18 Years in the Minors, 4 Games in the Majors

[OFFNY]

o

 

Lew Ford has nothing on this guy.

A player by the name of Billy Williams (not THAT Billy Williams) died yesterday, 2 days short of his 81st birthday.

Williams played 18 seasons in the Minor Leagues from 1952-1969 before finally having the privilege of making it to the Major Leagues for 4 games with the Seattle Pilots in August of 1969.

The final 9 years of his career (1961-1969) were all spent strictly at the highest level of the minors (AAA) just waiting, and waiting, and waiting for that call.

Kudos to the late Marvin Milkes and Dewey Soriano (the General Ganager and the owner of that Pilots team, respectively) for finally giving him the chance to put on a Major League uniform, get on the field, and get himself into the Baseball Encyclopedia forever.

 

 

MAJOR LEAGUE RECORD: ))  http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willibi02.shtml

 

MINOR LEAGUE RECORD: )) http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=willia003wil

 

OBITUARY: ))  http://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/baseball/professional/minor/explorers/former-x-s-coach-billy-williams-dies-at/article_d767e2fd-5aef-5fef-be34-46c1f685e7bc.html

 

o

[SteveA]

.

Lew Ford has nothing on this guy.

A player by the name of Billy Williams (not THAT Billy Williams) died yesterday, 2 days short of his 81st birthday.

Williams played 18 seasons in the minor league from 1952-1969 before finally having the privilege of making it to the major league for 4 games with the Seattle Pilots in August of 1969.

The final 9 years of his career (1961-1969) were all spent strictly at the highest level of the minors (AAA) just waiting, and waiting, and waiting for that call.

Kudos to the late Marvin Milkes and Dewey Soriano (the general manager and owner of that Piolts team, respectively) for finally giving him the chance to put on a major league uniform, get on the field, and get himself into the Baseball Encyclopedia forever.

MAJOR LEAGUE RECORD:O http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willibi02.shtml

MINOR LEAGUE RECORD:O http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=willia003wil

OBITUARY:O http://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/baseball/professional/minor/explorers/former-x-s-coach-billy-williams-dies-at/article_d767e2fd-5aef-5fef-be34-46c1f685e7bc.html

Interesting...he was 0 for 12 with a walk in his major league stint. But he played 3 games in RF and had 2 outfield assists.

[murph]

Interesting...he was 0 for 12 with a walk in his major league stint. But he played 3 games in RF and had 2 outfield assists.

Those assists must have felt like gold to him. What an interesting story. 18 years of minor league baseball at that time had to be much, much worse than these days (longer, slower rides on older awful buses, I am guessing the pay was even less manageable then making him work winters and live on little means, crappier clubhouses, etc...). Talk about either a love for baseball or an unstoppable desire to get into the Majors.....wow.

[OFFNY]

SteveA said:

 

Interesting  ...... he was 0-for -2 with a Walk in his Major Legue stint. But he played 3 games in RF, and had 2 outfield assists.

 

murph said:

 

Those assists must have felt like gold to him. What an interesting story. 18 years of Minor League baseball at that time had to be much, much worse than these days (longer, slower rides on older awful buses, I am guessing that the pay was even less manageable then making him work winters and live on little means, crappier clubhouses, etc). Talk about either a love for baseball or an unstoppable desire to get into the Majors ..... wow.

 

o

 

As did that one run that he scored when he crossed home plate.

And that run came with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, in a 15-3 loss to none other than ........ the Baltimore Orioles. 

 

Tommy Davis Single to RF ...... Billy Williams Scores

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SE1/SE1196908160.shtml

 

o

[luismatos4prez]

Has to be the only guy to have more OF assists than OF putouts, right?

[Palmoripken]

I think this would make a somewhat interesting book or movie. You got to admire the dedication because as murph put it life in the Minors back then was different than it was today. Too bad he never got that big league hit but he made it in the end which is more than you can say about many of us. Condolences to his friends and family.

[OFFNY]

OFFNY said:

o

 

Lew Ford has nothing on this guy.

A player by the name of Billy Williams (not THAT Billy Williams) died yesterday, 2 days short of his 81st birthday.

Williams played 18 seasons in the Minor Leagues from 1952-1969 before finally having the privilege of making it to the Major Leagues for 4 games with the Seattle Pilots in August of 1969.

The final 9 years of his career (1961-1969) were all spent strictly at the highest level of the minors (AAA) just waiting, and waiting, and waiting for that call.

Kudos to the late Marvin Milkes and Dewey Soriano (the General Ganager and the owner of that Pilots team, respectively) for finally giving him the chance to put on a Major League uniform, get on the field, and get himself into the Baseball Encyclopedia forever.

 

MAJOR LEAGUE RECORD: ))  http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willibi02.shtml

 

MINOR LEAGUE RECORD: )) http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=willia003wil

 

OBITUARY: ))  http://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/baseball/professional/minor/explorers/former-x-s-coach-billy-williams-dies-at/article_d767e2fd-5aef-5fef-be34-46c1f685e7bc.html

 

o

 

o

 

Bump, in light of Caleb Joseph being called up to the Majors for the first time at the age of 28.

 

o