Bill McCahan
Glenn McCahan | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 7, 1921 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | July 3, 1986 (aged 65) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Professional baseball pitcher, professional basketball player |
| Years active | 1942–1952 (baseball), 1940s (basketball) |
| Known for | Pitching a no-hitter for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1947 |
William Glenn McCahan (June 7, 1921 – July 3, 1986) was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1946 to 1949. Hailing from Philadelphia, he measured and weighed . A graduate of Duke University, McCahan served as a second lieutenant pilot in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Additionally, he competed professionally in basketball with the Syracuse Nationals of the National Basketball League.
Early baseball career
McCahan launched his professional baseball journey in 1942 with the Class B Wilmington Blue Rocks prior to his military service. After World War II, he resumed playing in 1946 with the Triple-A Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League, where he secured 11 wins out of 18 decisions and posted a 2.76 earned run average. This performance earned him a late-season promotion to the Athletics. In his major league debut on September 15, 1946, he pitched a two-hit shutout against the Cleveland Indians, allowing seven hits and three walks. His final start that season resulted in a seven-inning complete game loss to the New York Yankees, shortened due to Philadelphia’s Sunday curfew.
Following his debut, McCahan had a solid rookie campaign in 1947, achieving ten victories against five defeats, completing ten games, and maintaining a 3.32 ERA as part of an enhanced pitching rotation for the Athletics.
No-hit effort
The pinnacle of McCahan’s 1947 season came on September 3, when he threw a no-hitter against the Washington Senators, securing a 3–0 win at Shibe Park. The only blemish occurred in the second inning with one out, when Athletics' first baseman Ferris Fain committed a throwing error that allowed Stan Spence to advance to second base—preventing a perfect game.
Interestingly, earlier that same year, McCahan had been the losing pitcher during Cleveland’s Don Black no-hitter; this rare sequence would not be repeated until Tim Lincecum experienced it in 2013. Furthermore, McCahan’s no-hitter was the last recorded by an Athletics pitcher until Catfish Hunter's perfect game in 1968, after the franchise had relocated to Oakland through Kansas City.
Late career
In the offseason between 1947 and 1948, McCahan sustained a shoulder injury while lifting barrels at an oil company job, which significantly hampered his performance during the 1948 season and affected his major league tenure. That year, he recorded a 4–7 win-loss mark with a 5.71 ERA. In 1949, he appeared in just twelve games—five of which were at Triple-A—before being traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers. He spent three subsequent seasons within their minor league system but did not return to major league action beyond an invitation to spring training in 1950.
Across four MLB seasons and 57 appearances, McCahan compiled a 16–14 record with a 3.84 ERA. He allowed 297 hits and issued 145 walks over innings pitched while striking out 76 batters. His career included 17 complete games and two shutouts among his total of 40 starts.
After playing for the Double-A Fort Worth Cats, McCahan made Fort Worth, Texas his permanent home. He married locally and worked for General Dynamics Corporation for twenty-six years before passing away from cancer at age sixty-five. His final resting place is Greenwood Memorial Park in Fort Worth.
See also
External links
- Comprehensive NBL statistics can be accessed through the downloadable database on BBALLSports.com