What years did Hoyt Wilhelm play?

Hoyt Wilhelm played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1972.

Was Hoyt Wilhelm a pitcher?

Yes. Hoyt Wilhelm pitched in the major leagues, recording 143 wins and 1610 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Hoyt Wilhelm hit?

Hoyt Wilhelm hit 1 career home run with 38 hits.

What teams did Hoyt Wilhelm play for?

Hoyt Wilhelm played for 9 teams: the New York Giants (1952–1956), the St. Louis Cardinals (1957), the Cleveland Indians (1957–1958), the Baltimore Orioles (1958–1962), the Chicago White Sox (1963–1968), the California Angels (1969), the Atlanta Braves (1969–1971), the Chicago Cubs (1970), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1971–1972).

Did Hoyt Wilhelm win a Cy Young Award?

No. Hoyt Wilhelm did not win the Cy Young Award.

What awards did Hoyt Wilhelm win?

Hoyt Wilhelm was selected to 5 All-Star Games.

What were Hoyt Wilhelm's career stats?

In 1,070 games, Hoyt Wilhelm went 143-122 with a 2.52 ERA, 1,610 strikeouts, 2,254.1 innings pitched, and 227 saves. At the plate he had 38 hits and 1 home runs.

What position did Hoyt Wilhelm play?

Hoyt Wilhelm played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Hoyt Wilhelm and how much did he weigh?

Hoyt Wilhelm was listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.

What was Hoyt Wilhelm's career ERA?

Hoyt Wilhelm finished with a 2.52 career ERA, going 143-122 with 1,610 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Hoyt Wilhelm have?

Hoyt Wilhelm recorded 1,610 career strikeouts.

How many All-Star Games did Hoyt Wilhelm make?

Hoyt Wilhelm was selected to 5 All-Star Games.

Hoyt Wilhelm

Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1952-1972)

Hoyt Wilhelm was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1972 for 9 teams, including the New York Giants, a span of 21 seasons. Across 1,070 career appearances, he went 143-122 with a 2.52 ERA, 1,610 strikeouts, and 227 saves. He also batted .088 with 1 home runs. Hoyt Wilhelm was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 and was a 5-time All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 40894.2.

W (Wins):: Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):: Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):: For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):: Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated October 15, 2026

⭐ Hall of Fame 1985

W–L 143–122

ERA 2.52

WHIP 1.12

SO 1,610

Pitcher PIV 40894.2

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'0" / 190 lb
Born: 7/26/1922 in Huntersville, NC, USA
Died: 8/23/2002 in Sarasota, FL, USA
MLB Debut: 1952-04-18
Last Game: 1972-07-10
Hall of Fame: Inducted 1985 (BBWAA)
Awards: 5× All-Star

Full name: James Hoyt Wilhelm

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Career Pitching Statistics

Hoyt Wilhelm — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
143	122	1,070	52	20	5	227	2254.1	1,757	632	150	778	1,610	2.52	40894.2

