Billy Hatcher (baseball player)
Encyclopedia
William Augustus Hatcher (born October 4, 1960) is a former left
and center fielder
in Major League Baseball
player for the Chicago Cubs
, Houston Astros
, Pittsburgh Pirates
, Cincinnati Reds
, Boston Red Sox
, Philadelphia Phillies
and Texas Rangers
, and former first base coach for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
. Hatcher is currently first base coach for the Reds.
where as a junior at he pitched an 11- inning no-hitter. After high school Hatcher played for Yavapai Community College in Prescott, Arizona
, where he was a junior college All-America
selection.
. He rose quickly through the Cubs' minor league system, playing exactly one season at each minor league level before receiving a late-season call-up to the major league club in 1984. He split time between AAA and the Cubs during the 1985 season before being traded to the Astros along with Steve Engel
for Jerry Mumphrey
.
Hatcher would be the Astros' starting left fielder for the next 3½ seasons and is remembered by Astros fans for hitting one of the most dramatic post-season home runs ever in the 14th inning of Game 6 of the Astros' 1986 National League Championship Series vs the New York Mets
' Jesse Orosco
, temporarily saving the Astros from elimination.
Hatcher had his best statistical season in 1987, when he opened the season with a 16-game hitting streak and led the Astros in hitting (.296) and had career highs in stolen bases (53, 3rd in the National League
), home runs (11) and RBI (63). His most dubious achievement came that season as well, as he received a 10-game suspension for bat corking
. Hatcher later explained that he had borrowed the bat from relief pitcher Dave Smith. Hatcher broke several of his own, uncorked bats in games leading up to the incident, and he continues to maintain his innocence.
Near the end of the 1989 season, the struggling Astros traded Hatcher to the Pirates for Glenn Wilson
. He played just 27 games for Pittsburgh before being traded to the Reds for Jeff Richardson and Mike Roesler. Hatcher had a memorable season in 1990 for the Reds when he stole 30 bases during their closely contested 1990 pennant run. On August 21, 1990, he tied the major league record against the Cubs with four doubles in one game. He ended up leading National League outfielders in fielding percentage (.997) on the season.
The best hitting performance of Hatcher's career was timely, coming during the 1990 World Series
against the Oakland Athletics
. During the 1990 post-season he hit .519 overall (14-for-27), including a World Series record .750 in the four-game World Series sweep over the heavily-favored A's. This mark broke a 62-year-old World Series record that was previously held by Babe Ruth
(.625 in 1928
). Hatcher also set records for most consecutive hits in a series (7) and most doubles in a four-game series (4). Despite his torrid hitting, Hatcher was not named the Series Most Valuable Player
, that going to Reds pitcher José Rijo
, who had a nearly perfect series of his own. Hatcher finished his career with a remarkable .404 postseason batting average in 14 games.
Hatcher was traded to the Red Sox for Tom Bolton
in the middle of the 1992 season and, on August 3 of that season while with the Red Sox, stole home against the Toronto Blue Jays
' Juan Guzmán. He was the Red Sox' starter in center field for the 1993 season before finishing his career as a reserve for the Phillies and Rangers before retiring following the 1995 season.
Overall, Hatcher played 12 seasons in the Major Leagues. He finished his career with a .264 career batting average in 1,233 games.
organization, first as a roving minor-league instructor (1996), then as a minor-league coach for 1997 Florida State League
champion St. Petersburg. Hatcher spent the next eight seasons as a member of the Rays' Major League coaching staff (1998–2005) as the first-base coach (1998–99, 2003–05), bench coach (2001–02), and third-base coach (2000). He holds the distinction of being the only coach to work for the Rays in each of the club's first eight years of existence.
, and is currently the starting safety for the University of Richmond
football team. His wife's name is Karen and he also has a daughter, Chelsea, who plays soccer at the University of Tennessee. She was selected to the All-SEC first team in 2010.
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
and center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player for the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, and former first base coach for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
. Hatcher is currently first base coach for the Reds.
Pre-MLB career
In 1979 graduated from Williams High School in Williams, ArizonaWilliams, Arizona
Williams is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States west of Flagstaff. Its population was 2,842 at the 2000 census; according to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,094. It lies on the route of Historic Route 66, Interstate 40, and the Southwest Chief Amtrak...
where as a junior at he pitched an 11- inning no-hitter. After high school Hatcher played for Yavapai Community College in Prescott, Arizona
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....
, where he was a junior college All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
selection.
Professional playing career
Hatcher was drafted by the Cubs in the sixth round of the January 1981 MLB draftMLB Draft
The First-Year Player Draft, also known as the Rule 4 Draft, is Major League Baseball's primary mechanism for assigning amateur baseball players, from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs, to its teams. The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings, with...
. He rose quickly through the Cubs' minor league system, playing exactly one season at each minor league level before receiving a late-season call-up to the major league club in 1984. He split time between AAA and the Cubs during the 1985 season before being traded to the Astros along with Steve Engel
Steve Engel
Steven Michael Engel is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.He attended Eastern Kentucky University, where he played for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels baseball team....
for Jerry Mumphrey
Jerry Mumphrey
Jerry Wayne Mumphrey is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , San Diego Padres , New York Yankees , Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs ....
