| Bill Freehan | |
|---|---|
 Freehan c. 1969 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1941-11-29)November 29, 1941 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
| Died: August 19, 2021(2021-08-19) (aged 79) Walloon Lake, Michigan, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 26, 1961, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1976, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .262 |
| Home runs | 200 |
| Runs batted in | 758 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
William Ashley Freehan (November 29, 1941 – August 19, 2021) was an Americancatcher inMajor League Baseball who played his entire 15-year career with theDetroit Tigers. The premier catcher in theAmerican League for several years from the 1960s into the early 1970s, he was named anAll-Star in 11 seasons, the most All-Star seasons for a player to not be inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame. He was theMVP runner-up for Tigers'1968 World Series winning team, handling a pitching staff which included World Series MVPMickey Lolich and regular season MVPDenny McLain, who that year became the first 30-gamewinner in the majors since 1934.
A five-timeGold Glove Award winner,[1] Freehan held the major league record for highest careerfielding percentage (.9933) until 2002, and also the records for careerputouts (9,941) andtotal chances (10,734) from 1975 until the late 1980s;[2] he ranked ninth in major league history in games caught (1,581) at the end of his career. His career totals of 200home runs and 2,502total bases placed him behind onlyYogi Berra andBill Dickey among AL catchers when he retired.[citation needed]
Freehan was born inDetroit on November 29, 1941.[3][4] His father, Ashley, worked as a sales representative for a seat insulation company; his mother was Helen (Morris).[3] He was raised inRoyal Oak, Michigan, until he was 14 years old, when his family relocated toSt. Petersburg, Florida.[3][5] He attendedBishop Barry High School, graduating in 1959. He initially intended to study at theUniversity of Notre Dame, but did not want to choose between playing football or baseball. He consequently enrolled at theUniversity of Michigan on anathletic scholarship, where he played ascatcher on itsbaseball team andlinebacker andend on itsfootball team.[3] He set an all-timeBig Ten Conferencebatting mark of .585 in 1961.[6]
Freehan signed with his hometown Tigers in 1961 for a $100,000 bonus, which his father withheld until he graduated from college in 1966. He broke in briefly with four games at the end of the 1961 season before returning to the minors in 1962.[7] In1963 he arrived in the majors to stay, working with former catcherRick Ferrell on his defense and splitting catching duties withGus Triandos, who was traded following the season. The1964 campaign gave indications of what was to come; becoming the Tigers' full-time catcher with 141 games behind the plate, Freehan batted .300 to finish sixth in the American League (AL), and added 18 home runs and 80runs batted in.[8] He also led the AL by throwing out 53% of potential base stealers, earned the first of his ten consecutive All-Star selections, and placed seventh in theMost Valuable Player Award balloting.[9] In1965, he led AL catchers inputouts for the first of six times, and received the first of his five consecutive Gold Gloves. In1966 he again led the league in putouts, and also led infielding percentage for the first of four times.[4]
1967 was his best season yet, as he batted .282 – ninth in the AL as averages hit an all-time low – with 20 home runs, and brokeElston Howard's 1964 AL single-season records with 950 putouts and 1,021total chances. Freehan led the league in bothintentional walks (15 of his 73 total walks) and timeshit by pitch (20), leading to a career-high .389on-base percentage. He finished third in the MVP voting after Detroit finished one game behind theBoston Red Sox for the ALpennant.[10][11]
Freehan had an even better year in1968 as he was considered the quiet leader of the1968 World Series championship squad. In a year marked by dominant pitching, he posted career highs with 25 home runs and 84 RBI, fifth and sixth in the AL respectively.[12] Freehan broke his own records with 971 putouts and 1,050 total chances, marks which remained league records untilDan Wilson topped them with the 1997Seattle Mariners. He was also hit by 24 pitches, the most in the AL sinceKid Elberfeld in 1911. Despite playing in hitter-friendlyTiger Stadium, Freehan guided the Tigers' pitching staff to anearned run average of 2.71, third best in the league.[13] McLain won 31 games and Lolich won 17 as the Tigers ran away with the pennant. Because of his offensive and defensive contributions, he finished second to McLain in the MVP voting.[14] Freehan andCarl Yastrzemski were the only players to finish in the top ten of the voting in both 1967 and 1968, and only Yastrzemski reached base more often in 1968. Freehan capped his season by recording the final out of the World Series against theSt. Louis Cardinals, retiringTim McCarver on a popup. He also made a pivotal play in Game 5, with the Cardinals leading the Series 3-1 and the game 3-2.[15] In the fifth inning,Lou Brock – whom Freehan had thrown out on an attemptedsteal in the third inning –doubled with one out and attempted to score onJulián Javier's single, however Freehan successfully blocked the plate with his foot, and held on to the ball even though Brock came in standing up in an attempt to knock the ball loose. Detroit won by scoring three runs in the seventh inning, and went on to take the last two games.[16]
