Billy Rogell William George Rogell Bats Both Throws Right Height 5'10.5 Weight 163 Born November 24, 1904 Chicago, IL Died August 9, 2003 Sterling Heights, MI (Pneumonia)

Batting  

 Year Ag Tm     G   AB    H  2B  3B  HR    R  RBI   BB    K HBP  IW  SB  CS    BA  lgBA   SLG lgSLG   TB 
+-----------+----+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+
 1928 23 PAW        23    2   1   0   0    5    4                     0      .087  .287  .130  .376    3 
 1931 26 PAW  106  287   70   9   3   8   32   35                     9   3  .244  .263  .380  .388  109 
 1932 27 PAW   60   83   20   3   0   1    5    3                     2   1  .241  .244  .313  .366   26 
 1933 28 PAW  154  551  149  36   7   1   64   46   64   16   2   7   4   2  .270  .286  .367  .411  202 
 1934 29 PAW  154  608  180  23  14   5   80   71   42   29   0   0   9   2  .296  .292  .405  .429  246 

 1935 30 PAW  154  637  160  25  12   4   72   70   49   43   1   1   2   3  .251  .282  .347  .411  221 
 1936 31 PAW  116  404  108  17   1   2   44   59   34   31   1   0   5   8  .267  .286  .329  .410  133 
 1937 32 PAW   86  215   47   7   1   3   22   22   17   14   1   0   2   2  .219  .266  .302  .414   65 
 1938 33 PAW   92   84   22   3   0   0   12    5   14    7   0   0   0   0  .262  .272  .298  .411   25 
 1939 34 PAW   43   40    8   3   0   1    6    8   11    0   0   0   0   0  .200  .277  .350  .412   14 
+-----------+----+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+
 10 Seasons   965 2932  766 127  38  25  342  323  231  140   5   8  33  21  .261  .278  .356  .408 1044
+-----------+----+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+
 154 Gm  Avg  154  468  122  20   6   4   55   52   45   27   1   2   5   3  .261  ----  .356  ----  167
 Career High  154  637  180  36  14   8   80   71   64   43   2   7   9   8  .296  ----  .405  ----  246
+-----------+----+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+
 Year Ag Tm     G   AB    H  2B  3B  HR    R  RBI   BB    K HBP  IW  SB  CS    BA  lgBA   SLG lgSLG   TB 

Shaded Text indicates partial season results.

Postseason Batting

 Year Tm  Opp WLser  G   AB    H  2B  3B  HR    R  RBI   BB    K HBP  IW  SB  CS    BA   SLG   TB 
+------------------+--+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+-----+-----+----+
 1936 PAW NDA   W    4   16    6   0   0   1    4    5    1    1   0   0   0   0  .375  .563    9
+------------------+--+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+-----+-----+----+
               1-0   4   16    6   0   0   1    4    5    1    1   0   0   0   0  .375  .563    9
+------------------+--+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+-----+-----+----+


WLser shows whether the player's team Won or Lost the series.

Appearances on Leaderboards and Awards  

Stats are Year-Value-Rank

Triples 1934-14-9 1935-12-7

Transactions January 1, 1928: Drafted 25th round (196th overall) by Pawtucket.

Biography Billy Rogell was born November 24, 1904, and orphaned at the age of 11. Growing up on the south side of Chicago in the 1910's, he dropped out of school and found work anywhere he could to help support his younger brothers. He also went and saw the White Sox whenever he could. He, like so many others, had their hearts broken when it was found that the Sox had thrown the Series. After playing semi-pro ball for a while with boys a few years older then him, he was off to Coffeyville, Kansas, and embarked on a baseball career that lasted until 1940. Rogell came up with the Boston Red Sox in 1925. After hitting .195, he went to the minors before reappearing in 1927. After two mediocre seasons, he was traded to St. Paul. Then, after a stint in Toronto, he returned to the Show with the Detroit Tigers. A talented shortstop with a strong arm, Rogell was a mainstay in Detroit throughout the 1930's. He and Charlie Gehringer made up one of the most solid combinations in the game. In 1934, batted .296 with 100 runs batted in, one of four Tigers to reach the century mark in that category. The Tigers won their first pennant in 25 years. Most impressive was the fact that the Tiger infield (Marv Owen at 3b, Rogell at ss, Gehringer at 2b, and Greenberg at 1b) themselves knocked in 462 runs. All this with Rogell playing the last month on a broken ankle. The trainer, Denny Carroll, would wrap it up with about eight rolls of tape before every game. After all, it was a pennant race, and the Depression. Rogell would not sit. Rogell was a tough but popular player. He had his fair share of scraps, including one with Hall of Fame catcher Rick Ferrell after the two collided in a play at the plate. However, Rogell is probably most known for a throw he made in the 1934 World Series. In game 4, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dizzy Dean, enjoying a day off from the mound, was sent in to pinch run at first base. When the batter hit a ground ball to Gehringer at second base, Gehringer flipped over to Rogell who was covering second. Rogell relayed the ball towards first, only to be intercepted by the forehead of one Dizzy Dean. Dean went down and was out cold, but as was reported in the next day's newspapers, X-rays of Dean's head showed nothing. Before game 5, Rogell went over to the Cardinals clubhouse and presented Dean with a steel helmet to wear the next time he was on base. After the 1939 season, Rogell, age 34, was traded to the Chicago Cubs. His dislike for manager Gabby Hartnett ("a drunk, cigar-smoking fool") forced Rogell into retirement. After his career was over, he parlayed his popularity in Detroit into a long, successful career as a Councilman for Detroit. He served from 1942 to 1980, and is responsible for, among other things, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, the Southfield Freeway (M-39) and the deposit on empty bottles. Yes, we were a tough gang. Some of us had to to keep from being run out of the ballpark. Bill Rogell, December 1994