William Ashley Freehan was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire 15-year career with the Detroit Tigers.
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28 Facts About Bill Freehan
2.
Bill Freehan was the MVP runner-up for Tigers' 1968 World Series winning team, handling a pitching staff which included World Series MVP Mickey Lolich and regular season MVP Denny McLain, who went on to become the first 30-game winner in the majors since 1934.
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3.
Bill Freehan was raised in Royal Oak, Michigan, until he was 14 years old, when his family relocated to St Petersburg, Florida.
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4.
Bill Freehan attended Bishop Barry High School, graduating in 1959.
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5.
Bill Freehan initially intended to study at the University of Notre Dame, but did not want to choose between playing football or baseball.
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6.
Bill Freehan consequently enrolled at the University of Michigan on an athletic scholarship, where he played as catcher on its baseball team and linebacker and end on its football team.
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7.
Bill Freehan signed with his hometown Tigers in 1961 for a $100,000 bonus, which his father withheld until he graduated from college in 1966.
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8.
Bill Freehan broke in briefly with four games at the end of the 1961 season before returning to the minors in 1962.
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9.
Bill Freehan led the league in both intentional walks and times hit by pitch, leading to a career-high.
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10.
Bill Freehan finished third in the MVP voting after Detroit finished one game behind the Boston Red Sox for the AL pennant.
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11.
Bill Freehan had an even better year in 1968 as he was considered the quiet leader of the 1968 World Series championship squad.
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12.
Bill Freehan broke his own records with 971 putouts and 1,050 total chances, marks which remained league records until Dan Wilson topped them with the 1997 Seattle Mariners.
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13.
Bill Freehan was hit by 24 pitches, the most in the AL since Kid Elberfeld in 1911.
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14.
Bill Freehan capped his season by recording the final out of the World Series against the St Louis Cardinals, retiring Tim McCarver on a popup.
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15.
Bill Freehan moved back behind the plate the following year to earn his 11th All-Star berth.
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16.
Bill Freehan led all AL catchers in fielding percentage four times.
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17.
Bill Freehan ranked sixth in American League history with 114 times being hit by a pitch.
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18.
Bill Freehan caught more games than any other player in Tigers' team history.
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19.
Bill Freehan caught 114 shutouts during his career, ranking him 18th all-time among major league catchers.
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20.
In 1969, Bill Freehan penned "Behind the Mask", a diary-type recording of his thoughts and experiences as seen from the catcher's perspective.
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21.
In 1978, Bill Freehan was one of seven members of the inaugural class of inductees to the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor.
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22.
Bill Freehan served as a color commentator for Seattle Mariners broadcasts from 1979 to 1980, and for Tigers broadcasts on PASS Sports television from 1984 to 1985.
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23.
Bill Freehan subsequently returned to the University of Michigan as head coach of the baseball team from 1989 to 1995.
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24.
Bill Freehan went back to the Tigers as a catching instructor in 2002, serving in that capacity for three seasons before retiring.
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25.
Bill Freehan was the sister of Dan O'Brien and they met while in high school.
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26.
Bill Freehan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in his later years.
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27.
In October 2018, it was revealed Bill Freehan was in hospice care at his home in Northern Michigan.
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28.
Bill Freehan died on August 19,2021, from the disease at the age of 79.
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