Dewey Edgar Williams (February 5, 1916 – March 19, 2000) nicknamed "Dee", 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 ...

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...

. A

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

, he appeared in 193

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

in the Major Leagues between and , and was a member of the 1945 Chicago Cubs, until the most recent Cub team to win a

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

pennant. Williams was a native of

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

. He threw and batted

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 ...

, stood tall and weighed , a slender frame for a catcher. His professional career lasted for 18 seasons, however (1937–54). In June 1944, he was acquired by the Cubs after he batted .313 in 48 games for the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

of the top-level

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. During his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

1944 campaign, Williams appeared in an MLB-career-high 79 games (77 as a catcher), and batted .240 with 27

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 ...

. In , the following season, Williams was the Cubbies' third-string catcher (behind

Mickey Livingston Thompson Orville "Mickey" Livingston (November 15, 1914 – April 3, 1983) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between and for the Washington Senators, Philadelphia Phillies, Chi ...

and

Paul Gillespie Paul Allen Gillespie (September 18, 1920 – August 11, 1970) was a Major League Baseball catcher for the Chicago Cubs in 1942, 1944, and 1945. A native of the Sugar Valley Community in Bartow County, Georgia, he stood and weighed 195 lbs. ...

); nevertheless, he appeared in 59 games and slugged two of his three career MLB

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 ...

that season. He remained on the Cub roster for the

1945 World Series The 1945 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1945 season. The 42nd edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion Chicago Cubs. T ...

, and played in two games. As a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

in Game 5, Williams

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 denot ...

against

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 ...

' ace

left-hander 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 ...

Hal Newhouser Harold Newhouser (May 20, 1921 – November 10, 1998), nicknamed "Prince Hal," was an American professional baseball player. In Major League Baseball (MLB), he pitched 17 seasons on the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians, from 1939 through 1 ...

. He was a defensive replacement in Game 6, catching the last three

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 ...

, grounding out in his only

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

(against

Dizzy Trout Paul Howard "Dizzy" Trout (June 29, 1915 – February 28, 1972) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from to , most notably as a member of the Detroit Tigers team that finishe ...

), and handling two

chances Chances may refer to: * ''Chances'' (TV series), an Australian soap opera * ''Chances'' (Philippine TV series), a prime-time soap opera * '' Chances: The Women of Magdalene'', a 2006 documentary film * ''Chances'' (novel), a 1981 novel by Jac ...

without an

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

.1945 World Series Game 6 box score from Retrosheet
/ref> The Cubs split the two games in which Williams played, but the Tigers prevailed in seven games to win the 1945 world championship.

References

External links

, o

o
SABR Biography Project
o
Venezuelan Winter League statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Dewey 1916 births 2000 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Canada Atlanta Crackers players Baseball players from Durham, North Carolina Brandon Greys players Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds players Durham Bulls players Elmira Pioneers players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Macon Peaches players Major League Baseball catchers Memphis Chickasaws players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Minot Mallards players Patriotas de Venezuela players Rochester Red Wings players Seattle Rainiers players Toledo Sox players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Williamsport Grays players Williston Oilers players