. I'm starting to wonder why she didn't do this sooner!

Vintage Fridays: Hoyt Wilhelm, 1960 Topps #115

With a win in tonight's ALCS Game Six, the Rangers would send the Yankees home for the winter and advance to the World Series for the first time in the franchise's 50-year history. If the Orioles aren't in the postseason, I'm all about giving someone new a chance...especially if it comes at the expense of those guys in pinstripes. So we're going to double up on the Yankee Killer mojo with this magnificent combo card from bygone days.

In May 2009, I told you about ageless knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm's run of dominance against New York. I'll elaborate now by giving you his career numbers vs. the Yanks, which are almost as impressive. Hoyt faced the Bronx Bombers 75 times in all, including 13 starts. He won only 9 of 20 decisions, but totaled six complete games and three shutouts. He racked up 209.1 innings, his most against any opponent, yet his 1.98 ERA and 1.01 WHIP against the Yankees were lower than his marks against almost any other club. In 67 career meetings with Mickey Mantle, he frustrated the slugger to the tune of a .192 average and .327 slugging percentage. Other New Yorkers that Wilhelm handled easily include Bobby Richardson (.403 OPS), Elston Howard (.371 OPS), Tony Kubek (.446 OPS), Tom Tresh (.250 SLG), and Roger Maris (.154 AVG). So it's safe to say that the old knuckler wasn't easily intimidated.

Roy Face never actually faced the Yankees in the regular season, as all but two of his career games were as a National Leaguer. However, he played a prominent role in one of New York's most memorable postseason series defeats. In the 1960 World Series, Face's Pirates squeaked by the Yanks in seven games despite being outscored 55-27 overall. As you may have guessed, they prevailed in some tight games, and leaned heavily on their relief ace to do it:

-In Game One, he relieved Vern Law in the eighth inning with Pittsburgh ahead 6-2. He stranded two inherited runners, but surrendered a two-run homer to Elston Howard in the ninth. Tony Kubek followed with a single to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Hector Lopez. Face coaxed a game-ending double play ball to earn the save. The Yankees blew out the Pirates in the next two games, but the Bucs clung to a lead in the seventh inning of Game Four. Law ran into trouble again, and Roy got the call with one out and the go-ahead runs on base. He set down the final eight batters for another save. The next day was nearly the same situation. 4-2 Pirates in the seventh, Harvey Haddix puts two runners on with one out, Face is summoned, allows only a walk in 2.2 scoreless, save number three. New York romped again in Game Six to set up a winner-take-all Game Seven. For the third time, Face was called upon to preserve a Vern Law lead. This time it was the sixth, and Pitt led 4-1 with two on and none out. This time he was not sharp, surrendering the lead via a Mickey Mantle single and a three-run Yogi Berra homer. He got through the seventh unscathed, but was touched up for two more runs in the eighth and left his team in a 7-4 hole. You probably know what happened next. Five-run Pirates rally, Yanks fight back to tie it, Bill Mazeroski walks 'em off in the bottom of the ninth. The Bucco bats really let Face off the hook, so all is well that ends well.

Up-to-the-moment status: 5-1 Rangers after six. Cautiously optimistic.

Hoyt Wilhelm, 2007 Topps Heritage 1958 Flashbacks #FB10

Why? Why? Sweet monkey on a unicycle, why? Hoyt Wilhelm pitched for the Orioles for four-plus seasons. During that time, Topps issued a few cards picturing him in an O's uniform. So it just stands to reason that they would have ample photos in the Topps Vault from which to choose. Instead, they've ostensibly:

-Selected a picture of Hoyt in a Giants uniform. I say Giants rather than White Sox or Braves or some such, because he doesn't appear to be old as hell here.

-Photoshopped him into Orioles duds.

-Photoshopped him into modern-day Orioles duds, rather than the period-appropriate threads.

-Done so poorly. The O's didn't have placket piping on their jerseys in 2006 or 2007, and if they had, it wouldn't have been applied by someone on a caffeine bender. What IS that?

-As a final indignity, they've stayed with #49 for Wilhelm, which was what he wore in New York. In Baltimore, he was #15.

Come on, Topps. Take some pride in your work.

