William Beck "Swish" Nicholson (December 11, 1914 – March 8, 1996) was a

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In ...

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 (A ...

who played for 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 ...

(1936),

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

(1939–1948) and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

(1949–1953). A native of

Chestertown, Maryland Chestertown is a town in Kent County, Maryland, United States. The population was 5,252 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Kent County. History Founded in 1706, Chestertown rose in stature when it was named one of the English col ...

, where he attended

Washington College Washington College is a private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782. George Washington supported the founding of the college by consenting to have the "College at Chester" name ...

, he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. In , Nicholson received an intentional walk with the bases loaded. He is listed as one of only six players in major league history to do it. The others are

Abner Dalrymple Abner Frank Dalrymple (September 9, 1857 – January 25, 1939) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who hit 43 home runs (including 22 in 1884, the second-highest total to that date) and batted .288 with 407 RBI during his 12-s ...

(1881),

Nap Lajoie Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie (; September 5, 1874 – February 7, 1959), also known as Larry Lajoie and nicknamed "The Frenchman", was an American professional baseball second baseman and player-manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for t ...

(1901),

Del Bissonette Adelphia Louis Bissonette (September 6, 1899 – June 9, 1972) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers (then known as the Brooklyn Robins) from ...

(1928),

Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Gian ...

(1998) and Josh Hamilton (2008).

Career

In a 16-year career, Nicholson posted a .268 batting average with 235

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 948

run batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

in 1677

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (suc ...

. At 6 feet tall and 205 pounds, he was an imposing figure at the plate. While awaiting each pitch, he would loosen up with determined practice swings, ending each with his bat aimed at the pitcher, and holding that pose for several seconds. With each practice swing, the fans would chant "Swish." Nicknamed "Swish" because of his mighty

swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing ri ...

, which often missed the ball, Nicholson twice led the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

in home runs and runs batted in. He played briefly in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1936, then spent two years in the minors before joining the Chicago Cubs in 1939. Nicholson became a regular with the Cubs in 1940. His most productive season came in 1943, when he hit .309 with a league-leading 29 home runs and 128 runs batted in. He finished third in the NL MVP Award vote behind

Stan Musial Stanley Frank Musial (; born Stanislaw Franciszek Musial; November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013), nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American baseball outfielder and first baseman. Widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consis ...

and Walker Cooper. In 1944, Nicholson slipped to .287, but he again led the NL in home runs (33) and runs batted in (122), as well as runs (116) and

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, whil ...

(317). In the same season, after hitting four consecutive homers in a July 23 doubleheader at the

Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...

, he came to bat with the bases loaded in the eighth inning of the second game, and was intentionally walked. Obviously, that forced in a run, but the Cubs could not score again and the Giants won the game, 12–10. This time, he lost the MVP honors by one vote to Marty Marion. Although Nicholson helped the Cubs to the 1945 pennant, his failing eyesight resulted in a slip in production. He hit only .243 with 13 home runs and 88 runs batted in during the regular season, and batted just .214 with eight runs batted in during Chicago's seven-game loss to the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...

. The eight RBIs was the record for a 7-game World Series. In 1949, Nicholson was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he became a part-time player and frequent

pinch-hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, America ...

. The next season, after he became weak and lost weight, it was disclosed that Nicholson was diabetic. He was unable to play in the World Series with his " Whiz Kids" teammates against the

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

. Well respected as one of the toughest men to double up, Nicholson hit into

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 Lea ...

s only once every 90.7 at-bats. He finished his career in 1953 with eight pinch homers. Bill Nicholson died in

, at age of 81.

Highlights

*5-time All-Star (1940–41, 1943–45) *Twice led NL in home runs (1943–44) *Twice led NL in runs batted in (1943–44) *Led NL in runs (1944) *One of five NL right fielders to register 11

total chances In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...

in a game (1945). The others are

Harry Schafer Harry C. Schafer (August 14, 1846 – February 28, 1935) was a professional baseball player who played for eight seasons in Major League Baseball. He played for the Boston Red Stockings in the National Association for five seasons, and remain ...

(1877),

Greasy Neale Alfred Earle "Greasy" Neale (November 5, 1891 – November 2, 1973) was an American football and baseball player and coach. Early life and playing career Neale was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Although writers eventually assumed that Nea ...

(1920),

Casey Stengel Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (; July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of the 1950s and later, the expansion New Y ...

(1920) and Bake McBride (1978). The major league record is held by Tony Armas, who handled 12 chances in an AL game (1982).

External links

Bill Nicholson
- Baseballbiography.com
Baseball Reference
– statistics and analysis
"Swish" Nicholson – A Biography of Wartime Baseball's Leading Slugger
– biography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Bill National League All-Stars National League home run champions National League RBI champions Chicago Cubs players Philadelphia Athletics players Philadelphia Phillies players Major League Baseball right fielders Baseball players from Maryland Washington College Shoremen baseball players People from Chestertown, Maryland 1914 births 1996 deaths

Career

Highlights

See also

External links