William Charles Harrelson (born November 17, 1945) is an American former
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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
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 appeared in ten
games
A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...
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), ...
for the
California Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
. Harrelson threw right-handed and was a
switch hitter
In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers.
Characteristics
Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...
; he was listed as tall and .
["Bill Harrelson Statistics and History"](_blank)
''baseball-reference.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
Career
Harrelson, a "full blooded
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
Indian,"
["Angels Lose Two Games To Athletics"](_blank)
''Lodi News-Sentinel'', August 1, 1968, p. 6. was born in
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah ( ; ''Cherokee'': ᏓᎵᏆ, ''daligwa'' ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century ...
. In 1964, he was signed by the Angels and began his professional baseball career that season. He played in the
Pioneer League,
California League
The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...
, and
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
in 1964 and 1965 but had little success. In 1966, Harrelson went 8–11 with a 3.31
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 ...
in the
New York–Penn League
The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...
; in 1967, he had his best season, going 7–4 with a 2.48 ERA for the California League's
San Jose Bees.
["Bill Harrelson Minor League Statistics & History"](_blank)
''baseball-reference.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-04. That performance got him promoted to Class AA, Class AAA, and finally the majors in 1968.
Harrelson made his major league debut with the Angels on July 31, 1968. He was involved in a pitching duel with future Hall of Famer
Catfish Hunter
James Augustus Hunter (April 8, 1946 – September 9, 1999), nicknamed "Catfish", was a professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). From to , he was a pitcher for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees. Hunter wa ...
that day, both allowing just one run through seven innings. Harrelson gave up just four hits, all singles, through seven, but he weakened in the eighth and eventually took the loss.
Almost a month later, on August 27, he earned his only
MLB
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), ...
victory by going 5
shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
innings
An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...
against
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
at
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...
. He allowed only one
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
(to
Joe Pepitone
Joseph Anthony Pepitone (born October 9, 1940) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder who played the bulk of his career for the New York Yankees. He also played several seasons with the Chicago Cubs and had short stints wi ...
) but
walked six, leaving with a 1–0 lead in the sixth.
Andy Messersmith
John Alexander "Andy" Messersmith (born August 6, 1945) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched for the California Angels (1968–72), Los Angeles Dodgers (1973–75 and 1979), Atlanta B ...
completed the two-man, one-hit shutout and earned the
save, as the Angels won 2–0.
Retrosheet
Retrosheet is a nonprofit organization whose website features box scores of Major League Baseball (MLB) games from 1906 to the present, and play-by-play narratives for almost every contest since the 1930s. It also includes scores from every major ...
br>box score (27 August 1968, Game 2): "California Angels 2, New York Yankees 0"
/ref>
Harrelson made his final major league appearance on September 18. His ten big-league games included five starts; he posted a 1–6 record and one complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
, with no saves, and allowed 28 hits and 26 bases on balls in 33 career innings pitched. He struck out
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 denote ...
22.
In 1969, Harrelson returned to the minors and played in the Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
and Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
. On January 14, 1970, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
organization, along with Dan Loomer, for Jack Fisher
John Howard "Fat Jack" Fisher (March 4, 1939) is an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through for the Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Chicago White S ...
. Harrelson had losing records in the minors in both 1970 and 1971 before retiring from baseball.
References
External links
, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrelson, Bill
1945 births
Living people
Arizona Instructional League Angels players
Bakersfield College alumni
Bakersfield Renegades baseball players
Baseball players from Oklahoma
Batavia Trojans players
California Angels players
Charros de Jalisco players
Cherokee Nation sportspeople
El Paso Sun Kings players
Hawaii Islanders players
Idaho Falls Angels players
Indianapolis Indians players
Major League Baseball pitchers
People from Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Quad Cities Angels players
San Jose Bees players
Seattle Angels players
Tigres de Aragua players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Trois-Rivières Aigles players
20th-century Native Americans
21st-century Native Americans