Bill Drake (baseball)
| Bill Drake | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Drake at the 1924 Colored World Series | |||
| Pitcher | |||
|
Born: June 8, 1895 Sedalia, Missouri | |||
|
Died: October 30, 1977 (aged 82) St. Louis, Missouri | |||
| |||
| Professional debut | |||
| 1920 for the St. Louis Giants | |||
| Last professional appearance | |||
| 1927 for the Detroit Stars | |||
| Negro National League statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 68-58 | ||
| Run average | 4.71 | ||
| Strikeouts | 485 | ||
| Teams | |||
| |||
William P. "Plunk" Drake (June 8, 1895 – October 30, 1977) was a Negro league baseball pitcher.
Drake pitched for top Negro league teams between 1920 and 1927, primarily remembered for his time with the Kansas City Monarchs, participating in two Colored World Series in 1924 and 1925. He gained his 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.
References
- Notes
- Sources
- Peterson, Robert (1984). Only the Ball Was White. McGraw-Hill Book Company. ISBN 0-07-049599-8.
- Riley, James A. (1994). The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. New York, NY: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-0959-6.
- Holway, John B. (2001). The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History. Fern Park, FL: Hastings House Publishers. ISBN 0-8038-2007-0.
- University of Missouri-St Louis Negro Baseball Project: Oral History Interview with Bill Drake
External links
- Negro league baseball statistics and player information from Seamheads.com, or Baseball-Reference (Negro leagues)
- Bill Drake at Find a Grave
- Seamheads.com Page about Bill Drake
| ||||||||||
|