On this day in Alabama history: Baseball player Billy Williams was born
Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs during an appearance at spring training at the Hohokam Park in Mesa, Arizona, in 1998. (Jeff Carlick / Stringer)
June 15, 1938
Major league baseball player “Sweet Swingin’” Billy Williams was born in what is now Prichard. Williams debuted for the Chicago Cubs in 1959 and was named the 1961 National League (NL) Rookie of the Year after becoming the team’s regular left fielder. He played 18 seasons in major league baseball, including 16 seasons with the Cubs, and made six All-Star Game appearances. He was the 1972 NL batting champion, a two-time NL MVP runner-up, and once held the record for most consecutive games played at 1,117. Williams was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1983 and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
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