Billy Williams

Williams in 1964

Williams joined a Chicago Cubs team that by the early 1960s featured stars such as Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, and Ron Santo. Rogers Hornsby (winner of seven NL batting titles), who by 1960 was serving as a scout and coach in the Cubs organization, predicted Williams would someday win a batting title.

Williams debuted with the Cubs on August 6, 1959 in a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies; as an indication of the expectations placed on him, he batted third, ahead of Banks. In his first plate appearance, he grounded out but drove in a run for his first RBI. Williams picked up his first two hits three days later after being moved up to second in the order, getting a pair of singles in a 10-inning, 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, he never raised his average above .200 in 18 games, failing to drive in a run in his last 15 appearances. He returned to the Cubs in late September 1960, with decidedly better results. He raised his average as high as .368, with hits in his first seven games, before settling to a final .277 mark, and hit his first home run on October 1, a 2-run shot off Stan Williams in a 14-inning, 10-8 road win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1961, Williams played in 146 games and was selected as the NL Rookie of the Year. That year, he hit 25 home runs and drove in 86 runs, batting .278. In 1962, 1964, and 1965, he was named an NL All-Star.[4] On May 1, 1964, Williams had an RBI single and then capped off a 10-run 1st inning with a grand slam in the Cubs' 11-3 road win over the Houston Colt .45s; the five RBI in one inning set a team record. He won the NL Player of the Month Award for May with a .455 average, 8 home runs, and 22 RBI. Williams struggled defensively in the first few years of his career, leading NL outfielders in errors as a rookie. By the mid-1960s, his defense was no longer seen as a serious weakness.[2] He returned to the All-Star Game in 1968, 1972, and 1973.[4]

In each season from 1961 to 1973, Williams hit at least 20 home runs and drove in 84 or more runs. His batting swing was smooth and efficient, with quick wrist action that allowed him to hit for both average and power despite his slender frame. Early in his career, this earned him the nickname "Sweet-Swinging Billy Williams", sometimes shortened to "Sweet Williams" or "Sweet Billy". His nickname was later referenced in the subtitle of his autobiography. He was also nicknamed "Sweet-Swinging Billy from Whistler", in reference to his birthplace in Alabama. On July 17, 1966, in the second game of a road doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, Williams hit for the cycle in the Cubs' 7-2 win, scoring after each hit; it was the seventh cycle by a Cubs player, the first natural cycle, and the second by a left-handed hitter. On May 21, 1968, he set a major league record by playing his 695th consecutive game in the outfield. On July 4, in a 7-4 loss to the Phillies, he broke Bill Nicholson's team record of 205 home runs by a left-handed hitter. On August 21, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves, he had a career-high seven RBI in the Cubs' 13-5 win. On September 10, Williams had the only three-home-run game of his career in an 8-1 win over the New York Mets, with the last coming off Nolan Ryan; the previous day, he had had four hits, including a double and a pair of home runs, in a 10-3 win over the Phillies. The five home runs in consecutive games tied a major league record. On April 9, 1969, Williams had a career-high four doubles, tying another major league record, in the Cubs' 11-3 win over the Phillies. On June 29, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cardinals, Williams played in his 896th consecutive game, breaking Stan Musial's NL record; he belted four hits including a double and a pair of triples in the Cubs' 12-1 victory. On September 5, his two home runs and two doubles accounted for all of the Cubs' hits in their 9-2 loss to the Pirates.

In 1970, Williams batted .322 with 42 homers and 129 RBI and finished second in the Most Valuable Player voting; surprisingly, despite batting .319 with 26 home runs and 80 RBI at the All-Star break, he was left off the All-Star team. On July 24, he had the only two hits in the Cubs' 9-0 loss to the Braves; it was the fourth time in his career that he had all of the team's hits. Williams set an NL record for consecutive games played with 1,117 from 1963 to 1970 (this record was later eclipsed by Steve Garvey with 1,207 games played from 1975 to 1983). As his consecutive games streak began to accumulate, he was dubbed "Iron Man" by some writers.[7] He co-authored a 1970 children's book called Iron Man, about his childhood.[8] On May 12, 1971, he became the fifth player to drive in 1,000 runs for the Cubs with his 2-run home run in a 9-4 road win over the Phillies. Three days later, Williams hit his 300th career home run in a 6-4 win over the San Diego Padres, joining Banks as the second Cub to do so, and on August 17 he picked up his 2,000th hit, an 8th-inning single in a 5-4 road loss to the Braves; he was the fifth player to reach that total with the Cubs. In 1972, he was the NL batting champion and named the Major League Player of the Year by The Sporting News.[9] He paced the major leagues in batting average with a .333 mark, and posted a .606 slugging percentage with 37 home runs and 122 RBI. In August, he won his second and final NL Player of the Month Award (.438 average, 9 home runs, 29 RBI); on August 26, he broke Stan Hack's team record of 2,193 hits by a left-handed hitter, tying his career high with five hits including a pair of home runs in a 10-inning, 10-9 win over the San Francisco Giants. For the second time, he was the MVP runner-up that year to Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds. On June 15, 1973, in an 8-3 road loss to the Braves, he became the fourth player to appear in 2,000 games with the Cubs. On August 15, 1974, Williams became the third Cub to reach the 2,500 hit mark with an 8th-inning single in a 5-3 win over the Houston Astros.

1975 Oakland Athletics #23 Billy Williams road jersey

In 1974 the Cubs finished in last place, with their worst record since 1966; after two years of declining production, with the lowest home run and RBI totals of his career, Williams was traded in October to the American League's Oakland Athletics for second baseman Manny Trillo and two pitchers.[10] He helped lead Oakland to the 1975 AL West championship as a designated hitter, hitting 23 homers with 81 RBI, and on June 12 became the 16th player to hit 400 career home runs when he homered in a 9-7 road loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. In the postseason, the three-time defending World Series champions were swept in three games in the AL Championship Series by the Boston Red Sox, with Williams going hitless in 7 at bats. In 1976, Williams played in 120 games and hit only .211.[4] He retired after playing his last major league game on October 2, picking up a single in his final plate appearance in a 14-inning, 9-8 win over the California Angels.

In 2,488 games over 18 seasons, Williams posted a .290 batting average with 2,711 hits in 9,350 at bats, 1,410 runs, 434 doubles, 88 triples, 426 home runs, 1,475 RBI, 90 stolen bases, 1,045 walks, a .361 on-base percentage and a .492 slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded a combined .976 fielding percentage, including games at all three outfield positions and first base.[4]