Billy Harrell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Billy Harrell |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Infielder | |||
| Born: July 18, 1928 Norristown, Pennsylvania |
|||
| Died: May 6, 2014 (aged 85) Albany, New York |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| September 2, 1955, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 20, 1961, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .231 | ||
| Home runs | 8 | ||
| Runs batted in | 26 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
William "Billy" Harrell (born July 18, 1928 – died May 6, 2014) was a talented American athlete. He was best known as a professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was a versatile infielder, meaning he could play different positions on the baseball field.
Billy Harrell played for the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox. Besides baseball, he was also a professional basketball player. He was about 6 feet, 1 inch tall and threw and batted with his right hand.
Contents
Billy Harrell's Baseball Journey
Billy Harrell went to Siena College. After college, he began his professional baseball career in 1951. He played for the Birmingham Black Barons, a team in the Negro league. The Negro League was a special baseball league for African American players during a time when they were not widely allowed in Major League Baseball.
In 1952, the Cleveland Indians signed Harrell to play for their team. He played in Major League Baseball between 1955 and 1961.
Playing in the Major Leagues
During his four seasons in MLB, Billy Harrell played 173 games. He had a batting average of .231. This means he got a hit about 23.1% of the times he tried to hit the ball. He also hit 8 home runs and had 26 RBIs. An RBI means he helped a teammate score a run.
Harrell was a great all-around player. He scored 54 runs and had 17 stolen bases. He played many different positions in the infield. He spent most of his time at shortstop and third base. He also played a few games at second base and first base. He even played right field once!
After Playing Baseball
After his time in the Major Leagues, Billy Harrell continued to play in the minor leagues until 1966. He then worked briefly as a scout for the Boston Red Sox. A scout helps find new talented players for a team.
In 1966, Billy Harrell was honored by his old college, Siena College. He became the third person to be inducted into the Siena Athletics Hall of Fame. This is a special award for great athletes from the school. In 2000, a newspaper called Times Union named him one of the top 10 athletes from the Capital Region for the 20th Century.
Billy Harrell's Basketball Career
Besides baseball, Billy Harrell was also a professional basketball player. He played for a team called the Lenox Merchants in the 1950s.
On January 13, 2006, Billy Harrell received another special honor. He became the first Siena Saints basketball player to have his jersey number retired by the school. His number, 10, will never be worn by another player at Siena College. This shows how important he was to their basketball program.
His Final Years
Billy Harrell passed away on May 6, 2014, at his home in Albany, New York. He was 85 years old. He was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, New York.
