Bill Virdon: Difference between revisions
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'''William Charles Virdon''' (born June 9, 1931) is a retired [[American]] [[baseball]] player, manager and coach. A premier defensive [[outfielder]] |
'''William Charles Virdon''' (born June 9, 1931) is a retired [[American]] [[baseball]] player, manager and coach. A premier defensive [[outfielder]] during his playing days (1955-65) as a center fielder for the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] and [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], Virdon also had a long tenure in [[Major League Baseball]] as a manager, with the Pirates (1972-73), [[New York Yankees]] (1974-75), [[Houston Astros]] (1975-82), and [[Montreal Expos]] (1983-84). |
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Virdon initially signed with the Yankees, but he never played for them. He was traded to the Cardinals in a multi-player deal in 1954 for veteran outfielder [[Enos Slaughter]], now a member of the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]]. A left-handed batter (who threw righthanded), Virdon's career [[batting average]] was .267 with 91 [[home runs]] during his 1,583-game career in the [[National League]]. He was the starting center fielder on the 1960 world champion Pirates, batting .241 in seven [[World Series]] games. |
Virdon initially signed with the Yankees, but he never played for them. He was traded to the Cardinals in a multi-player deal in 1954 for veteran outfielder [[Enos Slaughter]], now a member of the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]]. A left-handed batter (who threw righthanded), Virdon's career [[batting average]] was .267 with 91 [[home runs]] during his 1,583-game career in the [[National League]]. He was the starting center fielder on the 1960 world champion Pirates, batting .241 in seven [[World Series]] games. |
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Revision as of 00:13, 16 July 2005
William Charles Virdon (born June 9, 1931) is a retired American baseball player, manager and coach. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days (1955-65) as a center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, Virdon also had a long tenure in Major League Baseball as a manager, with the Pirates (1972-73), New York Yankees (1974-75), Houston Astros (1975-82), and Montreal Expos (1983-84).
Virdon initially signed with the Yankees, but he never played for them. He was traded to the Cardinals in a multi-player deal in 1954 for veteran outfielder Enos Slaughter, now a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. A left-handed batter (who threw righthanded), Virdon's career batting average was .267 with 91 home runs during his 1,583-game career in the National League. He was the starting center fielder on the 1960 world champion Pirates, batting .241 in seven World Series games.
As a manager, he led the Pirates to the 1972 NL East title, but the Buccos dropped the NLCS to the Cincinnati Reds when Pittsburgh pitcher Bob Moose unleashed a wild pitch in the final inning of Game 5, allowing the winning run to score. His career managerial record, over all or parts of 13 seasons, was 995-921 (.519). He also served three different terms as a Pirates coach.