Bill Wright (outfielder) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bill Wright |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: June 6, 1914 Milan, Tennessee |
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| Died: August 3, 1996 (aged 82) Aguascalientes City, Mexico |
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| debut | |||
| 1932, for the Nashville Elite Giants | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| 1945, for the Baltimore Elite Giants | |||
| Career statistics | |||
| Batting average | .325 | ||
| Hits | 445 | ||
| Home runs | 26 | ||
| Runs batted in | 250 | ||
| Stolen bases | 39 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1982 | ||
Burnis "Wild Bill" Wright (born June 6, 1914 – died August 3, 1996) was an amazing professional baseball player. He played for many years in the Negro Leagues and the Mexican League. Bill Wright was mostly an outfielder, playing from 1932 all the way to 1956.
Contents
Bill Wright's Baseball Journey
Early Life and Nickname
Bill Wright was born in Milan, Tennessee in 1914. He played baseball for his high school team. He first got the nickname "Wild Bill" because he threw the ball so hard. He even hurt his arm trying to pitch in cold weather! Because of this, he became a center fielder. He played this position for 25 years in two different countries.
Playing in the Negro Leagues
Bill started his career with the Nashville Elite Giants. He was a switch-hitter, meaning he could bat from both sides. He was also very tall and strong, standing 6 feet 4 inches and weighing 220 pounds. People even called him the "Black DiMaggio" because he was such a great player.
His team moved around a lot. They played in Nashville, then Columbus, and later Washington. Finally, they settled in Baltimore in 1938 and became the Baltimore Elite Giants. Bill played for the team through all these changes. In 1939, his team won the championship cup in the Negro National League.
Bill played for ten years in the Negro Leagues. He played in 363 games between the ages of 18 and 31. He was known for hitting many triples. He led the Negro Leagues in triples in 1936 (with 5) and 1937 (with 11). He also had a batting average of .300 or higher in eight of those years.
Success in the Mexican League
In 1940, Bill Wright moved to the Mexican Leagues. Fans loved his hitting and his great fielding in center field. He also found less unfair treatment in Mexico compared to America. He played in Mexico for ten years in different periods (1940–41, 1943–44, 1946–56).
Bill hit over .300 eight times in the Mexican Leagues. In 1943, he achieved something very special: he won the Triple Crown. This means he led the league in three important stats: batting average (.366), home runs (13), and runs batted in (70). He played his last game in 1956 when he was 42 years old. His lifetime batting average in Mexico was an impressive .335.
Life After Baseball and Legacy
After he stopped playing baseball, Bill Wright lived in Aguascalientes City, Mexico. He owned a hamburger restaurant there. He decided to live in Mexico permanently in 1958. He didn't return to the United States until 32 years later for a Negro Leagues reunion. He passed away in August 1996 at the age of 82.
Bill Wright's amazing career was recognized in several ways. In 2005, he was considered for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. While he wasn't chosen that year, his legacy lives on. He was inducted into the Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México (Mexico's Baseball Hall of Fame) in 1982. Later, in 2017, he was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
