Billy McCool

Who was Billy McCool?

William John "Billy" McCool was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played most of his seven-year career with the Cincinnati Reds and spent a year each with the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals.

He was born in Batesville, Indiana, the son of Carl McCool and Dolores McCool and went to nearby Lawrenceburg High School in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where the McCools lived. He graduated from LHS in 1962 and was signed by the Reds as an amateur free agent in 1963.

He started his pro career in 1963, playing Class-D ball for the Reds organization in Tampa, Florida and later that year made the jump to the then-Triple-A San Diego Padres.

He made his major league debut at the young age of 19 on April 24, 1964. The first batter he faced was Jesús Alou as McCool pitched two innings in relief of Al Worthington in a 15-5 Reds loss to the San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati's Crosley Field. That year he was named The Sporting News National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year.

In 1965 and 1966 he was second in the National League in saves and in 1966 he was named a National League All-Star. He appeared in a career-high 62 games in 1965.