Former White Sox great Billy Pierce dies

Former White Sox great Billy Pierce dies

Although he was not a large man (officially 5'10", 160 - but probably smaller), he won more than 200 games and he still holds the White Sox career record for most strikeouts.

Other trivia:

He was the only pitcher with an ERA under 2.00 in any season of the 1950's. He had a 1.97 ERA in 1955. Unfortunately, he was pitching for the powerless White Sox, so his record was a so-so 15-10.

He led the league in complete games three years in a row, and completed 193 games in his career. No pitcher has since led the AL in complete games three years in a row.

Although he never won a Cy Young award, he was the only man to win The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award twice in the American League in the 1950's.

After he was traded to the Giants late in his career (1962, age 35), he had a home record of 12-0, helping them win their first pennant in San Francisco.

He faced Mickey Mantle more than any other pitcher.

He was such a fast runner that he once pinch-ran for Minnie Minoso.

He was the last pitcher to defeat the St. Louis Browns.

In 1953 he became one of the rare pitchers to start and finish a game in which he did not throw a complete game. A right-hander came in to face two batters while Pierce played first, whereupon Pierce went back to the mound and won the game. Pierce could theoretically have been awarded both the win and the save, but the official stats do not report it that way. (The official rules do not cover this rarity.)