Bill Fischer (baseball)

William Charles Fischer (October 11, 1930 – October 30, 2018) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1964 for the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Kansas City Athletics and Minnesota Twins. He later was a longtime pitching coach at the major and minor league levels. He stood 6' (183 cm) tall, weighed 190 pounds (86 kg) and threw and batted right-handed. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin.

Bill Fischer
Fischer at Werner Park in Omaha in 2015
Pitcher
Born: (1930-10-11)October 11, 1930
Wausau, Wisconsin
Died: October 30, 2018(2018-10-30) (aged 88)
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 21, 1956, for the Chicago White Sox
Last MLB appearance
May 22, 1964, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
Win–loss record45–58
Earned run average4.34
Strikeouts313
Teams

Pitching career

As a pitcher, Fischer won 45 games and lost 58 (.437), with a career earned run average of 4.34. He appeared in 281 games, starting 78, and compiled 16 complete games and 13 saves. In 83113 career innings pitched, Fischer surrendered 936 hits and 210 bases on balls, with 313 strikeoutss.

Fischer made his debut on April 21, 1956 with the Chicago White Sox. In the middle of the 1958 campaign, he was traded along with Tito Francona to the Detroit Tigers for Ray Boone and Bob Shaw. He was eventually claimed by the Washington Senators, who traded him back to Detroit in 1960 for Tom Morgan.

Fischer was later traded to the Kansas City Athletics with Ozzie Virgil for Gerry Staley and Reno Bertoia.[1] There, he set a major league record which still stands in pitching 8413 consecutive innings without issuing a walk in 1962.[2]

This didn't keep Fischer in Kansas City for long, however. After one more season with the A's, the Minnesota Twins drafted Fischer in the Rule 5 draft in 1963, and he concluded his big-league career with the club, spending a few months of the 1964 season on the inactive list as a Minnesota scout. The White Sox signed Fischer as an active player and free agent following his stint with the Twins, but he never returned to the majors and was released by the White Sox in 1968.

Coaching career

After the 1968 season, he joined the fledgling Kansas City Royals, an expansion team set to make its MLB debut in 1969, as a scout,[3] beginning his association with future Baseball Hall of Fame executive John Schuerholz. He also served as a minor league pitching instructor in the Royals' organization. Although Fischer never was MLB pitching coach of the Kansas City club, he held that post with the Cincinnati Reds (1979–83), Boston Red Sox (1985–91) and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000–01). At Boston, he was a favorite of star right-hander Roger Clemens. After his firing by the Red Sox, he rejoined Schuerholz with the Atlanta Braves as the Braves' minor league pitching coordinator and pitching coach of Triple-A Richmond (1992–99; 2004–06).

He entered the 2018 baseball season still active in the game.[4][5] He rejoined the Royals in 2007 as minor league pitching coordinator and special assistant for player development, and in 2018, as Kansas City's senior pitching advisor, he marked his 69th season in professional baseball.[6] Fischer died on October 30, 2018 at the age of 88.[7]

See also

References


Sporting positions
Preceded by
Larry Shepard
Cincinnati Reds Pitching Coach
1979–1983
Succeeded by
Stan Williams
Preceded by
Lee Stange
Boston Red Sox Pitching Coach
1985–1991
Succeeded by
Rich Gale
Preceded by
Rick Williams
Tampa Bay Devil Rays Pitching Coach
2000–2001
Succeeded by
Jackie Brown
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