St. Louis Browns RHP Bill McGill was born in Galva, Kansas on June 29, 1880. McGill is the only MLB player to be born in Galva, which is approximately 185 miles west of Kansas City. He would have a mysterious career for there is very little written on his early years or his retirement.
McGill would begin his baseball legacy at the age of
St. Louis Browns RHP Bill McGill was born in Galva, Kansas on June 29, 1880. McGill is the only MLB player to be born in Galva, which is approximately 185 miles west of Kansas City. He would have a mysterious career for there is very little written on his early years or his retirement.
McGill would begin his baseball legacy at the age of 25. It is assumed he played some form of semipro baseball prior to his baseball career. Nicknamed "Parsons" he would attend and play baseball at Northwest Oklahoma State University and Friends University.
There were some reports that a Bill McGill pitched for the St. Paul Saints in 1903, but his first documented season was with the Minneapolis Minnies in 1905. He would then spend two seasons with the Austin Senators (1906-07) where he had a 33-14 record. There are very few indicators of his early years for there was little focus on recording the statistics we depend on today.
The odd thing about the 1907 season was that the Browns drafted McGill in the 1906 Rule 5 draft and assigned him to the San Antonio Missions, but McGill refused to report to the Missions and decided to pitch for Austin instead. After his 15-4 season, the Browns called him up to the big leagues for action in September of 1907.
Bill McGill would make his dazzling MLB debut on September 16, 1907, where he pitched a ten-inning complete game against the Cleveland Naps. He scattered ten hits, two runs, and five strikeouts across the frames, but the game ended in a 2-2 tie. His second game on September 27, 1907 was just as impressive, as he scattered 12 hits and six runs over 8.1 innings in a 7-6 win over the New York Highlanders.
With two consecutive great outings, it is unclear way he did not pitch for the Browns in 1908. Instead he split time between Austin and Enid Roadrunners of the Western League. He would go on to win 12 games for the Guthrie Senators in 1909.
As quick as his baseball career began, it seems to have disappeared just as fast. It is not known what happened to Bill McGill after the 1909 season. The only thing that is certain is that he settled in Alva, Oklahoma, where he lived out his days talking about his playing days with the St. Louis Browns.
HEADLINE
"BROWNS BATS CLUB CLEVELAND PITCHING ON WAY TO WIN"
FEATURED GAME
1910- In a game that last lasted under two hours, the Browns and Naps would combine for 24 hits in the St. Louis 4-3 victory over Cleveland. The Browns were led by their biggest star of the era, LF George Stone, who went 3-for-4, including a double and a run scored.
HEADLINE
"BROWNS BATS CLUB CLEVELAND PITCHING ON WAY TO WIN"
FEATURED GAME
1910- In a game that last lasted under two hours, the Browns and Naps would combine for 24 hits in the St. Louis 4-3 victory over Cleveland. The Browns were led by their biggest star of the era, LF George Stone, who went 3-for-4, including a double and a run scored. SS Bobby Wallace and 1B Pat Newman would both hit triples and score a run each. CF Al Schweitzer and RF Art Griggs would both go 2-for-4 in the game. Browns' RHP Bob Spade would only last three innings after giving up two runs on three hits. RHP Jack Powell would enter in the fourth inning and allow only one run the rest of game, earning the win.
BROWNS RECORD ON THIS DAY
Overall Record on June 29
18 Wins, 27 Losses, One Tie (.391)
1902-09: 3-3
1910-19: 4-6
1920-29: 5-4
1930-39: 4-5
1940-49: 1-7-1
1950-53: 1-2
DOUBLE HEADERS
Sweeps: 1
Splits: 2
Swept: 3
TRANSACTIONS
1935 - Browns trade INF Alan Strange to Washington for INF Lyn Lary. Strange would play parts of two seasons (34-35) with the Browns. Of his 314 MLB games, 294 were with St. Louis where he recorded 201 hits, including 37 doubles, 84 RBIs, and a 225 batting average. Lyn Lary would hit .288 over two seasons (1935-36) as a "Brownie". In 1936 he led the American League with 37 stolen bases.
DEBUTS
1911 - 1B Jimmy Duggan would earn his first start and go hitless in his four at bats. He would however drive in a run, on a ground out, in the Browns 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers
(It is not known if this Jimmy Duggan has any connection to the character Tom Hanks portrayed in the classic baseball movie, A League of their Own)
1912 - There would be two MLB debuts made in the Browns 4-3 loss to the Cleveland Naps. PH George Aton would pinch hit for RHP Mark Allison, and draw a walk. RF Walter Jantzen would get the start for the Browns and go 1-for-4 with an RBI.
1947 - 18-year old PH Perry Currin, would get his first of two MLB at bats in the Browns 6-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers. He would bat for RHP Fred Sanford in the 3rd inning, and ground out to 3B George Kell
BROWNS BIRTHDAYS
1880 - RHP Bill McGill (1907)
The 1930 St. Louis Browns would finish with a record of 64-90, and finish in sixth place in the American League. The Browns slow start to season would carryover from month to month, dropping to season low 13-21 in the month of July. The Browns would win only 31 games in the first half of the season, and managed just two more wins in the
The 1930 St. Louis Browns would finish with a record of 64-90, and finish in sixth place in the American League. The Browns slow start to season would carryover from month to month, dropping to season low 13-21 in the month of July. The Browns would win only 31 games in the first half of the season, and managed just two more wins in the second half. Thank goodness for the Chicago White Sox (62-92) and the Boston Red Sox (52-102) who both finished behind St. Louis in the standings. Of the two teams, Browns would only have a winning record of 13-9 against the Red Sox.
Season Breakdown