| Bill Voiselle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1919-01-29)January 29, 1919 Greenwood, South Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: January 31, 2005(2005-01-31) (aged 86) Greenwood, South Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 1, 1942, for the New York Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 8, 1950, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 74–84 |
| Earned run average | 3.83 |
| Strikeouts | 645 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
William Symmes Voiselle (January 29, 1919 – January 31, 2005) was astarting pitcher inMajor League Baseball. From 1942 through 1950, Voiselle played for theNew York Giants (1942–47),Boston Braves (1947–49) andChicago Cubs (1950). He batted and threw right-handed.
Voiselle was born inGreenwood, South Carolina, but grew up in the nearby town ofNinety Six. He received special permission fromCommissionerHappy Chandler to wear thenumber 96 on his jersey as a way to honor his hometown.[1] At the time, this was the highest number ever worn in major league baseball.
Voiselle debuted with the Giants in 1942 and reached the big leagues full-time in 1944. Nicknamed "Big Bill", in hisrookie season, he led the NL ininnings pitched andstrikeouts, and finished third with a career-high 21wins. He made his onlyAll-Star appearance that season and finished fifth inMVP voting. To top it off,The Sporting News named him theNational League Pitcher of the Year in the first season of the award.
Voiselle suffered a minor sophomore jinx in 1945, winning 14 but with a high 4.49 ERA. After many prominent major leaguers returned from World War II, his role with the Giants was reduced. He also was on the end of a $500 fine from Giants managerMel Ott for allowingSt. Louis Cardinals batterJohnny Hopp to get ahit on an 0-2 count during a June 1 game atSportsman's Park.[2]
Voiselle was eventually traded to the Boston Braves for another wartime star,Mort Cooper, in the 1947 midseason. In 1948, Voiselle won 13 games for the Braves Champions Team as the third starter behindWarren Spahn andJohnny Sain. In theWorld Series against theCleveland Indians, Voiselle came into Game 3 as arelief pitcher and he got the start in Game 6, taking the loss, 4–3. Most concede that Voiselle and the Braves out-pitched and out-hit the Indians, but the team was eliminated 4–2. Voiselle pitched 10.2 innings in the Series and surrendered three earned runs for a 2.53 ERA. After that, he pitched one more season with the Braves, winning just seven games, before being traded before the 1950 season to the Chicago Cubs forinfielderGene Mauch. Voiselle only spent a half a season with the Cubs, during which he failed to record a victory in 19 appearances (seven starts). It would end up being his last year in the majors, though he continued pitching for a significant number ofminor league clubs.
In a nine-season career, Voiselle posted a 74–84 record with 645 strikeouts and a 3.83ERA in 13731⁄3 innings.
Voiselle died in Greenwood, South Carolina, just two days after his 86th birthday.[1]