Billy Hitchcock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Billy Hitchcock |
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Hitchcock as a Detroit Tigers coach in 1957
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| Infielder / Manager | |||
| Born: July 31, 1916 Inverness, Alabama, U.S. |
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| Died: April 9, 2006 (aged 89) Opelika, Alabama, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 14, 1942, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 27, 1953, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .243 | ||
| Home runs | 5 | ||
| Runs batted in | 257 | ||
| Managerial record | 274–261 | ||
| Winning % | .512 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
As coach
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William Clyde "Billy" Hitchcock (July 31, 1916 – April 9, 2006) was an American baseball player, coach, and manager. He also worked as a scout and a leader in minor league baseball. In Major League Baseball (MLB), he mostly played third baseman, second baseman, and shortstop. He played in 703 games over nine years for five different teams.
After playing, Billy spent 18 years as a coach, manager, and scout. He managed the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves. Later, he became a leader in Minor League Baseball. He was the president of the Double-A Southern League from 1971 to 1980. His older brother, Jimmy Hitchcock, also played a short time for the 1938 Boston Bees.
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Billy Hitchcock's Playing Days
Billy Hitchcock was born in Inverness, Alabama. He went to Auburn University. During his nine years playing in the American League, he played all four infield positions. He batted and threw with his right hand. He was 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 185 pounds.
Billy started his MLB career with the 1942 Detroit Tigers. He then spent three years serving in the Army Air Force during World War II. He played in the Pacific region during the war. After the war, he returned to Major League Baseball from 1946 to 1953. Overall, he had a batting average of .243. He made 547 hits and hit five home runs in 703 games. He played for the Tigers, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns, and Philadelphia Athletics.
Billy Hitchcock's Managerial Career
After his playing career, Billy Hitchcock managed teams in Triple-A minor league baseball in 1954 and 1961. Between these times, he was the third base coach for the Detroit Tigers for six years (1955–1960).
He was part of a very unusual event in baseball history. On August 3, 1960, the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians traded their managers. Jimmy Dykes went to the Indians, and Joe Gordon came to the Tigers. Billy Hitchcock was the Tigers' temporary manager for one game while Gordon traveled from Cleveland. The Tigers won that game against the New York Yankees 12–2 at Yankee Stadium.
In 1962, Billy Hitchcock became the full-time manager of the Baltimore Orioles. In his two seasons leading the team, the Orioles won almost as many games as they lost (163 wins and 161 losses). He was let go on September 29, 1963, after the team finished fourth in the 1963 season. He then moved to Baltimore's minor league department as a field coordinator. Later, he became a scout for the Atlanta Braves. The Braves' general manager at that time was John McHale, who used to play for the Tigers.
Billy Hitchcock started the 1966 season as a coach for the Braves. This was the Braves' first season in Atlanta. The team was not doing well, so their manager, Bobby Bragan, was fired on August 9. Billy Hitchcock took over as manager. The Braves played much better under him, winning 33 of their last 51 games. He was asked to return for the 1967 season. However, he was fired again on September 28, 1967, with three games left in the season. The team was in seventh place.
Overall, his record as a manager was 274 wins and 261 losses. This means his teams won 51.4% of their games. After managing, Hitchcock scouted for the Montreal Expos from 1968 to 1971. Then, he became the president of the Southern League.
Leading the Southern League
Billy Hitchcock became the president of the Southern League in August 1971. During his time as president, the league grew a lot. New teams joined, and the playoff system was made bigger. They also started a "split-season" play format.
Many improvements were made to stadiums, and efforts were made to make games more fun for families. The number of people attending games went up a lot. In 1971, about 333,500 people attended games. By 1980, over 1.7 million people came to watch. The Southern League championship trophy is named after Billy Hitchcock. In 1980, he received the King of Baseball award, which is a special honor from Minor League Baseball. He left his role as president in 1980.
College Sports Achievements
Besides his baseball career, Billy Hitchcock was also very good at college football and golf. In football, he was an All-SEC tailback. He led the Auburn Tigers football team to their first-ever bowl game. This was a 7–7 tie against Villanova in the Bacardi Bowl. The game was played in Havana, Cuba, on January 1, 1937.
Later in his life, he started the Billy Hitchcock Golf Tournament at his old university, Auburn. To honor his contributions, Auburn renamed its renovated baseball stadium "Hitchcock Field" in 2003. In the same year, Baseball America magazine called it the best college baseball facility in the country.
His Final Years
Billy Hitchcock passed away in Opelika, Alabama, when he was 89 years old.
Images for kids
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Billy Hitchcock was president of the Southern League from 1971 to 1980.
