Walter Merrill "Pop" Williams (May 19, 1874 – August 4, 1959) was a 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 ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

whose playing career spanned nine seasons, including three 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 ...

. He was born in

Bowdoinham, Maine Bowdoinham is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. Bowdoinham was included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 3,047 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland– ...

on May 19, 1874. Williams batted right-handed and threw left-handed. Over his major league career, Williams compiled a

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

of 16–25 with a 3.17

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), 41

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s, two

shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...

and 132

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

in 47 games, all starts. He was also the

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

of the

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

baseball team during the spring of 1903. During his time in the majors and the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

, Williams occasionally played

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In bat and ball games ...

and

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. In the majors, Williams played for the Washington Senators (1898),

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

(1902–1903),

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

(1903) and the

Boston Beaneaters Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...

(1903).

Professional career

Early career

Williams attended Bowdoin College from 1893 to 1896. His professional career began in 1895 with the Lewiston ball club in the Class-B

New England League The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League B ...

. In 1896, Williams played for two teams; his previous club, Lewiston, and Fall River Indians. That season, Williams went a combined 14–16 with a 3.15

(ERA), 28

s, and 86

in 35 games, 30 starts. Williams also four games in the

and four games at

that season. He batted a combined .312 with 29 runs, 43

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 ...

, 10 doubles, three

triples TripleS (; ; stylized as tripleS) is a South Korean 24-member multinational girl group formed by Modhaus. They aim to be the world's first decentralized idol group, where the members will rotate between the full group, sub-units, and solo activi ...

, one

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

, and eight

stolen bases In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out a ...

in 138

at-bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

. Williams moved on to the Class-A Toronto Canucks of the Eastern League in 1897. Although records were not kept in his first season there, in 1898 he went 16–14 with 26 complete games, and 70 strikeouts in 37 games, 34 starts. That season, Williams made his debut in

. Playing for the Washington Senators, Williams went 0–2 with an 8.47 ERA in 2 games, both starts. His debut with the Senators made Williams the first person from Bowdoin College to play in the majors. He returned to Toronto in 1899 and went 20–10 with 28 complete games, two shutouts and 54 strikeouts in 33 games, 30 starts. Williams was tied for third in wins that season in the Eastern League. Williams played with the Toronto team until 1901. In 1901, he went 16–13 in 34 games.

Chicago Cubs

Williams joined the major league Chicago Orphans in 1902. He went 11–16 with a 2.49 ERA, 27 complete games, and 99 strikeouts. Williams was tied for eighth in the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

in both

losses Loss may refer to: *Economic loss *Grief, an emotional response to loss **Animal loss, grief over the loss of an animal Mathematics, science, and technology * Angular misalignment loss, power loss caused by the deviation from optimum angular al ...

and

home runs per nine innings In baseball statistics, home runs allowed per nine innings pitched (HR/9IP or HR/9) or home runs allowed per nine innings (denoted by HR/9) is the average number of home runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by mul ...

that season. Williams was re-signed by the Orphans, now renamed the

, for the 1903 season. He did not join the Cubs in

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

that season as he was coaching the

baseball team. With the Cubs in 1903, Williams went 0–1 with a 5.40 ERA in one game, a start.

Later career

In April of the 1903 season, the

purchased Williams from the Cubs. His tenure with the Phillies proved short, however, as after two games with a 1–1 record and a 3.00 ERA, he was released. As a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

, Williams signed with the

. In ten games, all starts, he went 4–5 with a 4.12 ERA, nine complete games and 20 strikeouts. On the season, Williams went 5–7 with a 3.99 ERA, 12 complete games and 30 strikeouts in 13 games, all starts, between Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston.

References

;General references # # ;Inline citations

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Pop Major League Baseball pitchers Washington Senators (1891–1899) players Chicago Orphans players Chicago Cubs players Philadelphia Phillies players Boston Beaneaters players Bowdoin Polar Bears baseball players Lewiston (minor league baseball) players Fall River Indians players Toronto Canucks players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Toronto Royals players Baseball players from Maine People from Bowdoinham, Maine 1874 births 1959 deaths 19th-century baseball players 19th-century American sportsmen Bowdoin Polar Bears baseball coaches