June 9 Happy Birthday to Former Tigers or Detroit Wolverines

Billy Baldwin spent most of his time in the majors as a Tiger.  He came out of high school in Ohio and attended college at Southern University.  He attended on a baseball, football and soccer scholarship.  He was signed as a free agent by the Tigers in 1972 after his college days ended.  In 1974 he was the Florida State League MVP and with 150 hits and 12 triples.  He was up to Montgomery (AA) in 1975 and hit .301 in 78 games with 15 homers and 9 stolen bases while playing the outfield.  He moved up to Evansville (AAA) that same season and hit .306 with a homer and 3 steals in only 14 games.  Then he got his big break.  Mickey Stanley had suffered a season ending thumb injury so Billy was called up.  He got in his first big league game as the starting right fielder for the Tigers against the Yankees in Shea Stadium as Yankee Stadium was being renovated.  Billy batted third and in the 8^th he got his first big league hit, a single, off of Doc Medich.  He made two put outs in the outfield starting with a Rich Coggins fly ball in the first for the first Yankee out of the game.  He made one assist when he caught a Fred Stanley line drive and doubled up Lou Pinella who was on first.    Billy got in 30 games for the Tiges and hit .221 with 4 homers and 2 stolen bases.  At the end of the season Billy was headed back to Shea Stadium.  He was part of a block buster deal that sent Mickey Lolich and Billy to the New York Mets for Rusty Staub and Bill Laxton.  Billy would play only 9 games for the Mets in 1976 where he had the thrill of his career.  He hit a line drive, pinch hit, walk off homerun off of his former teammate, Joe Coleman.  Four days later he played in his last major league game and then it was back in the minors.  He was in the US through 1978 and was playing ball in Mexico in 1980, his last stop in pro ball.  He died in 2011 at the age of 63.