Bill Lamar

William Harmong Lamar [Good Time Bill] (March 21, 1897 – May 24, 1970) was a left fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1917 through 1927 for the New York Yankees (1917–1919), Boston Red Sox (1919), Brooklyn Robins (1920–1921), and Philadelphia Athletics (1924–1927). Listed at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), 185 lb., Lamar batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Rockville, Maryland.

In a nine-season career, Lamar was a .310 hitter (633-for-2040) with 19 home runs and 245 RBI in 550 games, including 303 runs, 114 doubles, 23 triples, 25 stolen bases, and a 1.10 walk-to-strikeout ratio (86-to-78).

Lamar died in Rockport, Massachusetts at age 73.

Highlights

• In 1925 posted career-highs with a .356 average (7th in American League), 202 hits, 85 runs, 77 RBI and 50 extrabases, including a 28-game hitting-streak.
• Appeared in the 1920 World Series.

Fact

• As his nickname indicates, he often tested the patience of his managers. After his career-year for the Athletics, he was traded to the Washington Senators before the 1928 season. When he refused to report with a salary raise, he was suspended for the rest of the year and never appeared in a Major League game again.

Sources

• Baseball Library

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Retrosheet