1966
BILL SHORT   P

In his six major-league seasons, left-hander Bill Short pitched for three American League teams and three National League teams. William Ross Short was born on November 27, 1937, in Kingston, New York, a city on the Hudson River about 90 miles north of New York City and 60 miles south of Albany. He attended elementary school in nearby Port Ewen, and Newburgh Free Academy (in Newburgh, New York) for high school. The Newburgh Free Academy yearbook of 1955 depicts him with the phrase “always a smile” and assigns him two nicknames: “Diamond Bill” and “Joe Sportsman.”

He completed one year at Orange County Community College. He worked his way up the ladder of minor-league ball. His first season was a partial one, after graduating high school in 1955, pitching for the Bristol Twins in the Class-D Appy League in the twin cities that spanned the Tennessee/Virginia border.

In 1956 he was advanced to Class C and started 23 games for the Monroe (Louisiana) Sports in the Evangeline League. He split the 1957 season between the Class-B Peoria Chiefs and the Class-A Binghamton Triplets.

In 1958, Short was 7-6 (3.34) in a full season for Binghamton. He had something of a breakout season, joining the New York Yankees in spring training and pitching the full year at Triple A for the Richmond Virginians. He was named an All-Star and also the International League MVP.

Short was able to work in United States Army service from October 1959 to April 1960. He came out of Fort Sam Houston and joined the New York Yankees, winning his debut game against the visiting Baltimore Orioles. Six days later, Short faced the Orioles again, in Baltimore, and threw eight innings of two-run ball, but lost the game, 2-1, in part due to six walks he issued. Then he pitched a complete-game 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.

In late May and early June, however, he suffered a strained elbow and was thrown for three losses in a row. He was sent down to Richmond. Recalled to New York in time to start the first game of a doubleheader on July 31st, he worked three more starts, winning one and losing one before being returned to Richmond once again.

In 1961 he joined the Yankees for advance spring training, but it was back to Richmond for the full season. He was placed on the disabled list with a sore elbow even before the season began, had an operation to remove bone chips and bone spurs, and was not activated until late July.

Short made it back to the majors in 1962, but this time he was pitching for Baltimore. He’d been selected by the Orioles and taken from the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft. He was in the Orioles system for the next 4 ˝ years. In 1962 his only major-league action was four innings in five early-season appearances, with no decisions and a 15.75 ERA that indicated he might benefit from further development in the minors. Baltimore’s Triple-A club was the Rochester Red Wings and he spent four seasons there.

A strong start in 1966 – again with the Red Wings, resulted in Short being called up by the Orioles. After six starts, he had a 2.87 ERA despite a 2-3 record, and the Boston Red Sox purchased his contract from the Orioles on August 15th. He’d finally made the team he cheered for as a kid.

For the Red Sox, he worked only in relief, 8 1/3 innings spread over 10 appearances with a 4.32 ERA and no decisions. On October 17th the Red Sox sold his contract outright to the Columbus farm club of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Short moved to the National League.

Short’s 1967 season started much as had 1966, with the big-league club out of spring training. He was optioned to Columbus on May 10th and spent the rest of the season there. On October 2nd, the last-place Mets took a flyer on him and purchased him from the Pirates.

Short contemplated retiring, considering a job as director of physical education for the Norwich, New York, YMCA. But he was offered a better salary by the Mets, with a guarantee that he’d earn the same salary even if they had him play in Triple A

Bill Short made the team and spent the full 1968 season with the Mets, (the most time he’d spent with any one big-league team). Short appeared in 34 games. After the season, the Mets released him outright to their Jacksonville farm club. On December 2nd he was drafted in the Rule 5 draft again, this time selected by the Cincinnati Reds.

He spent most of 1969 playing in Indianapolis, the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, save for four games in the first 13 days of June when he came up to Cincinnati. They were his last four games in the major leagues. He only faced 11 batters, over 2 1/3 innings, but gave up four earned runs. Thus ended his playing career. In January he was named minor-league pitching instructor by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Short served with the Pirates for a few years, and then left the game.  He died on Fenruary 2, 2022.