Wilhelm celebrates his no hitter. The first Orioles No Hitter was by Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm on September 20th 1958 against the New York Yankees. Wilhelm’s statline was 2 BB, 8 SO, and 0 H. It was just Wilhelm’s 3rd win of the season after going 1-7 in Cleveland before coming to Baltimore mid season. The very last batter for the Yankees, outfielder Hank Bauer tried to bunt but it rolled foul and he eventually popped out. Bauer said after the game “If he’s going to get a no-hitter, let him earn it,…I was trying to get a hit. That’s baseball. I’m sorry it rolled foul.” Recalling back to earlier Orioles history, this game becomes a little sweeter, the losing pitcher was Don Larsen, who was a key peice of the 17 player trade between the Yankees and Orioles before the 1955 season. This was still somewhat of a homecoming for Larson even though it had been almost 4 years. The Orioles return in that deal included All Star Catcher Gus Triandos who homered and scored the lone run of the game. Pictured with Wilhelm is infielder Billy Gardner and Manager Paul Richards
Gus Triandos all star promo picture. Shortly after being named to the 1958 All Star Team Triandos did a promotion photoshoot celebrating his All Star selection. The Oriole Hall of Famer would be named to 4 straight All Star games spanning from 1957 to 1959. He was the leader of the team on offense and a media darling in Baltimore so it makes sense that he continues to be the most popular player in photos I can find.
Frank Zupo 1958 Topps baseball card. At one point Zupo may have been a pick to be a regular contributor to the Orioles lineup either behind the plate, sharing time with Triandos, or at another position possibly, but the reality is that even though he was a part of the Topps exclusive rookies set he only appeared in 1 game for the Orioles in 1958. Zupo was a bonus baby in 1957 so he was basically forced to see the field 10 times as a young teenager. After some amendments to the bonus baby rules Zupo was sent down to the minors and only called back up to be a late season relief for Gus Triandos in that single game appearance. Frank Zupo was a great hitter in the minors especially for a catcher but could never consistently hit at the higher levels. His 11 games in two seasons would remain hos only appearances for 2 more years when he had another 5 games in 1961 before being sent back down and retiring from minor league baseball in 1964. Zupo had a baseball card for the year that he only appeared in a single game but that would be his last official card, even after appearing in 1961 he did not get a card.
Milt Pappas 1958 baseball card. Another Bonus Baby baseball card but with a completely different story in 1958. Signed out of high school at the suggestion of Hall of Famer Hal Newhouser Pappas would go 10-10 in 1958, starting a streak of 11 consecutive season with double digit wins. One of the longest streaks in MLB history post Deadball era. Milt Pappas is probably most well known for being the key peice in the trade to bring Frank Robinson to Baltimore in 1965. Pappas was a stud on the Orioles staff before the trade and pitched well enough to eventually earn a spot in the Orioles Hall of Fame despite leaving the team before his age 27 season. In 1958 Pappas finished in the top 5 for wild pitches a feat he would one up the year after that by leading the league in wild pitches. He would finish in the top 5 for wild pitches every season more often than he didn’t throughout his career.