It was the “Big Hurt” before the “Big Hurt”. And Hank Aaron called him the toughest right-winger in the National League he has ever faced.
On Saturday morning, former Major League pitcher and pitching coach Stan Williams died at the age of 84 at his home in Laughlin, Nevada. Williams had been admitted to hospice care Feb. 11 because of the effects of cardiopulmonary disease.
Williams, who earned the nickname “Big Hurt” by intimidating batters with fast internal balls that were known to hit the occasional hitter, was a hard-hitting right-hander who threw to the Majors from 1958 to 1972. The Thomas Hall of Fame slugger will later be nicknamed, even though the pain he caused was in baseball.
Williams made his MLB debut in the Dodgers’ inaugural season in Los Angeles after his move from Brooklyn, and soon became a staple in a rotation that also featured Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Johnny Podres.
Still primarily a lifeguard in 1959, Williams helped the Dodgers win their first World Series in Los Angeles by defeating the White Sox in six games. His best season as a Dodger came in the 60s, when he posted a 3.00 ERA out of 207 1/3 innings and was named NL All-Star.
The Dodgers traded Williams to the Yankees for Bill “Moose” Skowron after the 62. campaign. Williams spent two seasons with New York before pitching for the Indians from 1965 to 69. Cleveland traded him with the Twins before the 70s season, and Williams proceeded to release an ERA of 1.99 over 68 relief appearances. His stay in Minnesota was short-lived, however, as the twins changed him during the 71st season to the Cardinals. He pitched three games for the Red Sox in ’72, his last season as a player.
Williams finished his career as a player with a 109-94 record and an ERA of 3.48. He became a pitching coach, explorer and advisor to several clubs, and was the Reds pitching coach when Cincinnati won the 1990 World Series against highly favored athletics. He was also a pitching coach for the Red Sox and Yankees.
Williams is survived by his daughter Shawn, son Stan Jr., brother Jim, three grandchildren and several great-grandchildren, nephews and nephews.