Bill Essick | |
---|---|
Pitcher | |
Born: Grand Ridge, Illinois, U.S. | December 18, 1880|
Died: October 12, 1951 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 70)|
Batted: Unknown Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 12, 1906, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
Last MLB appearance | |
May 28, 1907, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 2–4 |
Earned run average | 2.95 |
Strikeouts | 23 |
Stats at Baseball Reference | |
Teams | |
William Earl Essick (December 18, 1880–October 12, 1951), nicknamed "Vinegar Bill", was an American professional baseball pitcher in the Major Leagues. A native of Illinois, he attended Knox College and Lombard College.
Essick pitched for the Cincinnati Reds during the seasons of 1906 and 1907. He then became a longtime minor-league manager and team executive before joining the New York Yankees in 1935 as a scout.
According to author Jim Sandoval's 2011 book Can He Play? A Look at Baseball's Scouts and Their Profession, Essick was credited with discovering or signing a number of Yankee future stars, including Joe DiMaggio, Lefty Gomez, Joe Gordon and Ralph Houk. He retired in 1950 and succumbed to heart disease a year later.
As a pitcher, Essick had a remarkable 1905 season in the Pacific Coast League for the Portland Beavers, throwing an astronomical 466.1 innings and ending up with a won-lost record of 23–30. He was 19–6 the following season before being called up to the major leagues by Cincinnati and making his Major League Baseball debut on September 12, 1906.
Sandoval wrote that Essick's nickname originated because the German word for vinegar is "Essig."
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- 1880 births
- 1951 deaths
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Baseball players from LaSalle County, Illinois
- Cincinnati Reds players
- Minor league baseball managers
- Salt Lake City Elders players
- Portland Giants players
- Portland Beavers players
- St. Paul Saints (AA) players
- Knox Prairie Fire baseball players
- Kansas City Blues (baseball) players
- Toledo Mud Hens players
- South Bend Benders players
- Grand Rapids Grads players
- Grand Rapids Black Sox players
- Grand Rapids Bill-eds players
- New York Yankees scouts
- American baseball pitcher, 1880s births stubs