Although Freehan's later seasons rarely approached the brilliance of those two campaigns, he continued to turn out All-Star years for the Tigers. His offensive numbers dipped in1970, but he threw out 47% of potential base stealers (his highest mark since 1964) and had a .997 fielding percentage. In1971, he rebounded at the plate with a .277 batting average and 21 home runs, three of those coming in one game against the Boston Red Sox in August. He hit .262 for the1972Eastern Division champions. He missed the first two games (both losses) of the1972 American League Championship Series against theOakland Athletics while recovering from a hairline fracture of his thumb, then doubled and homered in a 3-0 Game 3 win, in whichJoe Coleman set a League Championship Series record with 14strikeouts.[17] Freehan drove in the first of three runs in the tenth inning of Game 4 in a memorable 4-3 come-from-behind victory which tied the series;[18] he also drove in Detroit's only run in the 2-1 Game 5 loss.[19] In1974, splitting time betweenfirst base (65 games) and catcher (63 games), he hit .297 and finished fifth in the American League inslugging percentage with a .479 mark.[20] He moved back behind the plate the following year to earn his 11th All-Star berth. Freehan ended his career in1976, batting .270.[4]
In his 15-year career, Freehan played in 1,774games with 1,591hits in 6,073at bats for a .262 batting average along with 241doubles, 200home runs, 758RBI, and a .340on-base percentage.[4] In addition to his home runs and total bases, his .412 slugging percentage and totals of 1,591 hits, 706runs and 476extra base hits all put him among the top five AL catchers to that time. His batting totals are particularly remarkable in light of the fact offense was at a low throughout the sport during his career, with a decided advantage towardpitchers. Freehan led all AL catchers in fielding percentage four times (1965, 1966, 1970, 1973).[21] He also ranked sixth in American League history with 114 times being hit by a pitch. Freehan caught more games than any other player in Tigers' team history.[22] In his book,The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, baseball historianBill James ranked Freehan 12th all-time among major league catchers.[23]
Freehan held the major league record for highest careerfielding percentage (.9933) until 2002, whenDan Wilson broke his record. In 1973 and 1974 he surpassedYogi Berra to become the AL's all-time leader inputouts andtotal chances; he brokeJohnny Roseboro's major league marks in 1975.Bob Boone broke Freehan's major league mark of 10,734 career total chances in 1987, andGary Carter surpassed his putouts total of 9,941 in 1988;[24][25]Carlton Fisk broke his AL records in 1989 (total chances) and 1990 (putouts).[26] Freehan caught 114shutouts during his career, ranking him 18th all-time among major league catchers.[27]
During the 1969 season, Freehan pennedBehind the Mask, a diary-type recording of his thoughts and experiences as seen from the catcher's perspective that saw publication in 1970.[28] He and pitcher Mickey Lolich started 324 games as abattery, at the time more than any other duo since 1900,[29] and a record that stood untilAdam Wainwright andYadier Molina of theSt. Louis Cardinals broke it in2022.[30]
After retiring as a player, Freehan coached Tigers catcherLance Parrish on the fine points of playing his position. In 1978, Freehan was one of seven members of the inaugural class of inductees to theUniversity of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor.[5] He served as acolor commentator forSeattle Mariners broadcasts from 1979 to 1980, and for Tigers broadcasts onPASS Sports television from 1984 to 1985.[31][32] He subsequently returned to the University of Michigan as head coach of the baseball team from 1989 to 1995.[3] He went back to the Tigers as a catching instructor in 2002, serving in that capacity for three seasons before retiring.[33]
Freehan married Patricia O’Brien on February 23, 1963.[3][34] She was the sister ofDan O'Brien and they met while in high school.[3] Together, they had three children: Corey Sue, Kelley, and Cathy.[3][5] He and his wife relocated toBloomfield Hills, Michigan, during their later years.[3]
Freehan was diagnosed withAlzheimer's disease in his later years.[34] In October 2018, it was revealed Freehan was in hospice care at his home inNorthern Michigan.[34] He died on August 19, 2021, from the disease at the age of 79.[5][33][35]