Bill Slack

Bill Slack
Bill Slack
Born	May 3, 1933 (age 90); Petrolia, Ontario
Occupation(s)	Professional baseball player and manager
Years active	1952–1998; 2001–2003
	Baseball career
Member of the Canadian
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	2002

William Henry Slack (born May 3, 1933) is a

minor league level, and was a longtime member of the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves

organizations. In his playing days, he threw right-handed, batted left-handed, stood 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg).

Pitching career

A former minor pro

Eastern League, posting a sparkling 2.22 earned run average

in 1954 and winning 16 games (losing 7) with a 2.24 ERA in 1957.

He reached the highest minor league level with the

American Association, but pitched in only 70 games over parts of five seasons with those teams. All told, Slack won 79 games and lost 63 (.556) with a 3.45 ERA as a pitcher in the minor leagues. He also was an accomplished batter in those pre-designated hitter days, batting .361 for the 1952 Roanoke club.^[1]

Manager and coach

In 1961, Slack began a 24-year career as a manager and roving minor league pitching instructor in the Red Sox

Eastern League championship in 1975 as a late-season replacement for manager Dick McAuliffe

, who had been recalled to Boston as an active player. He won 1,120 games and lost 1,065 (.513) as a manager in the Boston system (not including his brief Bristol tenure).

Slack, who had become a full-time resident of Winston-Salem, joined the Braves in 1985 when the Red Sox left the Carolina League. He served as a minor league pitching coach for Atlanta farm clubs at the Class A and Double-A levels for another 14 years, through 1998. After two years in retirement, he briefly managed the Savannah Sand Gnats of the Class A South Atlantic League in 2001, and was the pitching coach of the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Carolina League for two seasons (2002–03).

A native of Petrolia, Ontario, Slack was named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. The Winston-Salem Dash in his adopted city present the Bill Slack Community Service Award every year in his honor.

References

^ Howe News Bureau, Boston Red Sox 1983 organization book

Winston-Salem Journal, June 16, 2008
Boston Red Sox 1983 Organization Sketch Book. Boston: Howe News Bureau, 1983.
Winston-Salem Warthogs

External links

[1] Howe News Bureau, Boston Red Sox 1983 organization book

[1]

v t e Members of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Players, managers, and coaches	Bob Addy Roberto Alomar Felipe Alou Sparky Anderson Jimmy Archer Jason Bay George Bell Reno Bertoia Ted Bowsfield Tom Burgess Helen Callaghan Gary Carter Joe Carter Nig Clarke Jimmy Claxton Reggie Cleveland Frank Colman Murray Cook Rhéal Cormier Charlie Culver Andre Dawson Carlos Delgado Ryan Dempster Rob Ducey Tony Fernández Russ Ford Dick Fowler Jeff Francis Hippo Galloway Cito Gaston George Gibson Roland Gladu Jack Graney Vladimir Guerrero Roy Halladay Vern Handrahan Bill Harris Jeff Heath Tom Henke Pat Hentgen John Hiller Arthur Irwin Ferguson Jenkins Oscar Judd Corey Koskie Tony Kubek Tommy Lasorda Phil Marchildon Dennis Martínez Pedro Martínez Kirk McCaskill Manny McIntyre Dave McKay Larry McLean Roy Miller Justin Morneau Lloyd Moseby Rocky Nelson Wayne Norton Tip O'Neill Frank O'Rourke John Olerud Bill Phillips Ron Piché Terry Puhl Paul Quantrill Tim Raines Claude Raymond Sherry Robertson Jackie Robinson Steve Rogers Goody Rosen Jean-Pierre Roy George Selkirk Pop Smith Matt Stairs Rusty Staub Ron Stead Dave Stieb Ron Taylor Fred Thomas Larry Walker Tim Wallach Duane Ward Pete Ward Ernie Whitt Jimmy Williams George Wood
Miscellaneous	Gord Ash Nat Bailey Paul Beeston Richard Bélec Andy Bilesky Charles Bronfman Bob Brown Carmen Bush James F. Cairns Ray Carter Tom Cheek Jack Kent Cooke Ronald Cullen Jacques Doucet John Ducey Bob Elliot Bob Emslie Jim Fanning Pat Gillick Calvin Griffith John Haar Peter Hardy Ron Hayter Doug Hudlin William Humber Joseph Lannin George "Knotty" Lee Bobby Mattick Don McDougall John McHale Jim McKean Doug Melvin Joe Page Lester B. Pearson Bob Prentice Ernie Quigley Hector Racine Jimmy Rattlesnake Jim Ridley Ron Roncetti Allan Roth Gladwyn Scott Frank Shaughnessy Dave Shury William Shuttleworth Harry Simmons Allan Simpson Bill Slack George Sleeman Bernie Soulliere Howard Starkman Rob Thomson Dave Van Horne Peter Widdrington Roy Yamamura Harold Younker
Groups	Canadian-born players of the AAGPBL Beachville & Zorra teams, 1838 London Tecumsehs, 1877 National youth team, 1991 Team Canada, 2011 Team Canada, 2015 Vancouver Asahi