Bill Drake (baseball)

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This article is about the negro league baseball player. For for radio programmer, see Bill Drake.

William "Plunk" Drake (June 8, 1895, Sedalia, Missouri - October 30, 1977) was a Negro League baseball pitcher.

Drake pitched for top Negro League teams between 1915 and 1930, primarily remembered for his time with the Kansas City Monarchs, participating in two Colored World Series in 1924 and 1925. He gained his colorful nickname from his propensity for pitching inside to batters and his willingness to hit batters who crowded the plate. He claimed to have taught Satchel Paige his famous Hesitation Pitch, though credit is usually given to Bill Gatewood.

[edit] Teams played for

Tennessee Rats, 1914
All Nations, 1915
St. Louis Giants, 1916-21
St. Louis Stars, 1922 & 1930
Kansas City Monarchs, 1922-26
Indianapolis ABCs, 1926
Dayton Marcos, 1926
Memphis Red Sox, 1926
Detroit Stars, 1927

[edit] References

Peterson, Robert (1984). Only the Ball Was White. McGraw-Hill Book Company. ISBN 0070495998.
Riley, James A. (1994). The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0786709596.
Holway, John B. (2001). The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History. Hastings House Publishers. ISBN 0803820070.
University of Mississippi-St Louis Negro Baseball Project: Oral History Interview with Bill Drake