Bill Currie (baseball) facts for kids

William Cleveland Currie (born November 29, 1926 – died October 30, 2013) was an American professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher. This means he threw the ball with his right hand.

Bill Currie played baseball for ten years in the minor leagues. These are leagues for players who are still developing their skills. He also played a few games in Major League Baseball (MLB). This was with the Washington Senators in 1955.

Bill Currie's Baseball Career

Bill Currie was 6 feet tall and weighed 175 pounds. From 1950 to 1959, he played in the minor leagues. He won 92 games and lost 72 games as a pitcher. He played for at least six different teams that were connected to Major League Baseball teams.

His Major League Debut

In April 1955, Bill Currie got to play for the Washington Senators. This was his chance in the Major Leagues. His first game was tough. It was against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

Bill came into the game in the fifth inning. An inning is a part of a baseball game. The Yankees were already winning by a lot, 7–0. Bill was the third pitcher for his team that day.

He had some trouble in his first inning. He gave up two walks. A walk happens when a pitcher throws four pitches outside the strike zone. He also hit a batter with a pitch. This meant the bases were full of opposing players. Then, he gave up a two-run single to Whitey Ford. This hit brought in two runs for the Yankees.

In the next inning, things were still difficult. He gave up two home runs in a row. These were hit by famous players, Yogi Berra and Bill Skowron. The Yankees scored four more runs. In total, Bill Currie gave up five hits and five earned runs in two innings. An earned run is a run that is counted against the pitcher. He also had two walks, one hit batter, and one wild pitch. A wild pitch is a throw that is so off target the catcher cannot stop it. The Senators lost that game 19–1.

After His Debut

Bill Currie pitched better in his next two games. He came into the game as a relief pitcher. This means he came in after the starting pitcher. However, he was sent back to the Double-A Southern Association minor league. This happened when teams had to reduce the number of players on their rosters.

In his three Major League Baseball games, he pitched for 4⅓ innings. He gave up seven hits and six earned runs. He also had two walks and two strikeouts. A strikeout is when a pitcher gets three strikes on a batter.