Bill Lee (right-handed pitcher)
| Bill Lee | |||
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| Pitcher | |||
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Born: October 21, 1909 Plaquemine, Louisiana |
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Died: June 15, 1977 (aged 67) Plaquemine, Louisiana |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 29, 1934, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| June 29, 1947, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 169–157 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.54 | ||
| Strikeouts | 998 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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William Crutcher "Big Bill" Lee (October 21, 1909 – June 15, 1977) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played professionally for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Boston Braves during the 1930s and 1940s.
Lee was born in Plaquemine, Louisiana and played college baseball for Louisiana State University. He was originally a top prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. In August 1933, Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey called his counterpart with the Cubs, William Veeck, Sr. and offered him two pitchers—Lee and Clarence Heise. According to Bill Veeck, one of Rickey's favorite tricks was to offer another team two players and trust that the other team would take the wrong one. In the case of Lee and Heise, Rickey knew that all but one Cubs pitcher was right-handed, and expected the Cubs to take Heise, a left-hander. However, on the advice of chief scout Jack Doyle, the Cubs took Lee. As it turned out, Heise would make only one relief appearance in 1934, and was never heard from again. It was one of the few times where Rickey, who was legendary for fleecing National League teams, ended up getting fleeced himself.
Lee spent 10 full seasons with the Cubs, as well as a pair of cameo appearances in 1947. He made his major league debut on April 29, 1934 with the Cubs. He saved Game 5 of the 1935 World Series at Wrigley Field, with his team on the verge of elimination, and his best year was in 1938 when he helped lead the Cubs to another World Series with a record of 22–9 and 2.66 ERA. He was on the National League All-Star Team twice when he played for the Cubs.
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