Billy Hitchcock
| Billy Hitchcock | |
|---|---|
 Hitchcock as a Detroit Tigers coach in 1957 | |
| Infielder / Manager | |
| Born: July 31, 1916 Inverness, Alabama, U.S. | |
| Died: April 9, 2006 (aged 89) Opelika, Alabama, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 14, 1942, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB 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 | |
William Clyde Hitchcock (July 31, 1916 – April 9, 2006) was an American
Playing career
Born in
.Managerial career
Between
In
Hitchcock began the 1966 season as a coach under Bobby Bragan during the Braves' first season in Atlanta. But when they won only 52 of their first 111 games, Bragan was fired on August 9 and Hitchcock took over. The Braves won 33 of their last 51 games to finish fifth in the National League, and Hitchcock was invited back for 1967, but he was fired September 28 of that year with the team in seventh place and three games remaining on the schedule.[3] His career managing record was 274 wins, 261 losses (.514). Hitchcock then scouted for McHale and the Montreal Expos in 1968–71 before taking over as president of the Southern League.
Managerial record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| DET | 1960 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | interim | – | – | – | – |
| DET total | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| BAL | 1962 | 162 | 77 | 85 | .475 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1963 | 162 | 86 | 76 | .531 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| BAL total | 324 | 163 | 161 | .503 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| ATL | 1966 | 51 | 33 | 18 | .647 | 5th in NL | – | – | – | – |
| ATL | 1967 | 159 | 77 | 82 | .484 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| ATL total | 210 | 110 | 100 | .524 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| Total | 535 | 274 | 261 | – | 0 | 0 | – | |||
Southern League presidency
Hitchcock became president of the Southern League in August 1971.[4] During his presidency, the league added new teams, expanded its playoffs, and introduced split-season play. Other improvements included stadium refurbishments and efforts to make the league more family-friendly. Attendance figures rose dramatically during his tenure, from 333,500 in 1971 to over 1.7 million in 1980. The Southern League championship trophy is named after Hitchcock, and in 1980 he was presented with the King of Baseball award given by Minor League Baseball. He stepped down from the presidency in 1980.[4]
College athletics
In addition to his baseball resume, Hitchcock also made a name for himself in
Death
Hitchcock died in Opelika, Alabama at age 89.[5]
References
- ^ Information at Retrosheet
- ^ "Orioles Fire Bill Hitchcock as Manager" Associated Press, Sunday, September 29, 1963
- ^ Braves fire Bill Hitchcock as manager
- ^ a b "Southern League History". Southern League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ Hitchcock, former player, manager, dies at 89
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Billy Hitchcock managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
- Billy Hitchcock at the SABR Baseball Biography Project
- Billy Hitchcock at Find a Grave