Billy Williams is one of those players who fell short of some magical milestones in his career, which helps keep the price of his bats in a more affordable range compared to some of his contemporaries like Roberto Clemente or Willie Mays. That said, his offensive excellence with the bat was abundantly clear. Williams, who played most of his Hall of Fame career for the Chicago Cubs, wore several different uniform numbers during his playing days. In addition to "26," the number he made famous as a member of the Cubbies, Williams also wore "4" and "41" (Cubs) and "7" and "28" (Oakland A's). His uniform number is often found on the knobs of his Cubs-era gamers in relatively small numerals, as was the norm for that team.
Yosh Kawano, the Chicago equipment manager during the 1960s and 1970s, would often mark the barrels with the model number and sometimes the length of Cubs bats. These barrel notations have become known as "Yosh" marks in the hobby and are desired by hobbyists. Williams was also an avid user of pine tar. On well-used Williams gamers, you will often find a concentrated application or remnants on the upper handle area. It is similar to the pattern seen on Joe Morgan gamers from the same era (1960s/1970s).
Finally, it is clear that Williams preferred H&B bats throughout his career. Williams signed an endorsem*nt contract with the company very early on, producing a signature model, prior to his first full season in 1961.
Billy Leo Williams (June 15, 1938-) held the National League record of consecutive games played (1,117) before if was topped by Steve Garvey (1,207), and included leading the NL in games played five times, missing only 28 games from 1962-1973. Billy possessed a sweet-smooth swing that helped him win the 1961 National League Rookie of the Year Award and garnered him six All-Star game selections. Sweet-swinging Billy Williams played 18 seasons for the Chicago Cubs (1959-1974) and the Oakland A’s (1975-1976). He learned his signature sweet swing from Hall of Fame legend Rogers Hornsby. Billy was among fellow Cubs Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins and Ernie Banks and fan favorite Ron Santo who never played in the World Series. His only postseason experience came with the 1975 A’s who lost the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox. His finest season came in 1972 when he won the NL batting title with a .333 average adding 191 hits including 37 home runs and 122 RBI. Billy Williams retired with 2,711 hits, 1,410 runs scored, 426 home runs, 1,475 RBI and a .290 career batting average. Billy Leo Williams was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.
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