.
Hatcher would be the Astros' starting left fielder for the next 3½ seasons and is remembered by Astros fans for hitting one of the most dramatic post-season home runs ever in the 14th inning of Game 6 of the Astros' 1986 National League Championship Series vs the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
' Jesse Orosco
Jesse Orosco
Jesse Russell Orosco is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who holds the major league record for career pitching appearances. He pitched most notably for the New York Mets in the 1980s. He won a World Series in 1986 with the Mets and in 1988 with the Dodgers. He threw left-handed,...
, temporarily saving the Astros from elimination.
Hatcher had his best statistical season in 1987, when he opened the season with a 16-game hitting streak and led the Astros in hitting (.296) and had career highs in stolen bases (53, 3rd in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
), home runs (11) and RBI (63). His most dubious achievement came that season as well, as he received a 10-game suspension for bat corking
Corked bat
In baseball, a corked bat is a specially modified baseball bat that has been filled with cork or other lighter, less dense substances to make the bat lighter without losing much power. A lighter bat gives a hitter a quicker swing and may improve the hitter's timing...
. Hatcher later explained that he had borrowed the bat from relief pitcher Dave Smith. Hatcher broke several of his own, uncorked bats in games leading up to the incident, and he continues to maintain his innocence.
Near the end of the 1989 season, the struggling Astros traded Hatcher to the Pirates for Glenn Wilson
Glenn Wilson (baseball)
Glenn Dwight Wilson is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He was selected in the 1st round of the 1980 amateur draft by the Detroit Tigers, and made his Major League debut in a Tigers uniform on April 15, 1982...
. He played just 27 games for Pittsburgh before being traded to the Reds for Jeff Richardson and Mike Roesler. Hatcher had a memorable season in 1990 for the Reds when he stole 30 bases during their closely contested 1990 pennant run. On August 21, 1990, he tied the major league record against the Cubs with four doubles in one game. He ended up leading National League outfielders in fielding percentage (.997) on the season.
The best hitting performance of Hatcher's career was timely, coming during the 1990 World Series
1990 World Series
- Game 1 :Tuesday, October 16, 1990 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, OhioUntil , this was the last World Series to be scheduled to begin play on a Tuesday, and the first since . The schedule called for the seven-game series to be held Tue–Wed, Fri–Sat–Sun, Tue–Wed. Games 5, 6, and 7, however...
against the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
. During the 1990 post-season he hit .519 overall (14-for-27), including a World Series record .750 in the four-game World Series sweep over the heavily-favored A's. This mark broke a 62-year-old World Series record that was previously held by Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
(.625 in 1928
1928 World Series
In the 1928 World Series, the New York Yankees swept the St. Louis Cardinals in four games. Along with , this was the first time a team had swept consecutive Series....
). Hatcher also set records for most consecutive hits in a series (7) and most doubles in a four-game series (4). Despite his torrid hitting, Hatcher was not named the Series Most Valuable Player
World Series MVP Award
The World Series Most Valuable Player Award is given to the player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the World Series, which is the final round of the Major League Baseball postseason...
, that going to Reds pitcher José Rijo
José Rijo
José Antonio Rijo Abreu is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who spent the majority of his career with the Cincinnati Reds .-Playing career:...
, who had a nearly perfect series of his own. Hatcher finished his career with a remarkable .404 postseason batting average in 14 games.
Hatcher was traded to the Red Sox for Tom Bolton
Tom Bolton (baseball)
Thomas Edward Bolton is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Boston Red Sox , Cincinnati Reds , Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles . He batted and threw left-handed...
in the middle of the 1992 season and, on August 3 of that season while with the Red Sox, stole home against the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
' Juan Guzmán. He was the Red Sox' starter in center field for the 1993 season before finishing his career as a reserve for the Phillies and Rangers before retiring following the 1995 season.
Overall, Hatcher played 12 seasons in the Major Leagues. He finished his career with a .264 career batting average in 1,233 games.
Coaching career
In 2011, Billy Hatcher entered his sixth season as a Major League coach with the Reds organization. He works as first-base, outfield, and baserunning coach. Prior to joining the Reds, he spent ten seasons in the Tampa Bay RaysTampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
organization, first as a roving minor-league instructor (1996), then as a minor-league coach for 1997 Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
champion St. Petersburg. Hatcher spent the next eight seasons as a member of the Rays' Major League coaching staff (1998–2005) as the first-base coach (1998–99, 2003–05), bench coach (2001–02), and third-base coach (2000). He holds the distinction of being the only coach to work for the Rays in each of the club's first eight years of existence.
Personal
Hatcher's son, Derek, was Florida's 2004 Class A Player of the Year in football at Berkley Prep in Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, and is currently the starting safety for the University of Richmond
Richmond Spiders
The Richmond Spiders represent the University of Richmond, a member of the NCAA's Division I and a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference for all sports except football and women's golf, which participate as members of the Colonial Athletic Association....
football team. His wife's name is Karen and he also has a daughter, Chelsea, who plays soccer at the University of Tennessee. She was selected to the All-SEC first team in 2010.