9 Hall of Famers who you might have forgotten were Cardinals

Hoyt Wilhelm

Among the greatest pitchers ever to chuck the knuckleball, Hoyt Wilhelm pitched for 21 seasons. That's impressive in itself, but it reaches nearly unfathomable levels when one learns that he didn't debut in the major leagues until he was 29.

Wilhelm was a pioneer of sorts regarding the knuckleball. Before his arrival onto the baseball scene, the pitch was solely used by older players who wanted to ease the stress on their arm and prolong their career by one or two more seasons. But Wilhelm took to the unique pitch at a young age, and it carried him to a Hall of Fame career.

Wilhelm pitched for a local minor league team for a year before the Army drafted him into service for World War II. He spent three years overseas and received a Purple Heart. Two years after returning to the United States, Wilhelm was drafted by the New York Giants in 1947 and made the roster in 1952 as a reliever, where he subsequently led the National League in ERA, at 2.43, and finished fourth in MVP voting and second in Rookie of the Year.

Although Wilhelm was selected to the All-Star Game in 1953, he did not pitch because the National League's manager was concerned that the catchers would not be able to handle his knuckleball. It didn't dissuade Wilhelm from anchoring the Giants' rotation in 1954, when they won it all in a sweep of the Cleveland Indians for Wilhelm's first and only taste of the postseason.

After two seasons that weren't up to Wilhelm's typical lofty standards, the Giants traded him to the Cardinals for first baseman and outfielder Whitey Lockman before the 1957 season. But Lockman wasn't the Giants' first choice, as they had acquired Jackie Robinson from the Dodgers at the end of 1956, but he retired before the next season, forcing New York to pivot to Lockman.

Cardinals general manager Frank Lane and manager Fred Hutchinson attempted to ensure that the Cardinals' catchers could handle Wilhelm's fluttering pitch by arranging a dinner with the team's catchers and retired catcher Rick Ferrell, who had plenty of experience with knuckleball pitchers.

But Wilhelm was a disappointment with St. Louis, pitching to a 4.25 ERA in 55 innings and failing to earn a save until May 24. Hutchinson eventually lost faith in Wilhelm, pitching him in only two September games while the Cardinals chased the pennant. On Sept. 21, the team placed him on waivers, and he was snapped up by the Cleveland Indians. Lane gave the reason for the severance as catchers struggling to catch the knuckleball.

The Cardinals likely believed that Wilhelm was nearing the end of the line, but he went on to pitch 15 more seasons and receive four more All-Star nods, his final one in 1970 at age 47. Wilhelm's post-Cardinals career benefited from the larger strike zone that was instituted in 1963, which greatly aided the unpredictable knuckleball. However, he continued to be a nightmare for catchers wherever he pitched. Wilhelm finally hung up his spikes in 1979.