William Joseph Webb (June 25, 1895 – January 12, 1943) was an

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, front-office executive and

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. Although he appeared in only five Major League

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as a second baseman for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, Webb spent his life in baseball and served 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 p ...

as a big-league coach (1935–39) and

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director (1940 until his death). The

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native was listed as tall and during his playing days. He batted and threw right-handed. Webb's playing career lasted for 14 seasons, beginning in 1916 and ending in 1930, with 1918 missed during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. His brief trial (five games, including four starts at second base) with the Pirates occurred during the last two weeks of the 1917 season. Webb went hitless in his first four games and 11 MLB at bats. However, in his fifth and final game, on October 1, he went three for four (all

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) against Jack Scott of the

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

and scored a

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, helping the Pirates beat Boston, 2–0, at Forbes Field.Information
at

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Webb resumed his minor league career in 1919 and spent the entire decade of the 1920s in the top-level

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over .300 seven times. He was the

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of the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

in 1924–25. In 1930, he resumed his managing career, and after two seasons as skipper of the Class A

Galveston Buccaneers The Galveston Buccaneers were a Minor League Baseball team that existed from 1931 to 1937. Based in Galveston, Texas, United States, they played in the Texas League. Their home ballpark was Moody Stadium. Notable players include Del Pratt, Beau Be ...

of 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 ...

, winning the 1934 league title, he joined the White Sox. He coached at third base for

Jimmy Dykes James Joseph Dykes (November 10, 1896 – June 15, 1976) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a third and second baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Philadelph ...

for five seasons before moving into their front office as minor league director. He died at age 47 on January 12, 1943, after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

at the wheel of his car en route to work.

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1895 births 1943 deaths Akron Buckeyes players Baseball players from Chicago Binghamton Triplets managers Binghamton Triplets players Birmingham Barons players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) managers Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago White Sox coaches Chicago White Sox executives Duluth White Sox players Major League Baseball farm directors Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball third base coaches Minor league baseball managers Newark Bears (International League) players Pittsburgh Pirates players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players {{US-baseball-second-baseman-stub