Bill Spiers

Who is Bill Spiers?

William James Spiers III is a former infielder in Major League Baseball who played primarily as a shortstop and third baseman from 1989 to 2001. He was also a punter for Clemson University. He was a first round draft pick in the 1987 amateur draft. He debuted in the majors two years later with the Milwaukee Brewers on April 7, 1989.

On September 24, 1999, while playing with the Houston Astros, Spiers was attacked by a 23-year-old man while standing in the outfield before the bottom of the 6th inning. Teammate Mike Hampton was first on the scene and delivered several kicks to the attacker. He was later quoted saying "The good thing was he didn't have a weapon... I always check right field before I deliver the first pitch. It's just a habit. I looked out there and saw the guy on Billy's back... It was a scary thing. My instincts just took over. My rage took over. I was pretty furious. I wanted to get him off my teammate." After being arrested the attacker faced two counts of battery and one count of disorderly conduct. Spiers wound up with a welt under his left eye, a bloody nose and whiplash.

On May 21, 2007 Spiers was inducted into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame.