| William W. Bell, Sr. | |
|---|---|
Bell at the 1924 Colored World Series. |
|
| Pitcher / Manager | |
| Born: August 31, 1897 Galveston, Texas |
|
| Died: March 16, 1969 El Campo, Texas |
|
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| Professional debut | |
| 1923 for the Kansas City Monarchs | |
| Last professional appearance | |
| 1948 for the Newark Eagles | |
| statistics | |
| Win–Loss record | 124-48 |
| Winning percentage | .721 |
| Teams | |
|
As player
As manager |
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
| .721 career winning percentage, highest in Negro League history | |
William W. Bell, Sr. (August 31, 1897 – March 16, 1969) was an American right-handed pitcher and manager in baseball's Negro Leagues.
Born in Galveston, Texas, Bell played for the Kansas City Monarchs for the first eight seasons of his career.[1] Often overshadowed by star teammates such as "Bullet" Joe Rogan and José Méndez, Bell was described as quiet and well-liked, known for pitching complete games. (Bell completed 74 percent of the games he started.) [1] Bell had a 10-2 record for the 1924 Kansas City Monarchs, compiling a 2.63 ERA. The following year, Bell went 9-3 in the regular season, pitching 2 games in the World Series to a 1.13 ERA.[2] Bell recorded a 16-3 record the next year, followed by a 13-6 record in 1927 and a 10-7 record in 1928. Bell spent the 1928-1929 winter with Havana in the Cuban League, where he was tied for the league lead in wins with nine. Bell then returned to the United States and pitched to a 14-4 record with the Monarchs, followed by a 9-3 record the next year.[2] Bell joined the Detroit Wolves in 1932 after the demise of the Negro National League. He then signed with the Pittsburgh Crawfords, where he compiled a 16-4 record for the 1932 season.[2] Bell then moved to the Newark Dodgers, and when the Dodgers were merged with the Brooklyn Eagles to form the Newark Eagles, he became the Eagles' manager in 1936-1937. Bell's last season in baseball was as Eagles manager in 1948.[2]
Baseball historian Dick Clark estimated that Bell would have averaged an 18-7 record had he played the 154-game schedule that was used in the Major Leagues at the time.[1] He died at age 71 in El Campo, Texas.