Don Williams (willido01)

Don Fred Williams

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 180 lb.
• School University of Tennessee
• Debut September 12, 1958
• Final Game August 23, 1962
• Born September 14, 1931 in Floyd, VA USA
• Died October 16, 2011 in Floyd, VA USA

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Biographical Information

Pitchers Don Williams and his identical twin brother Dewey were both signed as amateur free agents by the Pittsburgh Pirates before the 1953 season. Both were pitchers. Dewey's career was cut short by an arm ailment, but Don made it to Forbes Field five years later. Don appeared in eight games with the 1953 Charleston Rebels of the South Atlantic League and came up with a 2-3 record and a 5.10 ERA during his first pro season and then spent the next two years (1954-55) with the United States Military during the Korean War.

After his return from military service in 1956, Don reported to the Lincoln Chiefs of the Western League and spun an 11-8 record with a 3.39 ERA. Coming back with the same club in 1957, Don threw a 15-6 record at the league with a 2.98 ERA, helping his team to the Western League pennant. This fine showing got him upped to the Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League in 1958 and he threw for an 8-5 record with a 2.62 ERA for the fifth-place Bees. That landed him on the Forbes Field mound for a two-game look by the Pirates in late September. He pitched four innings in the two games with no decisions.

Williams reported to the Columbus Jets of the International League in 1959 and produced a 7-3 record with a 2.67 ERA and again got a short look by the Pirates. This time around, he appeared in six games, pitching twelve innings and again had no decisions.

1960 saw him back with the Columbus club again, going 7-6 with a 3.50 ERA. In May of 1961, he was purchased by the Chicago White Sox from the Pirates. Don spent 1961 with the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League and the Columbus Jets, building a combined record of 8-6 with a 4.50 ERA.

Before the 1962 season, Don was sent from the White Sox to the Kansas City Athletics and reported to the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers of the American Association, where he went 8-8 with a 4.17 ERA. He got another of those late-season looks with the Athletics, where he appeared in three games, pitched four innings and had no decisions.

This concluded Don's major league time with no wins or losses. He was back with Dallas-Fort Worth in 1963 and appeared in eight games with no decisions and decided to end his minor league career after nine seasons. His stat sheet showed that he finished up with 66 wins and 45 losses with a 3.52 ERA while pitching 834 innings.

Don and his twin brother Dewey were business partners with Williams Brothers Enterprises in the Washington, DC area, in Garrett Park, Maryland.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s