Called up by the Braves in late June 1958, Willey blanked the Giants in his first major league game and finished 9-7 with a league-leading four shutouts. He was named TSN’s Rookie Pitcher of the Year. Expected to form a potent trio with Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette, he proved a disappointment, incapable of turning in a complete game. Despite his .099 lifetime batting average, one of his 22 hits was a 1963 grand slam for the Mets.
