Bill Piercy

William Benton Piercy
(Wild Bill)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• High School El Monte High School
• Debut October 3, 1917
• Final Game September 6, 1926
• Born May 2, 1896 in El Monte, CA USA
• Died August 28, 1951 in Long Beach, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bill Piercy pitched six years in the major leagues in the period from 1917 to 1926. Born in California in 1896, he came to the New York Yankees for one game in 1917 at the age of 21, but made more of an impact in 1921 when he had a 5-4 record with a 2.98 ERA. He pitched a game in the 1921 World Series without giving up a run.

He, Babe Ruth, and Bob Meusel were disciplined by Major League Baseball for going barnstorming after playing in the 1921 World Series, in violation of a rule that World Series participants could not do so. They lost their World Series shares as a result and were suspended one month the following season.

Piercy was with the Boston Red Sox from 1922 to 1924, posting losing records for a team that lost at least 87 games each year. In 1926 he had a record of 6-5 with the Chicago Cubs, who finished over .500.

He was called "Wild Bill", and indeed he was among the leaders three times in wild pitches and three times in hit batsmen.

Lou Gehrig hit his first home run in the majors off Piercy, in 1923.

Related Sites

• Bill Piercy at the SABR Bio Project