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| Bill North | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) North in 2013 | |
| Center fielder | |
| Born: (1948-05-15)May 15, 1948 (age 76) Seattle, Washington, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 3, 1971, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 11, 1981, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .261 |
| Home runs | 20 |
| Runs batted in | 230 |
| Stolen bases | 395 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
William Alex North (born May 15, 1948) is an American formercenter fielder inMajor League Baseball. From 1971 to 1981, he played for theChicago Cubs (1971–72),Oakland Athletics (1973–78),Los Angeles Dodgers (1978) andSan Francisco Giants (1979–81). He was aswitch hitter and threw right-handed.
In an 11-year career, North compiled a careerbatting average of .261 (1016-for-3900) with 20home runs and 230runs batted in. One of the fastest men in the game, he also recorded 395stolen bases.
North was drafted by the Cubs in the 12th round of the 1969 amateur draft. The speedy outfielder was traded to the Athletics after the 1972 season and started in center field on Oakland's1973 World Series champions. Batting leadoff, he posted career highs in batting average (.285) andruns scored (98). However, on September 20, in a loss to theMinnesota Twins, North tripped over first base; the resulting ankle sprain not only cost him theAmerican League stolen base title (his 53 steals placed him second, only one behindTommy Harper), it also sidelined him for the remainder of the season and cost him the chance to play in the post-season.
In 1974, North led the league in steals, with 54, on an Athletics team that won its third consecutiveWorld Series title. He was also involved in a not-so-memorable moment on June 5 of that season. He andReggie Jackson engaged in a clubhouse fight atDetroit'sTiger Stadium that resulted in Jackson injuring his shoulder.Ray Fosse, attempting to separate the combatants, suffered a crushed disk in his neck, costing him the next three months on thedisabled list.[1]
North also led the American League in steals in 1976 with 75, at the time the second-highest in a season in franchise history, trailing onlyEddie Collins' 81 in 1910 with what were then thePhiladelphia Athletics. As of 2012, onlyRickey Henderson has stolen more bases for the Athletics, surpassing North's total three times, each with at least 100 steals: an even 100 in 1980, a still-standing Major League record 130 in 1982 and 108 in 1983.
Injuries limited North to only 56 games in 1977, and after a slow start in 1978, the Athletics traded him to the Dodgers forGlenn Burke. His Dodgers won theNational League pennant, but lost to theNew York Yankees in theWorld Series. After the season, the San Francisco Giants signed him as a free agent; in 1979 he returned to form with 58 stolen bases, the most by a Giant in the live-ball era. Injuries, however, kept him out of 20 games and prevented him from breaking the overall franchise record of 62. After a similar season in 1980, he tailed off in 1981.
In addition to stealing bases, North also utilized his speed in the field to lead American League outfielders three times intotal chances per game, twice inputouts, and once each inassists anddouble plays. In the second game of a July 28, 1974doubleheader, he accomplished an unassisted double play against theChicago White Sox. North caughtBrian Downing's fly ball and continued to the second-base bag to double upDick Allen, who had been running on the play.
North was the first player in Oakland Athletics history to serve as adesignated hitter. He went 2-for-5 in the Athletics's 1973 season opener, an 8–3 loss to the Minnesota Twins atOakland–Alameda County Coliseum.
North was an ineffective hitter in postseason play; in twoWorld Series, twoAmerican League Championship Series and oneNational League Championship Series covering 20 games, North posted only a .051batting average (3-for-59), among the lowest batting averages in the postseason for a position player. However, he made the most of his baserunning opportunities, scoring 8runs, drawing 7base on balls, stealing 3 bases and recording 3 RBI.
Former Dodgers teammateDusty Baker invited North as an honorary coach for the2023 MLB All-Star Game, played atT-Mobile Park in Seattle. As players, North and Baker were teammates in1978. Baker was manager of the American League All-Star team, having managed theHouston Astros to the2022 World Series.[2]