Bill Butland

Wilburn Rue Butland

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 185 lb.
• High Schpol Gerstmeyer High School
• Debut May 29, 1940
• Final Game May 10, 1947
• Born March 22, 1918 in Terre Haute, IN USA
• Died September 19, 1997 in Terre Haute, IN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Bill Butland was the roommate of future Hall of Famer Ted Williams during 1942, his only full season in the majors, with the Boston Red Sox.

Bill appeared in 32 games during his big league career, which began with 3 games in 1940, with a career record of 9-3 and a 3.88 ERA. His best year came in 1942 when he went 7-1 with a 2.51 ERA. He entered the Army in December 1942, serving in the Pacific during World War II. He was discharged in January 1946 and briefly returned to the majors in 1946 and 1947. After the latter season, Bill was drafted from the Red Sox by the Chicago White Sox in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft.

Bill was with the Toledo Mud Hens in 1949 and 1950. He pitched in the Northern League in 1937 and 1938, leading the league in strikeouts in 1938. Overall, he spent eleven seasons in the minors between 1936 and 1950, appearing in 295 games, going 100-66. He also had six double-digit winning seasons, with his best mark coming in 1939 when he went 19-10 with a 3.96 ERA for the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association.

After baseball, Bill was a machine operator for Ethel Visqueen and retired from Commercial Solvents Corporation as a pipe-fitter. He died on September 19, 1997 at Union Hospital in his hometown of Terre Haute.

Related Sites

• Bill Butland at the SABR Bio Project