Walter William (Billy) Pierce

Walter William (Billy) Pierce

Detroit Tigers Player (1945, 1948)
Chicago White Sox Player (1949 – 1961)
San Francisco Giants Player (1962 – 1964)

Billy Pierce was born in Detroit, Michigan attending Highland Park High School. After graduation, Pierce signed on with the Detroit Tigers and was on the roster when the Tigers won the 1945 World Series. Pierce was eventually traded to the Chicago White Sox in what became the beginning of an outstanding career. Pierce flourished in his thirteen seasons with the White Sox, becoming the mainstay of a pitching staff that was one of the best in baseball during the 1950’s, while finishing his career with three seasons with the San Francisco Giants. With 211 wins in his career, Pierce was voted to seven All-Star games, was the AL wins leader in 1957, led all of MLB in Earned Run Average in 1955 and was the AL strikeout leader in 1953. He pitched four one-hitters and seven two-hitters throughout his career. Billy Pierce had his number 19 retired by the Chicago White Sox and was voted to their All-Century team in 2000 and was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He passed away on July 31, 2015 at 88 years of age.