William G. Gleason (November 12, 1858 – July 21, 1932) was a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

who played from through for three different teams of the American Association. Listed at , 170 lb., Gleason batted and threw right-handed. His older brother, Jack Gleason, was also a ballplayer.

Early life

A St. Louis native, Gleason played amateur baseball for the St. Louis Stocks as early as age 16. He earned the nickname "Brudder Bill" because he was teammates with his older sibling, Jack Gleason, on several amateur and professional baseball teams.

Major league career

Gleason entered the majors in 1882 with the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

, where he and Jack Gleason were the first siblings to play in the same major league infield. His most productive season came in 1887, when he posted career numbers in

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(.288), runs (135), hits (172), and

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

(.342). A member of three St. Louis champion teams from 1885 to 1887, in 1883 and 1885 he led the league in

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Baseball ...

. During his time with the St. Louis Browns, Gleason was roommates with

Charlie Comiskey Charles Albert Comiskey (August 15, 1859 – October 26, 1931), nicknamed "Commy" or "The Old Roman", was an American Major League Baseball player, manager and team owner. He was a key person in the formation of the American League, and was als ...

. While Gleason was considered a gentleman off the field, he was loud and aggressive on the baseball diamond, often hurling continuous insults at opposing players or using his spikes on the basepaths to break up

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

s. An 1885 '' Sporting Life'' article suggested that if Gleason broke a limb or his neck, "not a ball player in the American Association would feel the slightest regret." After Gleason played for the Browns for six years, he joined the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakla ...

(1888) and

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as t ...

(1889). In an eight-season career, Gleason was a .267 hitter (907-for-3395) with seven

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 298 RBI in 798 games, including 613 runs, 111 doubles, and 35 triples. Incomplete data shows him

stealing Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

70 bases and getting hit by 52 pitches. Gleason became an AA umpire in 1891, but his tenure lasted only one game. In Gleason's lone appearance, a game between the St. Louis Browns and Cincinnati Reds,

King Kelly Michael Joseph "King" Kelly (December 31, 1857 – November 8, 1894), also commonly known as "$10,000 Kelly", was an American outfielder, catcher, and manager in various professional American baseball leagues including the National League, Inte ...

was the catcher and team captain of the Reds. With a tie game in the ninth inning, and with darkness setting in, Kelly told his Reds teammates to stall time. Gleason awarded a forfeit to St. Louis; the league fired him for the decision and the game was played again.

Later life

Gleason was a member of the St. Louis Fire Department during and after his baseball career. Late in his life, he was a captain with Engine Co. No. 28. In the summer of 1932, Gleason stepped on a nail at a fire, resulting in a foot infection. While recovering from that infection, Gleason tried to walk to a local drug store. He collapsed from heat exhaustion and was confined to bed for a few days before he died in his St. Louis home on July 21, 1932.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gleason, Bill 19th-century baseball players Major League Baseball shortstops St. Louis Brown Stockings (AA) players St. Louis Browns (AA) players Philadelphia Athletics (AA) players Louisville Colonels players Minneapolis Browns players Dubuque Red Stockings players Washington Senators (minor league) players Rockford Hustlers players Baseball players from St. Louis 1858 births 1932 deaths Burials at Calvary Cemetery (St. Louis)