Bill Hands

William Alfred Hands, Jr. (May 6, 1940 – March 9, 2017) was an American professional baseball player who pitched in the major leagues from 1965 to 1975. His best season came in 1969 with the Chicago Cubs, when he won 20 games.

Bill Hands
Hands in 1969
Pitcher
Born: (1940-05-06)May 6, 1940
Hackensack, New Jersey
Died: March 9, 2017(2017-03-09) (aged 76)
Orlando, Florida
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 3, 1965, for the San Francisco Giants
Last MLB appearance
August 10, 1975, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record111–110
Earned run average3.35
Strikeouts1,128
Teams

Early life

A native of Rutherford, New Jersey,[1] Bill Hands played baseball at Rutherford High School.[2] He was later inducted into the Rutherford Hall of Fame.

Hands pitched at Fairleigh Dickinson University and Ohio Wesleyan University before signing with the San Francisco Giants. He was later inducted into the Rutherford Hall of Fame.[3]

Major Leagues

Hands, whose nickname was "Froggy," signed as an amateur free agent with the San Francisco Giants in 1959, made his major league debut with them in 1965, pitching in four games that season. After the 1965 season, Hands was traded to the Chicago Cubs with catcher Randy Hundley for outfielder Don Landrum and reliever Lindy McDaniel,[4] a trade regarded at the time as a success for the Giants,[5] and which went on to be viewed as one of the best in Cubs history.[6]

In 1966 with the Chicago Cubs, he started 26 games and relived 15, going 8-13 with a 4.58 ERA. By 1968, at age 28, he went 16-10 with a 2.89 ERA, followed up in 1969 by his best season, as he went 20-14 with a 2.49 ERA. He threw 18 complete games and pitched 300 innings, while pitching in a rotation along with Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins.[3]

The right-hander spent seven seasons with the Cubs, two with the Minnesota Twins and two with the Texas Rangers.

Of Hands, Ferguson Jenkins said, "Hands was an 'even-tempered guy' with a good sinking fastball and sharp slider who did his job and never complained about being underappreciated on a team full of stars."[6]

He finished his career with a record of 111-110 and an ERA of 3.35.[4]

Personal life

After retiring from baseball, Hands was a salesman for an oil company on Long Island. He later opened up a service station, the Orient Service Center, in Orient, New York, where he lived for many years with his wife Sandy; his son (Bill) and grandchildren also lived in Orient.[7]

Hands died in Florida on March 9, 2017.[8]

References
  1. Adamek, Steve. "Where are they now? Rutherford's Bill Hands" Archived July 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, The Record (Bergen County), May 31, 2010. Accessed March 6, 2011.
  2. Durso, Joseph. "Cubs Crush Mets, 9–3; Hands Is Winner", The New York Times, April 27, 1969. Accessed March 6, 2011. "Last season he beat the Mets four straight times without a loss, and allowed them about half a run a game. No other graduate, of Rutherford High School has harassed them more."
  3. Iseman, Chris (March 10, 2017). "Bill Hands, Rutherford native, former MLB pitcher, dies". northjersey.com. North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  4. "Bill Hands Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  5. Bergman, Ron (August 23, 1966). "'Giants' Best Trade Was Lindy McDaniel'". newspapers.com. The Napa Valley Register. p. 8. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  6. Sullivan, Paul (March 10, 2017). "Ex-Cub Bill Hands, 20-game winner in 1969, dies at 76". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  7. After retiring from baseball, Hands was a salesman for an oil company on Long Island. He later opened up a service station in Orient, N.Y.
  8. "Orient resident, MLB 20-game winner Bill Hands dies at 76 - Suffolk Times - Suffolk Times". suffolktimes.timesreview.com.
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