Vintage Fridays: Hoyt Wilhelm, 1963 Topps #108

This Day in Orioles History: May 22, 1959

Orioles 5, Yankees 0 at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, MD

The upstart Orioles (21-15) and the dynastic Yankees (12-20) each continued their surprising starts, as 36-year-old Hoyt Wilhelm improved to 6-0 with a one-hit masterpiece. Wilhelm, who would go on to lead the American League with his 2.19 ERA that season, continued his mastery of the Bronx Bombers. Since joining the O's in a midseason trade the previous year, Hoyt was undefeated against New York, no-hitting them in his first try and winning three decisions in five tries. As an Oriole, he had allowed three runs on 15 hits in 43 innings, with 33 strikeouts and 18 walks. That's a 0.63 ERA and 0.77 WHIP, folks. He would shut the Yanks out again in his next start (a four-hitter!) before the pinstripers finally bested him 4-1 at the end of June. Talk about your Yankee Killers!

On offense, the Birds jumped on former Oriole Bob Turley early, knocking him out of the box in the first inning. "Bullet Bob" got two outs and then fell apart. A Gene Woodling RBI single was followed by a Gus Triandos two-run homer. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases before Wilhelm walked to drive in the fourth Baltimore run. That's when Casey Stengel finally gave his starter the hook. A fifth-inning walk by Billy Klaus capped the day's scoring. The sole Yankee hit was a Jerry Lumpe leadoff single to left field to lead off the eighth inning, but pinch hitter Johnny Blanchard immediately wiped him out with a double-play grounder.

If you think this game choice on my part was a bit of retribution for the just-completed Yankee sweep, I'm not going to argue.

Vintage Fridays: Hoyt Wilhelm, 1960 Topps #395

A week ago Thursday, I was driving down the mountain with my father to catch a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs game at PNC Field (the former Lackawanna County Stadium, a name I will always prefer). We were nearing the end of our weeklong vacation, and I was a bit surprised when Dad asked me a question.

"Did you want to go to Cooperstown tomorrow?"

I had made an offhand comment to my mother earlier in the week that I hadn't been to the Baseball Hall of Fame since our family trip in the summer of 1995. I suppose it had come to mind because our cottage in Northeastern Pennsylvania is about two and a half hours south of Cooperstown, which is generally as close as I get to the apocryphal birthplace of baseball. I wasn't exactly asking to go, but it might have been a subconscious request. So I told Dad that I'd like to go, and the next morning we set off on a thoroughly monotonous drive up I-81 to I-88, the latter of which we stayed on for 60 mind-numbing miles before exiting onto Route 28. The one landmark that stuck in my mind was the signboard outside of a small church near our destination: "GOD IS THE POTTER, NOT HARRY". It referenced a passage from the book of Isaiah, which I'd assume is the one about mankind being roughly akin to a lump of clay. I wonder if there are books or websites that the ministers and their staffs pull these semi-clever marquees from.

One of the major impressions that Dad and I both drew from our second visit to baseball mecca was just how little the exhibits had changed since our initial trip thirteen years ago. Sure, there was some new stuff, like an excellent art gallery that could probably be expanded, and a great statue of Buck O'Neill near the entrance. But for the most part, the three-story building on Main Street is as timeless as the National Pastime itself. I did make it a point to photograph nearly every piece of Orioles memorabilia that I came across, and as such I got a few snapshots related to the wily, mean-looking gunfighter pictured above, reliable knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm. His bronze plaque in the Hall of Fame members' gallery was a no-brainer, even though he's pictured with a New York Giants cap.
As you can see above, it makes particular mention of his no-hitter against the Mickey Mantle-led Yankees on September 20, 1958. I of course took a special joy in being reminded of one of the greatest feats in the decades of battle between my favorite team and the Evil Empire from New York. This no-hitter was referenced in a few other places, including a display of White Sox items from the mid-20th century that had a Wilhelm jersey from his Pale Hose days. There was also the brightly-colored display commemorating all complete-game no-hitters since 1936 (I assume that's because the Hall was founded that year and started collecting memorabilia) with a game ball from each separate performance. In the picture below, Hoyt is wedged between former Dodgers headhunter Sal "The Barber" Maglie and former Braves star Lew Burdette.

Surprisingly, I declined to pick up any baseball cards while I was in Cooperstown. This was mostly because it was after 4:00 when we finished sightseeing and there was homemade lasagna waiting for us at the cottage. There wasn't really much time for shopping. I did take time to gawk at all of the baseball cards displayed at the Hall, of course, especially the old tobacco cards (which includes a copy of the famous Honus Wagner, labeled as "the Holy Grail" of card collecting). Heck, I even posed for my very own Cracker Jack card! I'm off to cheer on the Birds against those Yankee invaders, and I need to get a head start if I'm going to properly welcome Mike Mussina back to Baltimore. So I'll leave you with the next hot chase card in collecting circles.