William P. "Plunk" Drake (June 8, 1895 – October 30, 1977) was a Negro league baseball pitcher.
| Bill Drake | |
|---|---|
 Drake at the 1924 Colored World Series | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: June 8, 1895 Sedalia, Missouri | |
| Died: October 30, 1977 (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 record | 68-58 |
| Run average | 4.71 |
| Strikeouts | 485 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| 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
edit- Notes
- ^ "Bancroft Wins Ball Game" Upper Des Moines Republican, Algona, IA, September 1, 1915, Page 8, Column 4
- ^ "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
- ^ "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
External links
edit
- Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference and Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats and Seamheads
- Bill Drake at Find a Grave
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