Topps 1971 Hoyt Wilhelm. This picture was taken between September 28 and October 1 when the Cubs were in New York. In the era of hatless pictures and airbrushed hats, it seem unusual that Topps had a photographer grab a picture of Wilhelm this late in the season.
The oldest player in Cubs history is Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm, who pitched in three games in 1970 at the age of 47. The Cubs acquired the knuckleballer off waivers from the Atlanta Braves on September 21. It seems strange to pick up a player with only ten games left in the season. But the Cubs were in second place only two games behind the Pirates, so I guess they figured Wilhelm might help in the bullpen.
He didn't make much of a difference, making three appearances and getting tagged with one loss. The team went 4-6 and ended up five games behind Pittsburgh.
And that was it for Wilhelm's Cubs career. He was traded back to the Braves in November. He went on to pitch for the Braves and Dodgers in 1971 and ended his career in LA in 1972. His final appearance was on July 10, 1972, just 16 days short of his 50th birthday.
In the past 100 years, the Cubs have had only two players over the age of 40 make their opening day roster: Dutch Leonard in 1950 and Gary Gaetti in 1999.
Topps 1953 Dutch Leonard
Like Wilhelm, Dutch Leonard was a knuckleballer and this allowed him to extend his pitching career. He joined the Cubs as a 40 year old in 1950 and stayed with the team through 1953. He ended up with 191 career wins.
Upper Deck 1999 Gary Gaetti
Gaetti played an important role in the Cubs push toward the Wildcard in 1998 and was brought back for a full season in 1999. Unfortunately he couldn't recreate the 1998 magic, hitting only .204 in 119 games. He was released at the end of the season. The Red Sox picked him up in the spring of 2000, but he was 0 for 10 with them before he called in a career.
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