Bill Drake (baseball)

William P. "Plunk" Drake (June 8, 1895 – October 30, 1977) was a Negro league baseball pitcher.

Bill Drake
Pitcher
Born: (1895-06-08)June 8, 1895
Sedalia, Missouri
Died: October 30, 1977(1977-10-30) (aged 82)
St. Louis, Missouri
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
1920, for the St. Louis Giants
Last appearance
1927, for the Detroit Stars
Negro National League statistics
Win–loss record68-58
Run average4.71
Strikeouts485
Teams

Drake pitched for top Negro league teams between 1920 and 1927, primarily remembered for his time with the Kansas City Monarchs, participating in two Colored World Series in 1924 and 1925. He gained his nickname from his propensity for pitching inside to batters and his willingness to hit batters who crowded the plate. He claimed to have taught Satchel Paige his famous hesitation pitch, though credit is usually given to Bill Gatewood.

References
Notes
  1. "Bancroft Wins Ball Game" Upper Des Moines Republican, Algona, IA, September 1, 1915, Page 8, Column 4
  2. "Three Games to be Played Here by Gill's Nine" Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks, North Dakota, Tuesday, July 3, 1917, Page 5, Column 2
  3. "St. Louis Giants Win From Nashville, 9-1" St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri, Sunday, August 8, 1920, Page 9, Column 2
Sources
  • Peterson, Robert (1984). Only the Ball Was White. McGraw-Hill Book Company. ISBN 0-07-049599-8.
  • Riley, James A. (1994). The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. New York, NY: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-0959-6.
  • Holway, John B. (2001). The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History. Fern Park, FL: Hastings House Publishers. ISBN 0-8038-2007-0.
  • University of Missouri-St Louis Negro Baseball Project: Oral History Interview with Bill Drake


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