| Billy McCool | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1944-07-14)July 14, 1944 Batesville, Indiana, U.S. | |
| Died: June 8, 2014(2014-06-08) (aged 69) Summerfield, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 24, 1964, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 8, 1970, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 32–42 |
| Earned run average | 3.59 |
| Strikeouts | 471 |
| Saves | 58 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
William John McCool (July 14, 1944 – June 8, 2014)[1] was an American professionalbaseballpitcher who played seven seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB), mostly with theCincinnati Reds. He also spent a year each with theSan Diego Padres andSt. Louis Cardinals.
Born inBatesville, Indiana, McCool went to nearby Lawrenceburg High School inLawrenceburg, where the McCools lived.[2][3] He graduated from LHS in 1962 and was signed by the Reds as an amateur free agent in 1963.
He started his pro career in 1963, playing Class-D ball for the Reds organization inTampa, Florida and later that year made the jump to the then-Triple-ASan Diego Padres.[2] He was listed as 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and 195 pounds (88 kg).
He made his major league debut at the young age of 19 on April 24, 1964.[3] The first batter he faced wasJesús Alou (who singled) as McCool pitched two innings in relief ofAl Worthington in a 15-5 Reds loss to theSan Francisco Giants at Cincinnati'sCrosley Field.[4] That year he was namedThe Sporting News National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year.[2][5]
In 1965 and 1966 he was second in theNational League insaves and in 1966 he was named a National LeagueAll-Star. He appeared in a career-high 62 games in 1965.
He was among the players drafted by theSan Diego Padres in the1968 MLB expansion draft. He appeared in 54 games for the Padres in their inaugural season of 1969. Just prior to the 1970 season he was traded to the Cardinals, with whom he pitched 18 games. In the offseason after the 1970 season (which would be his last in the majors, at age 25), he was traded to theBoston Red Sox and later to theKansas City Royals, but he did not appear for either team in the majors.[3]
After retiring from baseball in 1970 McCool moved toCenterville, Ohio where he raised his family. He worked for three years (1972–74) as a sports anchor forWKEF-TV in Dayton. McCool's book,The Billy McCool Pitching Digest: A Guide to Effective Baseball Pitching, was published in 1977. He lived inSummerfield, Florida after retiring in 2004.[1] In 2013, he was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame as a 1962 graduate of Lawrenceburg High School.[6]
McCool had a long battle with heart problems and had first been diagnosed with hypertension when he was in his 20s, then years later had triple-bypass heart surgery when he was 45.
He died in hisSummerfield, Florida home as the result of the heart condition on June 8, 2014.[7]