died when he was two, and his grandmother and uncle brought him up, as his mother was sickly. He grew up laboring on the family farm, which produced fruit and vegetables. The Mizells also raised hogs and cattle. Additional income for Wilmer came from hauling wood, logging, and tapping turpentine from pine trees. "I walked behind more mules than I walked batters – and that's saying a lot," he later reflected, comparing his childhood with his career. Growing up, Mizell was unable to play catch with his brother because he was such an erratic thrower. He practiced his control by throwing at a smokehouse knothole, eventually knocking the door in because of all his practice. At the age of 16, he started playing for baseball teams, pitching in Sunday leagues around Vinegar Bend, Alabama. The St. Louis Cardinals held a tryout camp in Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1948, and Mizell recorded three strikeouts before a thunderstorm ended it early. Impressed with the youngster, scout Buddy Lewis visited him the following year in Lakeville. Mizell, returning from a local swimming spot, impressed Lewis again with his fastball, and the scout promised to sign him for $500 upon his graduation from Leakeville High School, which would occur later that evening. After receiving his diploma, Mizell signed his contract and went straight to the train station, off to begin his career. Baseball career Minor leagues (1949–51) Mizell's first team was the Albany Cardinals of the Class D Georgia–Florida League. His first pitch for the team sailed 20 feet over the backstop. Overcoming homesickness, he went on to help Albany win the pennant. He had a 12–3 record and a 1.95 earned run average (ERA) for Albany, recording 175 strikeouts in 141 innings pitched. Promoted to the Class B Winston-Salem Cardinals of the Carolina League in 1950, Mizell got off to a 1–6 start. However, he went on to post a 17–7 record, finishing tied (with Wes Livengood) for fourth in the Carolina League in wins and second (behind Woody Rich) in ERA with a 2.48 mark. He struck out 227 batters in 207 innings, leading Winston-Salem to a championship. In the last game of the season, he hit a home run, the only professional one of his career, which he referred to as a $220 home run because fans passed a hat around and donated that sum in appreciation of his efforts. One night