Career ERA 2.52 vs. league average 3.67 across their career seasons — 31.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Hoyt Wilhelm Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1952	NY1	NL	15	3	71	0	0	0	11	159.1	127	43	57	108	2.43	3.70 (+34%)	2147.9
1953	NY1	NL	7	8	68	0	0	0	15	145.0	127	49	77	71	3.04	4.14 (+26%)	-1145.2
1954	NY1	NL	12	4	57	0	0	0	7	111.1	77	26	52	64	2.10	3.90 (+46%)	1508.3
1955	NY1	NL	4	1	59	0	0	0	0	103.0	104	45	40	71	3.93	4.00 (+2%)	1378.4
1956	NY1	NL	4	9	64	0	0	0	8	89.1	97	38	43	71	3.83	3.96 (+3%)	1490.8
1957	SLN	NL	1	4	40	0	0	0	11	55.0	52	26	21	29	4.25	3.83 (-11%)	-732.4
1957	CLE	AL	1	0	2	0	0	0	1	3.2	2	1	1	0	2.45	—	0.0
1958	CLE	AL	2	7	30	6	1	0	5	90.1	70	25	35	57	2.49	3.86 (+35%)	2016.8
1958	BAL	AL	1	3	9	4	3	1	0	40.2	25	9	10	35	1.99	3.86 (+48%)	1698.0
1959	BAL	AL	15	11	32	27	13	3	0	226.0	178	55	77	139	2.19	3.90 (+44%)	4079.8
1960	BAL	AL	11	8	41	11	3	1	7	147.0	125	54	39	107	3.31	3.82 (+13%)	2957.6
1961	BAL	AL	9	7	51	1	0	0	18	109.2	89	28	41	87	2.30	4.03 (+43%)	3407.1
1962	BAL	AL	7	10	52	0	0	0	15	93.0	64	20	34	90	1.94	3.96 (+51%)	3272.5
1963	CHA	AL	5	8	55	3	0	0	21	136.1	106	40	30	111	2.64	3.46 (+24%)	3844.8
1964	CHA	AL	12	9	73	0	0	0	27	131.1	94	29	30	95	1.99	3.58 (+44%)	3366.8
1965	CHA	AL	7	7	66	0	0	0	20	144.0	88	29	32	106	1.81	3.50 (+48%)	2789.1
1966	CHA	AL	5	2	46	0	0	0	6	81.1	50	15	17	61	1.66	3.52 (+53%)	1742.8
1967	CHA	AL	8	3	49	0	0	0	12	89.0	58	13	34	76	1.31	3.30 (+60%)	2037.5
1968	CHA	AL	4	4	72	0	0	0	12	93.2	69	18	24	72	1.73	2.98 (+42%)	1781.5
1969	CAL	AL	5	7	44	0	0	0	10	65.2	45	18	18	53	2.47	3.61 (+32%)	1609.3
1969	ATL	NL	2	0	8	0	0	0	4	12.1	5	1	4	14	0.73	3.61 (+80%)	667.2
1970	ATL	NL	6	4	50	0	0	0	13	78.1	69	27	39	67	3.10	3.89 (+20%)	526.3
1970	CHN	NL	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	3.2	4	4	3	1	9.82	—	0.0
1971	ATL	NL	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	2.1	6	4	1	1	15.43	—	0.0
1971	LAN	NL	0	1	9	0	0	0	3	17.2	6	2	4	15	1.02	3.47 (+71%)	576.5
1972	LAN	NL	0	1	16	0	0	0	1	25.1	20	13	15	9	4.62	3.26 (-41%)	-127.2
Career · 26 seasons			143	122	1,070	52	20	5	227	2,254.1	1,757	632	778	1,610	2.52	—	40,894

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Hoyt Wilhelm — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1,070	432	24	38	3	1	1	21	0	26	166	.088	.139	.106	.246	-924

Career AVG .088 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 65.1% below league average.

Career OBP .139 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 56.4% below league average.

Career SLG .106 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — 71.8% below league average.

Career OPS .246 vs. league average .698 across their career seasons — 64.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Hoyt Wilhelm Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1952	NY1	NL	71	38	4	6	0	0	1	2	1	11	.158	—	—	—	—	0.0
1953	NY1	NL	68	33	5	5	2	1	0	1	4	8	.152	—	—	—	—	0.0
1954	NY1	NL	57	21	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	8	.048	—	—	—	—	0.0
1955	NY1	NL	59	19	2	3	0	0	0	0	1	4	.158	—	—	—	—	0.0
1956	NY1	NL	64	9	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	.222	—	—	—	—	0.0
1957	SLN	NL	40	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1957	CLE	AL	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1958	CLE	AL	30	21	1	2	0	0	0	2	1	6	.095	—	—	—	—	0.0
1958	BAL	AL	9	11	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	.091	—	—	—	—	0.0
1959	BAL	AL	32	76	2	4	0	0	0	2	5	23	.053	.256 (-79%)	.323 (-66%)	.392 (-87%)	.715 (-77%)	-923.6
1960	BAL	AL	41	42	1	3	0	0	0	4	2	14	.071	—	—	—	—	0.0
1961	BAL	AL	51	20	1	1	0	0	0	2	2	10	.050	—	—	—	—	0.0
1962	BAL	AL	52	16	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	10	.125	—	—	—	—	0.0
1963	CHA	AL	55	29	3	2	0	0	0	2	4	11	.069	—	—	—	—	0.0
1964	CHA	AL	73	21	2	3	0	0	0	3	1	7	.143	—	—	—	—	0.0
1965	CHA	AL	66	22	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	12	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1966	CHA	AL	46	8	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	4	.125	—	—	—	—	0.0
1967	CHA	AL	49	13	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	11	.077	—	—	—	—	0.0
1968	CHA	AL	72	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1969	CAL	AL	44	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1969	ATL	NL	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1970	ATL	NL	50	11	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	6	.091	—	—	—	—	0.0
1970	CHN	NL	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1971	ATL	NL	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1971	LAN	NL	9	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1972	LAN	NL	16	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 26 seasons			1,070	432	24	38	3	1	1	21	26	166	.088	—	—	—	—	-924

