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Red Sox scout Denny Galehouse saw Bill Schlesinger play for a sandlot team in Cincinnati and signed him for the 1964 season. In his first season of pro ball in 1964 with the Wellsville Red Sox of the New York-Penn League, he batted .341 ... In June, when he hit .382 with 10 homers and 31 RBIs. Expectations were tempered after Schlesinger failed to hit .200 in the Florida Instructional League that winter. Fortunately for Schlesinger, he had a great spring in 1965 and it reignited hopes that he was the next Tony Conigliaro. He made just one appearance with the Red Sox, and it came against the California Angels on May 4, 1965, pinch hitting for Dave Morehead. He grounded back to the pitcher. Days later, the Red Sox placed Schlesinger on waivers, and he was claimed by the Kansas City Athletics. He spent the rest of 1965 on a couple of different Class-A teams. In 1969 Schlesinger was hit in the face by a Tucson pitcher. Once again, he was following in the footsteps of Tony Conigliaro whether he wanted to or not. The pitch left him with partial vision loss. He attempted a brief comeback with the Pittsburgh Pirates in spring training in 1971, but he struck out five times in seven at-bats. Bill Schlesinger played for seven years in the minors, batted .270 and died on August 13, 2023 at the age of 81. |
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