Bill Slack
Encyclopedia
William Henry Slack is a retired Canadian
baseball
pitcher
, manager
and coach
, and a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
. Although he never played Major League Baseball
, Slack spent 50 years at the minor league
level, and was a longtime member of the Boston Red Sox
and Atlanta Braves
organizations. In his playing days, he threw right-handed, batted left-handed, stood 5 in 10 in (1.78 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79.4 kg).
A former minor pro hockey
player who toiled in the Montreal Canadiens
' organization, Slack signed with the Red Sox in 1952, and won 15 games in his rookie season for the Roanoke Red Sox of the Class B Piedmont League
. Slack then joined the Albany Senators
of the Class A Eastern League, posting a sparkling 2.22 earned run average
in 1954 and winning 16 games (losing 7) with a 2.24 ERA in 1957. He reached the highest minor league level with the San Francisco Seals and the Seattle Rainiers
of the Pacific Coast League
and the Louisville Colonels, Indianapolis Indians
and Minneapolis Millers
of the American Association
, but pitched in only 70 games over parts of five seasons with those teams. All told, Slack won 79 games and lost 63 (.556) with a 3.45 ERA as a pitcher in the minor leagues. He also was an accomplished batter in those pre-designated hitter
days, batting
.361 for the 1952 Roanoke club.
In 1961, Slack began a 24-year career as a manager and roving minor league pitching instructor in the Red Sox farm system. He spent much of that time with the Winston-Salem Red Sox, Boston's Class A Carolina League
affiliate, managing them from 1963-68, 1970, 1973-74, 1978-79 and 1983-84, and winning four pennants. He also led the Bristol Red Sox
to the Class AA Eastern League championship in 1975 as a late-season replacement for manager Dick McAuliffe
, who had been recalled to Boston as an active player. He won 1,120 games and lost 1,065 (.513) as a manager in the Boston system (not counting his Bristol tenure).
Slack, who had become a full-time resident of Winston-Salem
, joined the Braves in 1985 when the Red Sox left the Carolina League. He served as a minor league pitching coach for Atlanta farm clubs at the Class A and AA levels for another 14 years, through 1998. After two years in retirement, he briefly managed the Savannah Sand Gnats
of the Class A South Atlantic League
in 2001, and was the pitching coach of the Wilmington Blue Rocks
for two seasons.
Slack was named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. The Winston-Salem Dash in his adopted city present the Bill Slack Community Service Award every year in his honor.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
, manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
and coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
, and a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museums commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.-History:...
. Although he never played Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, Slack spent 50 years at the minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
level, and was a longtime member of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
and Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
organizations. In his playing days, he threw right-handed, batted left-handed, stood 5 in 10 in (1.78 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79.4 kg).
A former minor pro hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who toiled in the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
' organization, Slack signed with the Red Sox in 1952, and won 15 games in his rookie season for the Roanoke Red Sox of the Class B Piedmont League
Piedmont League
The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States.- Former :...
. Slack then joined the Albany Senators
Albany Senators (minor league baseball)
The Albany Senators was the name of an American minor league baseball franchise representing Albany, New York, that existed between 1885 and 1959...
of the Class A Eastern League, posting a sparkling 2.22 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 1954 and winning 16 games (losing 7) with a 2.24 ERA in 1957. He reached the highest minor league level with the San Francisco Seals and the Seattle Rainiers
Seattle Rainiers
The Seattle Rainiers, originally named the Seattle Indians and also known as the Seattle Angels, were a minor league baseball team in Seattle, Washington, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903-06 and 1919-68...
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
and the Louisville Colonels, Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
and Minneapolis Millers
Minneapolis Millers
The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, until 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League.The team played first in Athletic Park and later Nicollet Park.The name Minneapolis...
of the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
, but pitched in only 70 games over parts of five seasons with those teams. All told, Slack won 79 games and lost 63 (.556) with a 3.45 ERA as a pitcher in the minor leagues. He also was an accomplished batter in those pre-designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
days, batting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.361 for the 1952 Roanoke club.
In 1961, Slack began a 24-year career as a manager and roving minor league pitching instructor in the Red Sox farm system. He spent much of that time with the Winston-Salem Red Sox, Boston's Class A Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
affiliate, managing them from 1963-68, 1970, 1973-74, 1978-79 and 1983-84, and winning four pennants. He also led the Bristol Red Sox
Bristol Red Sox
The Bristol Red Sox was name of an American minor league baseball franchise. Based in Bristol, Connecticut, it was the Double-A Eastern League farm system affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for ten seasons, 1973 through 1982, and played at Muzzy Field....
to the Class AA Eastern League championship in 1975 as a late-season replacement for manager Dick McAuliffe
Dick McAuliffe
Richard John McAuliffe is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop and second baseman for the Detroit Tigers from to and for the Boston Red Sox from to . He was a part of the Tigers' 1968 World Series championship, and was known for his...
, who had been recalled to Boston as an active player. He won 1,120 games and lost 1,065 (.513) as a manager in the Boston system (not counting his Bristol tenure).
Slack, who had become a full-time resident of Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
, joined the Braves in 1985 when the Red Sox left the Carolina League. He served as a minor league pitching coach for Atlanta farm clubs at the Class A and AA levels for another 14 years, through 1998. After two years in retirement, he briefly managed the Savannah Sand Gnats
Savannah Sand Gnats
The Savannah Sand Gnats are a minor league baseball team in Savannah, Georgia and are a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. Since the 2007 season, the Sand Gnats have been an affiliate of the New York Mets.-History:...
of the Class A South Atlantic League
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...
in 2001, and was the pitching coach of the Wilmington Blue Rocks
Wilmington Blue Rocks
The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team located in Wilmington, Delaware. The Blue Rocks play in the Northern Division of the Carolina League.-Franchise history:...
for two seasons.
Slack was named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. The Winston-Salem Dash in his adopted city present the Bill Slack Community Service Award every year in his honor.