Billy Childress

William M. Childress

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown

• Debut July 27, 1895
• Final Game July 27, 1895
• Born 1867 in Tennessee USA
• Died December 30, 1940 in St. Louis, MO USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Billy Childress, who is also listed as Bill Childers is a member of the "infinite ERA club". He recorded no outs, giving up 6 runs in an outing for the Louisville Colonels in 1895. He allowed only 2 hits, but gave up 6 walks and had 3 wild pitches. The Colonels squad was, to be blunt, a crummy team. They finished dead last in the National League with a record of 35-96 and a team ERA of 5.90. The team did have several future Hall of Famers, including youngsters Jimmy Collins and Fred Clarke, along with elder statesman Dan Brouthers who was with them for part of the season.

The little that was known about Childress or Childers was that he had been recommended to Louisville by catcher Tub Welch, who was a native of St. Louis, MO, and that he worked as a plumber and joiner there. Searches through St. Louis papers identified a William Childress, who pitched in 1898 on a team called The Sports, which had been formed by Welch. He was the only person of that name in the city, and in later years was listed in city directories as a plumber. While the evidence in favor of this identification in not 100%, the circumstances point towards William Childress being the ballplayer "Childers".

Further Reading

• "Billy Childress found", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, May/June 2022, p. 1.