William David Parker (January 14, 1942 – February 9, 2003) was a professional baseball player who played parts of three seasons for the California Angels of Major League Baseball. He is the first player to hit a walk-off homer in his major league debut, doing so on September 9, 1971 for the Angels.
| Billy Parker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born: January 14, 1942 Hayneville, Alabama | |
| Died: February 9, 2003 (aged 61) Sun City West, Arizona | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 9, 1971, for the California Angels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1973, for the California Angels | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .222 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs batted in | 21 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Parker's professional baseball career began in 1961 with the Negro league Indianapolis Clowns, where he played through 1964.[1][2] He was selected by the New York Yankees from the Salt Lake City Angels in the Rule 5 draft on December 3, 1973.[3]
References
edit- ^ Bradford Lee (June 11, 2020). "History of the Negro Leagues, Part Five". royalsreview.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "Negro League Players Who Made the Major Leagues" (PDF). Center for Negro League Baseball Research. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ Durso, Joseph. "4 Trades Made at Meetings," The New York Times, Tuesday, December 4, 1973. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)