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Hoyt Wilhelm — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Hoyt Wilhelm — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1954	WS	NY1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Hoyt Wilhelm — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	0	2	0	1	2.1	1	0	0	3	0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Hoyt Wilhelm — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1954	WS	NY1	0	0	2	0	1	2.1	1	0	0	3	0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (2140 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Hoyt Wilhelm — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	512	197	12	19	1	11	.096
Away	558	235	12	19	0	10	.081

Pitching — Home / Away

Hoyt Wilhelm — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	512	1079.1	807	289	349	802	2.41
Away	558	1176.1	949	344	427	811	2.63

Last 10 Games — Batting

Hoyt Wilhelm — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	SO
1972-07-10	LAD	PHI	L	0	0
1972-06-30	LAD	SFG	L	0	0
1972-06-26	LAD	CIN	L	0	0
1972-06-24	LAD	ATL	L	0	0
1972-06-19	LAD	PIT	L	0	0
1972-06-17	LAD	CHC	L	0	0
1972-06-09	LAD	PIT	L	0	0
1972-06-07	LAD	CHC	L	0	0
1972-05-31	LAD	SFG	W	0	0
1972-05-28	LAD	HOU	W	1	1

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Hoyt Wilhelm — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
1972-07-10	LAD	PHI	—	2.0	1	0	0	1	0
1972-06-30	LAD	SFG	—	2.0	1	1	1	3	0
1972-06-26	LAD	CIN	—	2.0	0	0	0	2	1
1972-06-24	LAD	ATL	L	1.0	3	2	2	0	0
1972-06-19	LAD	PIT	—	1.1	1	3	2	2	1
1972-06-17	LAD	CHC	—	1.0	1	2	2	1	0
1972-06-09	LAD	PIT	—	2.0	1	0	0	0	1
1972-06-07	LAD	CHC	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
1972-05-31	LAD	SFG	—	1.1	0	0	0	1	0
1972-05-28	LAD	HOU	—	3.2	4	3	2	1	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Hoyt Wilhelm — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	1070	52	114	373	11	17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Hoyt Wilhelm — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1952	NY1	P	71	0	9	32	2	0
1953	NY1	P	68	0	11	19	1	1
1954	NY1	P	57	0	5	25	0	0
1955	NY1	P	59	0	6	28	1	2
1956	NY1	P	64	0	4	20	0	2
1957	SLN	P	40	0	3	8	0	0
1957	CLE	P	2	0	0	0	0	0
1958	CLE	P	30	6	8	16	0	0
1958	BAL	P	9	4	1	6	0	0
1959	BAL	P	32	27	13	32	0	1
1960	BAL	P	41	11	4	28	1	2
1961	BAL	P	51	1	6	22	2	1
1962	BAL	P	52	0	10	12	0	0
1963	CHA	P	55	3	4	24	1	1
1964	CHA	P	73	0	5	16	0	2
1965	CHA	P	66	0	7	20	0	2
1966	CHA	P	46	0	2	10	0	1
1967	CHA	P	49	0	2	11	1	1
1968	CHA	P	72	0	3	10	0	1
1969	CAL	P	44	0	3	8	1	0
1969	ATL	P	8	0	0	2	0	0
1970	ATL	P	50	0	4	13	1	0
1970	CHN	P	3	0	0	3	0	0
1971	ATL	P	3	0	0	2	0	0
1971	LAN	P	9	0	1	1	0	0
1972	LAN	P	16	0	3	5	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Hoyt Wilhelm Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	1070

