Baseball Legends: Billy Williams (Cubs 1959-1974, A’s 1975-1976)

“In baseball a player knows just two things: today and yesterday. There’s never a tomorrow until it gets here.” — Billy Williams

It’s amazing when you can remember how a player swings the bat after decades of not seeing him do it. Pictures of Ruth and Aaron are seen often in the media, but for someone to be called Sweet Swingin’ Billy it must be something special. From a very relaxed stance, and careful stride, this slim, wiry athlete would whip the bat through the zone in a way that could take the ball out of the park to any field.

Williams was quiet, consistent and determined, playing in the shadows of the jovial Banks, stylish Jenkins and passionate Santo. Williams was Rookie of the Year in 1961, but his accomplishment was overshadowed by the Maris/Mantle home run battle. He set a National League record for consecutive games played with 1,117 between 1962-1971 (since eclipsed by Steve Garvey). He played in 150 games for 12 straight seasons. Williams had 13 straight seasons of 20 or more home runs and 84 or more RBIs, 1961 to 1973.

In 1970 Williams lead the NL in hits and in runs scored, and finished a close second to Johnny Bench for MVP. In 1972, his best season, Williams led the league with a batting average of .333, and a .606 slugging percentage while collecting 37 home runs and 122 runs batted in. On July 8^th of that year he was 8 for 8 in a double header. Again, Billy finished second to Bench for MVP even though Williams out hit him .333 to .270 and had only 3 fewer home runs and RBI.

He was an excellent fielder who covered his position well. On August 19, 1969 his fielding diligence came through on a play that saved a no-hitter for Ken Holtzman. On a ball that Hank Aaron appeared to drive out of the park, Williams kept going back, his shoulders brushing the vines looking toward the bleachers as he moved laterally along the wall to the area of Wrigley field where the wall juts back. A Chicago gust of wind off of Lake Michigan blew the ball from the bleacher seats to this open area giving Williams the chance to make a lunging catch in the vines. This quite possibly was the only occasion where a ball passed through home run territory and back onto the playing field. It was almost as if Williams’ determination pulled the ball to him to save the no-hitter.

Billy had a lifetime batting average of .290, with 2711 hits and 426 home runs. He was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987 with 85.71% of the vote.

See Williams’ career statistics at baseball-reference.com.

Written by Bill at the Golden Age of Baseball Cards.