William Havon Bruton (November 9, 1925 – December 5, 1995) was aMajor League Baseball (MLB)center fielder who played for theMilwaukee Braves (1953–1960) andDetroit Tigers (1961–1964). Bruton batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Bill Bruton
Bruton in 1955
Outfielder
Born:(1925-11-09)November 9, 1925 Panola, Alabama, U.S.
Died: December 5, 1995(1995-12-05) (aged 70) Marshallton, Delaware, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 13, 1953, for the Milwaukee Braves
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 1964, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Batting average	.273
Home runs	94
Runs batted in	545
Stats atBaseball Reference
Teams
Milwaukee Braves (1953–1960) Detroit Tigers (1961–1964)
Career highlights and awards
3×NL stolen base leader (1953–1955)

Bill Bruton, as a 27-year-old rookie, started his major league career in 1953 with theMilwaukee Braves. The team had just moved fromBoston toMilwaukee. Bruton had replaced formerNational League's 1950Rookie of the Year winner and firstAfrican-American player on the Braves,Sam Jethroe, on the roster. Jethroe, at the age of 35, had been demoted to the minor leagues. He had led the NL in stolen bases his first two seasons.

On April 14, 1953, his 10th-inning home run gave the Braves a 3–2 victory over theSt. Louis Cardinals in Milwaukee's first major league game.^[1]

Bruton played in Milwaukee for eight seasons; he was a member of the1957 Braves and1958 Braves, who both played in theWorld Series against theNew York Yankees. Bruton did not play in the1957 World Series, which the Braves won in seven games, due to a knee injury sustained earlier in the season.^[2] In the1958 World Series, which the Braves lost in seven games, Bruton hit a game-winning single in the tenth inning of Game 1.^[3][4] He played in all seven games of the Series, batting 7-for-17 (.412) with a home run and two RBIs. On August 2, 1959, Bruton hit two bases-loadedtriples in one game.^[5] The feat had only been accomplished once before (Elmer Valo, 1949) and has only been accomplished once since (Duane Kuiper, 1978).

In December 1960, Bruton was traded to theDetroit Tigers, along withDick Brown,Chuck Cottier andTerry Fox for a player to be named later andFrank Bolling. The Detroit Tigers sentNeil Chrisley (January 17, 1961) to the Milwaukee Braves to complete the trade. He spent four seasons with Detroit before retiring after the 1964 season.

In his last game at Tiger Stadium, Bruton hit a drive off the facing of the third deck, near where the retired Tiger numbers were painted, that bounced back onto the field. The ball was still rising when it hit just below the base of the right field light tower.^[6]

In his twelve-year major league career, Bruton posted an overall .273batting average with 94home runs and 545run batted in in 1,610games. He finished his career with a .981fielding percentage. A line-drive hitter and a fleet-footed runner, Bruton led theNational League in stolen bases for three consecutive seasons (1953 through 1955), twice intriples (1956 and 1960), and once inruns scored (1960). He led off a game with a home run twelve times.

Bruton'sminor league milestones include;

• tied for theNorthern League lead in games played (124), and led the league in at-bats (545), runs (126), and batting average (.325) while playing for theEau Claire Bears in 1950
• led theWestern League with 27 triples while playing for theDenver Bears in 1951
• tied for theAmerican Association lead in games played (154), at-bats (650), runs (130), hits (211), and outfield assists (22) while playing for theMilwaukee Brewers in 1952

Bruton was a graduate ofParker High School inBirmingham, Alabama, and served in theArmy from 1944 through 1947.^[7]

He was a spokesman forTareyton cigarettes in the 1960s.^[8]

In 1991, Bruton was inducted into theDelaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame.^[9]

According to aDelaware State Police report, Bruton suffered aheart attack while driving his car inMarshallton, Delaware, near his home inWilmington on December 5, 1995. Bruton's car veered off the road and hit a pole;^[10] after which he was pronounced dead at a local hospital. He was 70.

• List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
• List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
• List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
• List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders
• List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders

• 1955 Baseball Register, published byThe Sporting News

• Stahl, John."Bill Bruton".SABR.
• Obituary at The Deadball Era viaWayback Machine

• Career statistics fromMLB, orESPN, orBaseball Reference, orFangraphs, orBaseball Reference (Minors), orRetrosheet
• Bill Bruton at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
• Bill Bruton at The Deadball Era
• Bill Bruton atFind a Grave