William Angelo Consolo ( ; August 18, 1934 – March 27, 2008) 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...
and
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
, 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), ...
(MLB) for five different teams between and , most notably the
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 eight ...
and
Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins.
Primarily used in a reserve role, Consolo enjoyed his best season with the 1957 Red Sox,
batting Batting may refer to:
* Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs
* Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ...
.270 in 68 games. He later served as the
bench coach
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...
for the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
for 15 seasons, from 1979 to 1992 and again in 1995
under
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
Sparky Anderson
George Lee "Sparky" Anderson (February 22, 1934 – November 4, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player, coach, and manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third t ...
, including for the Tigers'
1984 World Series champions. Listed at , 180 lb., Consolo batted and threw
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
.
Career
Born in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
to Italian immigrants, Consolo grew up in Los Angeles, graduating from
Dorsey High School
Susan Miller Dorsey High School is a high school located in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles, California. It is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school serves Baldwin Hills, Baldwin Village, Jefferson Park, West Adams a ...
. While in high school, Consolo (along with longtime friend Anderson) played on the school's baseball team. Consolo also ran track at Dorsey and was named the Los Angeles High School Baseball city player of the year in 1951 and 1952.
Consolo also played (along with Anderson) for the Crenshaw Post 715
American Legion
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
team, winning the American Legion Baseball national title in ,
winning the championship at
Briggs Stadium
Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown, Detroit, Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of U. ...
, the stadium where he coached the Detroit Tigers.
Consolo went directly to the Red Sox from high school after signing in 1953 (
bonus baby). Consolo joined the Red Sox at age 18; Sparky Anderson said that he was the finest athlete he had seen at that age.
Consolo played for the Red Sox during six and half years. Consolo was traded to the
Washington Senators on June 11, 1959, in a four-player deal that sent relief pitcher
Murray Wall and Consolo to the Senators for relief pitcher
Dick Hyde and infielder
Herb Plews
Herbert Eugene Plews (June 14, 1928 – December 12, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball second baseman. He played four years in the majors, from 1956 to 1959 with the Washington Senators and in 1959 for the Boston Red Sox. In the min ...
. The Twins later traded Consolo to the
Milwaukee 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 Bost ...
on June 1, 1961 for
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel Martin Jr. (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989), commonly called "Billy", was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the manager of the New York Yan ...
and some cash.
In addition to the Senators/Twins (1959–61), Consolo played for the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
,
Los Angeles 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 ...
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 seas ...
in his final 1962 season. His 1957 average of .270 was 41 points better than he hit in any other year.
In a 10-season career, Consolo was a .221 hitter (260 for 1178), with nine
home runs
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
, and 83
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
(RBI), in 603
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 ...
, including 158
runs, 31
doubles, 11
triples, nine
stolen bases
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...
, and a .315
on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
.
After his playing days ended in 1962, and before his return to uniform as one of Anderson's coaches in 1979, Consolo returned to Los Angeles and like his father before him he became a barber at the old
Statler Hilton Hotel
Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton.
The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...
in downtown Los Angeles.
Consolo also worked at
Los Angeles Pierce College
Los Angeles Pierce College (Pierce College or Pierce) is a public community college in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Los Angeles Community College District and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and C ...
in
Woodland Hills as a sports instructor.
Death
Consolo died from a heart attack at the age of 73 in his
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
home on March 27, 2008.
See also
*
References
External links
Billy Consoloat SABR (Baseball BioProject)
at Baseball America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Consolo, Billy
1934 births
2008 deaths
American people of Italian descent
Baseball players from Cleveland
Baseball players from Los Angeles
Boston Red Sox players
Burials at Valley Oaks Memorial Park
Detroit Tigers coaches
Susan Miller Dorsey High School alumni
Kansas City Athletics players
Los Angeles Angels players
Los Angeles Pierce College people
Major League Baseball bench coaches
Major League Baseball shortstops
Minnesota Twins players
Philadelphia Phillies players
Washington Senators (1901–1960) players
Sportspeople of Italian descent