Billy Hunter (baseball)

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Billy Hunter
Runs batted in
144
Managerial record146–108
Winning %.575
Teams
As player

As manager

As coach

Career highlights and awards

Gordon William Hunter (born June 4, 1928) is an American former shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball.

Playing career

Born in

Penn State, Hunter was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948. He was sold to the St. Louis Browns of the American League (AL) on October 14, 1952, for $150,000 after leading the Texas League
in fielding and stolen bases.

Hunter was the starting shortstop for the last Browns club in 1953 and the first modern

Cleveland Indians. Hunter batted .219 with 16 home runs and 144 RBI in 630 games over his six-year (1953–58) AL career.[1]

Scout and coach

When Hunter finished his playing career, he scouted for the Indians and Orioles. He managed the Bluefield Orioles to Appalachian League championships in 1962 and 1963.[1] Hunter was promoted to Baltimore on November 20, 1963, as third-base coach by former Yankees teammate Hank Bauer, who had become the team's manager one day earlier.[2] He performed that role for almost 14 seasons for four AL champions and two World Series winners. Hunter declined an offer from former Orioles general manager Harry Dalton to manage the California Angels on November 23, 1971.[3]

MLB manager and college head coach

Hunter departed from the Orioles on June 27, 1977, to become the

Hitler, but he ain't making no lampshade out of me."[5] After turning down a five-year contract extension in midseason,[6] offered by Rangers' young owner, Brad Corbett, Hunter was fired with one day left in the campaign due to his poor relationship with his team. When asked if he was sorry he took the manager's job, Hunter replied "yes."[7]

Hunter's record over his one-and-a-half seasons was 146–108 (.575), but he never returned to the Major Leagues as a coach or manager, though he claimed to have received a half dozen job offers in the winter of 1978.

Cal Ripken, Sr. These three men were so well thought of in Baltimore that a crowd of 400 showed up at the luncheon at the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Rangers Pick Billy Hunter As 4th Manager in a Week," The Associated Press (AP), Tuesday, June 28, 1977. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  2. ^ "Birds' Bauer Names Woodling And Hunter," United Press International (UPI), Thursday, November 21, 1963. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  3. ^ "Hunter declines Angel position," The Associated Press (AP), Wednesday, November 24, 1971. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  4. ^ "Hunter takes over Texas". The Gadsden Times. Associated Press. 28 June 1977. p. 13. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  5. ^ Dock Ellis ready to break rules
  6. ^ Rangers Corbett not very happy
  7. ^ Once Texas hero, Hunter fired for poor relationship with team
  8. ^ Hunter shuns majors
  9. ^ Badger, Sylvia. Hunter, Hoffberger, Ripken Sr. enter Orioles Hall of Fame Archived 2012-11-02 at the Wayback Machine, The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, 1 September 1996. Retrieved on 2010-6-26

External links

Preceded by Baltimore Orioles third-base coach
1964–1977 		Succeeded by
Cal Ripken, Sr.
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