Billy O'Dell

William Oliver O'Dell (February 10, 1933 – September 12, 2018), known as Billy O'Dell and also as Digger O'Dell,[1] was an American professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues in thirteen seasons: 1954 and from 1956 to 1967. He was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent in 1954, and was a bonus baby, never spending a day in the minors. He did not play in 1955 due to service in the military.[2]

For those of a similar name, see William Odell (disambiguation).
Billy O'Dell
O'Dell in 1963.
Pitcher
Born: (1933-02-10)February 10, 1933
Whitmire, South Carolina, U.S.
Died: September 12, 2018(2018-09-12) (aged 85)
Newberry, South Carolina, U.S.
Batted: Switch
Threw: Left
MLB debut
June 20, 1954, for the Baltimore Orioles
Last MLB appearance
September 12, 1967, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
Win–loss record105–100
Earned run average3.29
Strikeouts1,133
Teams
Career highlights and awards

O'Dell was an All-Star representative for the American League in 1958 and 1959, and in 1959 had the highest strikeout to walk ratio in all of MLB with 2.69. On May 19, 1959, O'Dell hit an inside-the-park home run for the Orioles in a 2–1 victory over the Chicago White Sox. On November 30, 1959, the Orioles traded him, along with Billy Loes, to the San Francisco Giants for Jackie Brandt, Gordon Jones and Roger McCardell.[2]

In 1962, O'Dell won a career high 19 games for the NL champion Giants. O'Dell was the losing pitcher in Game 1 of the 1962 World Series against the New York Yankees. He gave up a two-run double to Roger Maris, an RBI single to Tony Kubek, a solo home run to Clete Boyer, and finally an RBI single to Dale Long before being relieved by manager Alvin Dark for veteran pitcher Don Larsen, thus allowing five earned runs in 71⁄3 innings. He did strike out eight, including Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, who struck out twice.

On July 23, 1964, O'Dell allowed 12 runs (11 earned) in seven innings in a 13–4 loss to the Cubs. Alvin Dark, the Giants manager, was criticized for leaving O'Dell in so long, but Dark later explained that he thought O'Dell needed to get more work in. O'Dell had not been pitching deep in games that year, and his elbow was getting sore from disuse. While O'Dell's ERA was lower after that game, he only made one further start, working mainly out of the bullpen for the rest of the year.[3][4]

O'Dell finished his career with the Milwaukee Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was with the Braves when they moved to Atlanta. After 1963, he pitched mostly in relief. O'Dell's final game was on September 12, 1967, in relief for the Pirates.[2]

O'Dell attended Clemson University. He died at a hospital in Newberry, South Carolina on September 12, 2018, from complications of Parkinson's disease, aged 85.[5]

References
  1. "Billy O'Dell – Society for American Baseball Research".
  2. "Billy O'Dell Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. "Billy O'Dell 1964 Pitching Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  4. Dark, Alvin; Underwood, John (1980). When in Doubt, Fire the Manager: My Life and Times in Baseball. New York: E. P. Dutton. p. 84. ISBN 0-525-23264-8.
  5. "Former pitcher Billy O'Dell, Orioles' first bonus baby and MVP of 1958 All-Star Game, is dead at 85". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 13, 2018.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.