James Hoyt Wilhelm was born on July 26, 1922 in Huntersville, North Carolina. In high school he read an article about the knuckleball pitcher Emil Dutch Leonard. He then learned to throw the pitch & master it. The six foot right hander, was signed by the Boston Braves but after one season in the minors, he was drafted into World War II. Wilhelm was a hero at the Battle of the Bulge, winning the Purple Heart for heroic duty. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant & became known as “Ol’ Sarge”. After the War, at the age of 28, he was signed by the New York Giants. He was given a chance getting put into the bullpen, making his pitching debut on April 18th against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. On April 23, 1952, in his first career at the Polo Grounds he hit a HR off Boston Braves’ pitcher Dick Hoover. It would be the only HR he would ever hit in his long career. That same day he earned his first career victory, pitching five innings of relief. He won his first