Bill Burwell
(Redirected from William Burwell)
William Edwin Burwell
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.
- School Kansas State Agricultural College
- Debut May 1, 1920
- Final Game July 1, 1928
- Born March 27, 1895 in Jarbalo, KS USA
- Died June 11, 1973 in Ormond Beach, FL USA
Biographical Information[edit]
“Bill Burwell... gave me many pointers. I‘ll never forget how he worked with me. My personal opinion is that Burwell is one of the smartest pitchers in the game.” - Oral Hildebrand, to The Sporting News, January 11, 1934
Pitcher Bill Burwell was 239-206 in 590 minor league games between 1915 and 1938. He led the American Association in losses in 1922 (23) and 1929 (20), but also led the league in wins and ERA in 1925 (24-9 2.73). He won 193 games in the AA.
He began his professional career in 1915 with the Elgin Watch Makers of the Bi-State League, but the league folded quickly. In 1916, he joined the Topeka Savages of the Western League, but his career was interrupted by military service in World War I. He was wounded at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel in France in September of 1918. He lost the tip of one finger in his throwing hand and his other fingers ended up with a permanent curl, but, this did not end his pitching career, on the contrary, as he discovered that he could now throw a much more effective sinker. Bill made 70 appearances in parts of three seasons in the bigs, primarily with the St. Louis Browns, going 9-8 with a 4.37 ERA.
Burwell was the pitching coach for Donie Bush with the Minneapolis Millers in 1936. He was a coach for the Boston Red Sox in 1944 then became a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947 and 1948, winning his only game as manager in 1947. He stayed with the Pirate organization until retirement. He coached the Pirates again from 1958 to 1962, then scouted for the club from 1963 until his death.
| Preceded by Billy Herman |
Pittsburgh Pirates Manager 1947 |
Succeeded by Billy Meyer |
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Further Reading[edit]
- Gregory Wolf: "Bill Burwell", in Clifton Blue Parker and Bill Nowlin, ed.: Sweet '60: The 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2013, pp. 231-236. ISBN 978-1-93359-948-9
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