Bill Harris, Canadian baseball player (Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers) died he was , 79

William Thomas Harriswas a Canadian pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Dodgers teams died he was , 79. Listed at 5' 8", 187 lb., Harris batted left handed and threw right handed. Born in Duguayville, New Brunswick, he attended Dorchester School.




(December 3, 1931 – May 28, 2011)

Bill Harris appeared in only two major league games with the National League Dodgers – a losing start to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1957^[3] and a relief appearance against the Chicago Cubs in 1959.^[4]
About his major league debut, Harris said, "It was at Shibe Park against the Phillies and I did o.k. but lost 3–2. I was pinch-hit for in the seventh inning and Sandy Koufax came on in relief. Roy Campanella was the catcher and it turned out to be his last game".^[5]
In addition, Harris pitched in 14 Minor league seasons from 1951 through 1964, seven of them for the Montreal Royals of the International League, a Triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers. His most productive season came in 1952, when he posted a 25-6 record with a minuscule 0.83 earned run average and 12 shutouts in 294 innings of work.^[6]
Harris marveled at the talent that was around him in Montreal. "I think we had a team in Montreal that would beat most of the major league teams. Sparky Anderson was my second baseman. We also had Rocky Nelson (1B), John Roseboro (C), George Shuba (OF) , Dick Williams (OF) and Chico Fernández (SS). Those were some great names", he explained.^[5]
Besides this, Harris went 14-10 with a 3.09 ERA for the Royals in 1958, helping them to clinch the International League pennant. Overall, he registered a 170-131 and a 3.39 ERA in 431 career appearances (300 starts), including one perfect game and two one hitters, while pitching 2,461 innings.^[6][5]
Harris also pitched six seasons in winter ball, in both Panama (2) and Venezuela (4), playing for two of those years in the Caribbean Series.^[5]
In 2008, Harris gained induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He was a long resident of Kennewick, Washington, where he owned the popular tavern Billy's Bullpen for many years.^[7]
Harris died at his home in Kennewick, at the age of 79, after suffering bleeding ulcers.^[8]

 

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