William Ray Howerton (December 12, 1921 – December 18, 2001) was an American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
player. An
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...
, he appeared in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
in 247
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.
Associat ...
during all or part of four seasons (–), for the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
,
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
, and
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
. The native of
Lompoc, California
Lompoc ( ; Chumashan ) is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast, its population was 43,834 as of July 2021.
Lompoc has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Chumash people, who called t ...
, batted left-handed, threw right-handed; he stood tall and weighed .
Howerton grew up on a ranch in
Santa Ynez, California
Santa Ynez ( ; Spanish for "St. Agnes", originally spelled ''Santa Inés'') is an unincorporated community in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States.
The population was 4,505 at the 2020 census, up from 4,418 ...
. After graduation, from Santa Ynez High School, he attended
St. Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's College of California is a private Catholic college in Moraga, California, United States. Established in 1863, it is administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college offers undergraduate and graduate programs with a total stud ...
.
[Obituary, from HowertonHeritage.com](_blank)
He signed with the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
in 1943 and played three seasons in their
farm system
In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...
before being acquired by the Cardinals' organization. In September 1949, after Howerton
batted .329 with 111
runs batted in
A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...
for the Triple-A
Columbus Red Birds
The Columbus Red Birds were a top-level minor league baseball team that played in Columbus, Ohio, in the American Association from 1931 through 1954. The Columbus club, a member of the Association continuously since 1902, was previously known as ...
, he was recalled by the Cardinals for a late-season trial. In , he made the Redbird roster out of spring training and had his most successful MLB season, appearing in 110 games and collecting 88
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...
(38 for
extra bases) and 59 runs batted in. He was traded to the Pirates on June 15, 1951, in a deal that included fellow Redbirds
Howie Pollet
Howard Joseph Pollet (June 26, 1921 – August 8, 1974) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball during the 1940s and 1950s. A three-time All-Star in 1943, 1946 and 1949, he twice led the National League in earned run average ...
,
Ted Wilks
Theodore Wilks (November 13, 1915 – August 21, 1989) was an American professional baseball player. Born in Fulton, New York, he was a right-handed pitcher who appeared in 385 games in Major League Baseball over ten seasons (1944–53) as a mem ...
and
Joe Garagiola
Joseph Henry Garagiola Sr. (February 12, 1926 – March 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball catcher, and later a radio and television personality with a varied career.
He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...
, and played in 80 games for Pittsburgh, batting .274 in his last full MLB season.
After retiring, Howerton entered the trucking business in California.
He died in
Blakely, Pennsylvania
Blakely is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 6,657 at the 2020 census.
The Lackawanna River flows through Blakely, and within the bor ...
, at age 80. His son, also named Bill, was the
head baseball coach of the
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took ...
from 1987 to 2002.
University of Scranton official site
References
External links
Baseball Almanac
Major League Baseball outfielders
St. Louis Cardinals players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
New York Giants (baseball) players
Scranton Red Sox players
Louisville Colonels (minor league) players
Saint Mary's Gaels baseball players
Landis Millers players
Richmond Colts players
Scranton Miners players
Columbus Red Birds players
Hopewell Blue Sox players
Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players
Oakland Oaks (baseball) players
Beaumont Exporters players
Sportspeople from Lompoc, California
Baseball players from Santa Barbara County, California
1921 births
2001 deaths
20th-century American sportsmen
{{US-baseball-outfielder-stub