Bill McNulty
William Francis McNulty
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 4", Weight 205 lb.
- School American River College
- High School Highlands High School (Sacramento)
- Debut July 9, 1969
- Final Game October 4, 1972
- Born August 29, 1946 in Sacramento, CA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Bill McNulty, who was in the majors with the Oakland Athletics in 1969 and 1972, hit 55 home runs for his hometown Sacramento Solons in 1974. In total he had 237 minor league home runs. He also played in Japan in 1975.
McNulty's father, Ray McNulty, pitched in the minor leagues from 1946 to 1954.
Bill was born in Sacramento, CA in August 1946 and signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Athletics in 1965. He was in the A's organization from 1965 to 1971, working his way up to AAA in 1969. From 1973-1975 he also played in in AAA ball in the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets organizations. He was traded to the Texas Rangers for P Paul Lindblad before the 1973 season and appeared on a Topps baseball card wearing an airbrushed Rangers cap in that year's set, but he was traded to the Mets for C/3B Bill Sudakis at the end of spring training.
Bill was mostly a third baseman in the minors, although at the major league level he played more left field than third base.
According to the book One Hit Wonders, his season on loan to the Evansville Triplets of the Brewers organization had ended in 1972, so he went hunting. The Athletics decided they wanted him to play for the major league team and asked the Forest Service to track him down with airplanes. Bill joined the A's on September 28th and on the last day of the season, October 4th, he got his first and only major league hit. The A's went on to win the 1972 World Series.
The book says he was a three-sport star in high school, and apparently was a bigger star in football and basketball since he was MVP of both teams.
Further Reading[edit]
- Chip Greene: "Bill McNulty", in Chip Greene, ed.: Mustaches and Mayhem, Charlie O's Three-Time Champions: The Oakland Athletics 1972-74, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2015, pp. 275-280. ISBN 978-1-943816-07-1
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