DICKEY, BILL

born June 6, 1907, Bastrop, La., U.S. died Nov. 12, 1993, Little Rock, Ark. byname of William Malcolm Dickey professional baseball catcher who played for the American League New York Yankees (192843, 1946) and competed in eight World Series, seven of which the Yankees won. Dickey played sandlot ball as a boy, first as a pitcher. The Yankees signed him to a contract in 1925 and after three seasons of minor league play brought him up to the parent club in 1928. Dickey threw right-handed and batted left-handed and had a .313 lifetime batting average. As a catcher he was consistent and durable, catching 100 games or more per season in 192941 and leading American League catchers in fielding for six seasons. He had a fine knowledge of batters and could catch all varieties of pitches. Dickey was at his best in big games: he caught every inning of his 38 World Series games and had a series average of .400 (.438 in the 1932 series). After retiring as a player he was player-manager (1946), catching coach (1949), and scout and coach (195960). In 1954 he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Later he sold securities in Little Rock, Ark.