teams increasingly called upon their relief pitchers toward the end of any close game. Wilhelm was the first relief pitcher elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is also remembered as one of the most successful and "probably the most famous 'old' player in history." Although, due largely to his military service, Wilhelm did not debut in the major leagues until he was already 29 years old, he nonetheless managed to appear in 21 major league seasons. He earned the nickname "Old Folks" while he still had more than a decade left in his playing career. He was the oldest player in Major League Baseball for each of his final seven seasons. Former teammate Moose Skowron commented on Wilhelm's key pitch, saying, "Hoyt was a good guy, and he threw the best knuckleball I ever saw. You never knew what Hoyt's pitch would do. I don't think he did either." Baseball executive Roland Hemond agreed, saying, "Wilhelm's knuckleball did more than anyone else's ... There was so much action on it." Before Wilhelm, the knuckleball was primarily mixed in to older pitchers' repertoires at the end of their careers to offset their slowing fastballs and to reduce stress on their arms, thereby extending their careers. Wilhelm broke with tradition when he began throwing the pitch as a teenager and threw it nearly every pitch. The New York Times linked his knuckleball with that of modern pitcher R. A. Dickey, as Wilhelm taught pitcher Charlie Hough the knuckleball in 1971, and Hough taught it to Dickey while coaching with the Texas Rangers. See also List of knuckleball pitchers List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders List of Major League Baseball no-hitters List of Major League Baseball leaders in games finished List of players with a home run in first major league at-bat Notes References External links Hoyt Wilhelm Biography Hoyt Wilhelm Oral History Interview (1 of 2) - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection Hoyt Wilhelm Oral History Interview (2 of 2) - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection 1922 births 2002 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from North Carolina National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees American League All-Stars American League ERA champions National League All-Stars National League ERA champions Atlanta Braves players Baltimore Orioles players California Angels players Chicago Cubs players Chicago White Sox players Cleveland Indians players Los Angeles Dodgers players New York