Award Voting History

Hoyt Wilhelm — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1964	Most Valuable Player	AL	19th	8.0	280	0
1961	Most Valuable Player	AL	24th	1.0	280	0
1954	Most Valuable Player	NL	15th	17.0	336	0
1952	Most Valuable Player	NL	4th	133.0	336	0
1952	Rookie of the Year	NL	2nd	3.0	24	3

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Hoyt Wilhelm (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Hoyt Wilhelm

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See Hoyt Wilhelm in Another Era

Translate Hoyt Wilhelm's peak season across eras →

Hoyt Wilhelm: the record in brief

According to the bio, Hoyt Wilhelm debuted on April 18, 1952 and played a final game on July 10, 1972. Club by club, the record runs the New York Giants (1952 through 1956), the St. Louis Cardinals (1957), the Cleveland Indians (1957 to 1958), the Baltimore Orioles (1958 to 1962), the Chicago White Sox (1963 through 1968), the California Angels (1969), the Atlanta Braves (1969 to 1971), and the Chicago Cubs (1970), among other clubs in the table. Wilhelm is listed as a pitcher at 190 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. The bio says Wilhelm threw and hit right-handed. The recorded birth is July 26, 1922, in Huntersville, NC, USA. The bio records the death on August 23, 2002, in Sarasota, FL, USA. Wilhelm's full given name, per the bio, is James Hoyt Wilhelm.

Wilhelm went 143-122 with a 2.52 ERA in 1,070 games, 52 of them starts. The same table counts 1,610 strikeouts, 20 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 227 saves.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hoyt Wilhelm

What years did Hoyt Wilhelm play?: Hoyt Wilhelm played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1972.
Was Hoyt Wilhelm a pitcher?: Yes. Hoyt Wilhelm pitched in the major leagues, recording 143 wins and 1610 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Hoyt Wilhelm hit?: Hoyt Wilhelm hit 1 career home run with 38 hits.
Is Hoyt Wilhelm in the Hall of Fame?: Yes. Hoyt Wilhelm was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.
What teams did Hoyt Wilhelm play for?: Hoyt Wilhelm played for 9 teams: the New York Giants (1952–1956), the St. Louis Cardinals (1957), the Cleveland Indians (1957–1958), the Baltimore Orioles (1958–1962), the Chicago White Sox (1963–1968), the California Angels (1969), the Atlanta Braves (1969–1971), the Chicago Cubs (1970), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1971–1972).
Did Hoyt Wilhelm win a Cy Young Award?: No. Hoyt Wilhelm did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Hoyt Wilhelm win?: Hoyt Wilhelm was selected to 5 All-Star Games.
What were Hoyt Wilhelm's career stats?: In 1,070 games, Hoyt Wilhelm went 143-122 with a 2.52 ERA, 1,610 strikeouts, 2,254.1 innings pitched, and 227 saves. At the plate he had 38 hits and 1 home runs.
What position did Hoyt Wilhelm play?: Hoyt Wilhelm played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Hoyt Wilhelm and how much did he weigh?: Hoyt Wilhelm was listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.
What was Hoyt Wilhelm's career ERA?: Hoyt Wilhelm finished with a 2.52 career ERA, going 143-122 with 1,610 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Hoyt Wilhelm have?: Hoyt Wilhelm recorded 1,610 career strikeouts.
How many All-Star Games did Hoyt Wilhelm make?: Hoyt Wilhelm was selected to 5 All-Star Games.