Atlanta Braves Opening Day countdown: 39, arm quartet

As we continue our march toward Opening Day, we review multiple pitchers who had an impact in the Atlanta Braves franchise.

Over the course of the Atlanta Braves franchise, plenty of pitchers have made an impact. Not all of them have been positive. We’ll look at four notable arms that all happened to wear #39 today – Hoyt Wilhelm, Tom House, Al Hrabosky, and Len Barker.

Old Sarge

It’s incredible to consider that among the greatest knuckleball pitchers in the game’s history, many have pitched for the Atlanta Braves franchise. Arguably the top knuckleball reliever in history, Hoyt Wilhelm pitched parts of three seasons with the Atlanta Braves from 1969-1971.

By the time Wilhelm made it to the Braves, he already had over 900 games pitched, over 2,000 innings pitched, and over 200 career saves. Making his major league debut in 1952 at 29 meant that by the time he threw his first pitch for the Atlanta Braves late in the 1969 season, he was already 47 years old.

Wilhelm would help power the Braves to the playoffs that 1969 season with a 0.73 ERA over 8 games with the club, tossing 12 1/3 innings, saving 4 games, and picking up a 4/14 BB/K ratio down the stretch.

He opened the 1970 season with the Atlanta Braves and made the All-Star Game that season, but by September, it was clear that the Braves were not going to make the postseason, so they waived the 48-year-old Wilhelm. That offseason, the team acquired Wilhelm again, and he made just 3 appearances in 1971 for the team before he was released.

Overall, Wilhelm appeared in 61 games for the Atlanta Braves, pitching 93 innings, saving 17 games, with a 3.10 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and a 44/82 BB/K ratio.