William Charles Fischer (October 11, 1930 – October 30, 2018) was an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
who played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
from 1956 to 1964 for the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
,
Detroit Tigers,
Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins and
Kansas City Athletics
The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 sea ...
. He later was a longtime
pitching coach at the major and
minor league levels. Born in
Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, an ...
, Fischer stood 6' (183 cm) tall, weighed 190 pounds (86 kg), and threw and batted right-handed.
Pitching career
As a pitcher, Fischer won 45 games and lost 58 (.437), with a career
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
of 4.34. He appeared in 281 games,
starting 78, and compiled 16 complete games and 13
saves. In 831
career
innings pitched, Fischer surrendered 936
hits and 210
bases on balls, with 313
strikeouts
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
s.
Fischer made his debut on April 21, 1956, with the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
. In the middle of the 1958 campaign, he was traded along with
Tito Francona
John Patsy Francona (November 4, 1933 – February 13, 2018) was a Major League Baseball player. As a child, he was nicknamed "Tito" by his father. His son, Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona, is also sometimes referred to as "Tito."
Bal ...
to the
Detroit Tigers for
Ray Boone and
Bob Shaw
Robert Shaw (31 December 1931 – 11 February 1996) was a science fiction writer and fan from Northern Ireland, noted for his originality and wit. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1979 and 1980. His short story "Light of Other Days" ...
. He was eventually claimed by the
Washington Senators, who traded him back to Detroit in for
Tom Morgan.
Fischer was later traded to the
Kansas City Athletics
The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 sea ...
with
Ozzie Virgil for
Gerry Staley
Gerald Lee Staley (August 21, 1920 – January 2, 2008) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1942 Minor League draft. He pitched regularly from 1947 on, then was traded to ...
and
Reno Bertoia. There, he set a major league record which still stands in pitching 84
consecutive innings without issuing a
walk
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...
in .
This didn't keep Fischer in Kansas City for long, however. After one more season with the A's, the
Minnesota Twins drafted Fischer in the
Rule 5 draft in 1963, and he concluded his big-league career with the club, spending a few months of the 1964 season on the inactive list as a Minnesota
scout. The White Sox signed Fischer as an active player and free agent following his stint with the Twins, but he never returned to the majors and was released in 1968.
Coaching career
After the season, he joined the fledgling
Kansas City Royals, an
expansion team set to make its MLB debut in , as a scout, beginning his association with future
Baseball Hall of Fame executive
John Schuerholz
John Boland Schuerholz Jr. (; born October 1, 1940) is an American baseball front office executive. He was the general manager of Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves from 1990 to 2007, and then served as the Braves president for a decade from 2 ...
. He also served as a minor league pitching instructor in the Royals' organization. Although Fischer never was MLB pitching coach of the Kansas City club, he held that post with the
Cincinnati Reds (1979–83),
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
(1985–91) and
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...
(2000–01). At Boston, he was a favorite of star right-hander
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. Clemens was one of the most dominant pi ...
. After his firing by the Red Sox, he rejoined Schuerholz with the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
as the Braves' minor league pitching coordinator and pitching coach of
Triple-A Richmond (1992–99; 2004–06).
He entered the baseball season still active in the game. He rejoined the Royals in 2007 as minor league pitching coordinator and special assistant for player development, and in 2018, as Kansas City's senior pitching advisor, he marked his 69th season in professional baseball. Fischer died on October 30, 2018, at the age of 88.
[https://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article220903370.html ]
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball individual streaks
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Bill
1930 births
2018 deaths
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Baseball coaches from Wisconsin
Baseball players from Wisconsin
Boston Red Sox coaches
Chicago White Sox players
Cincinnati Reds coaches
Colorado Springs Sky Sox (WL) players
Detroit Tigers players
Hawaii Islanders players
Hot Springs Bathers players
Indianapolis Indians players
Kansas City Athletics players
Kansas City Royals scouts
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball pitching coaches
Memphis Chickasaws players
Minnesota Twins players
Minnesota Twins scouts
Navegantes del Magallanes players
Portland Beavers players
Sportspeople from Wausau, Wisconsin
Tampa Bay Devil Rays coaches
Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players
Vancouver Mounties players
Washington Senators (1901–1960) players
Waterloo White Hawks players
Wisconsin Rapids White Sox players