RIP Billy. Born & raised in MI. Had the pleasure to see him pitch when he was with the CWS I think 60 or 61 at old Tiger Stadium
Billy Pierce, a seven-time *all-star pitcher who played in two World Series and spent most of his 18 years in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox, died July 31 in Palos Heights, Ill. He was 88.
The cause was gallbladder cancer, said his family and the White Sox.
Mr. Pierce, a 5-foot-10 left-hander who threw exceptionally hard for his size, was one of baseball?s finest pitchers of the 1950s. He began his career in 1945 with the Detroit Tigers and pitched for the White Sox from 1949 to 1961, starting three *all-star games in the mid-1950s.
He closed out his career with the San Francisco Giants. He had a career record of 211-169 with a 3.27 ERA, 1,999 strikeouts, 193 complete games and 38 shutouts.
Mr. Pierce reached the World Series in 1959 with Chicago?s *?Go-Go White Sox.? Three years later, he pitched a three-hit victory for San Francisco in Game 6 of the World Series against the New York Yankees.
Former Chicago White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce tossing the ceremonial first pitch before a game in 2013. (Charles Cherney/AP)
Mr. Pierce had two 20-win seasons (1956 and 1957). He led the American League in strikeouts in 1953 with 186 and in ERA in 1955 (1.97). He was named the American League Pitcher of the Year by the Sporting News in 1955 and 1956.
His No. 19 was retired by the White Sox in 1987, and he was on the Hall of Fame?s Golden Era Committee ballot last year but was not voted in.
Walter William Pierce was born April 2, 1927, in Detroit and grew up in suburban Highland Park, Mich. He developed an interest in baseball almost by chance.
?When I was 10, I refused to have my tonsils removed,? Mr. Pierce once said, according to a biographical summary for last year?s Hall of Fame ballot. ?My folks offered me a major-league baseball and a good glove if I?d have the operation. I took the bribe. It really was a thrill to throw around that league ball, and I?ve been throwing ever since.?
He signed with the Tigers when he was 17.
One of the best left-handers of his era, Mr. Pierce pitched against such Hall of Fame players as Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams and Hank Aaron.
?That little so-and-so is a marvel,? DiMaggio once said after facing Mr. Pierce. ?So little ? and all that speed. And I mean speed. He got me out of there on a fastball in the ninth that I?d have needed a telescope to see.?
Billy Pierce, a seven-time *all-star pitcher who played in two World Series and spent most of his 18 years in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox, died July 31 in Palos Heights, Ill. He was 88.
The cause was gallbladder cancer, said his family and the White Sox.
Mr. Pierce, a 5-foot-10 left-hander who threw exceptionally hard for his size, was one of baseball?s finest pitchers of the 1950s. He began his career in 1945 with the Detroit Tigers and pitched for the White Sox from 1949 to 1961, starting three *all-star games in the mid-1950s.
He closed out his career with the San Francisco Giants. He had a career record of 211-169 with a 3.27 ERA, 1,999 strikeouts, 193 complete games and 38 shutouts.
Mr. Pierce reached the World Series in 1959 with Chicago?s *?Go-Go White Sox.? Three years later, he pitched a three-hit victory for San Francisco in Game 6 of the World Series against the New York Yankees.
Former Chicago White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce tossing the ceremonial first pitch before a game in 2013. (Charles Cherney/AP)
Mr. Pierce had two 20-win seasons (1956 and 1957). He led the American League in strikeouts in 1953 with 186 and in ERA in 1955 (1.97). He was named the American League Pitcher of the Year by the Sporting News in 1955 and 1956.
His No. 19 was retired by the White Sox in 1987, and he was on the Hall of Fame?s Golden Era Committee ballot last year but was not voted in.
Walter William Pierce was born April 2, 1927, in Detroit and grew up in suburban Highland Park, Mich. He developed an interest in baseball almost by chance.
?When I was 10, I refused to have my tonsils removed,? Mr. Pierce once said, according to a biographical summary for last year?s Hall of Fame ballot. ?My folks offered me a major-league baseball and a good glove if I?d have the operation. I took the bribe. It really was a thrill to throw around that league ball, and I?ve been throwing ever since.?
He signed with the Tigers when he was 17.
One of the best left-handers of his era, Mr. Pierce pitched against such Hall of Fame players as Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams and Hank Aaron.
?That little so-and-so is a marvel,? DiMaggio once said after facing Mr. Pierce. ?So little ? and all that speed. And I mean speed. He got me out of there on a fastball in the ninth that I?d have needed a telescope to see.?
