HR0993 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0993 LRB097 21161 KXB 68704 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor Chicago White Sox legend Billy Pierce for his baseball career and continuing humanitarian work; and

WHEREAS, Billy Pierce was born in Detroit on April 2, 1927; he played baseball for Highland Park (Michigan) High School; he came to the Chicago White Sox in a trade with the Detroit Tigers on November 10, 1948; and

WHEREAS, During his major league career, he accumulated the following awards and stellar statistics: 211 wins; 1,999 strikeouts; 193 complete games; a 3.27 earned run average; 38 shutouts; and 5 one-hitters; he is the White Sox career leader in strikeouts with 1,796; he was the starting pitcher for the American League in the 1953, 1955, and 1956 All-Star games, and was a member of the American League All-Star team in 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, and 1961; he was the 1956 and 1957 Sporting News Pitcher of the Year; he accumulated more wins than any other pitcher for the Chicago White Sox during the 1950s; his 182 wins are the most wins of any lefty in White Sox history; he pitched 39 and 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings for the White Sox in 1953; in 1955, he had an earned run average of 1.97; with the exception of 1954, he had at least 14 wins every season from 1951 to 1960; and

WHEREAS, He is considered to be one of the greatest pitchers in Chicago White Sox history; in addition to his 7 all-star selections in the 13 years he spent with the White Sox, he won 186 games and struck out 1,796 batters; as a member of the 1959 American League Champion White Sox, he threw 4 scoreless innings out of the bullpen during the World Series; he was also a member of World Series teams in Detroit in 1945 and San Francisco in 1962; in the 1962 3 game National League playoff against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was the winning pitcher in game one over Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, throwing a 3-hit shutout and saving game 3 by pitching a perfect ninth inning; in game 6 of the 1962 World Series, he again only gave up 3 hits in a complete game victory over Hall of Famer Whitey Ford and the New York Yankees, forcing a seventh game; he retired from baseball in 1964; and

WHEREAS, He continues to serve as an ambassador for the White Sox organization, appearing at various community events on its behalf; and

WHEREAS, He is also known for his continuous work raising money for the Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities, raising over $13 million for the organization, which has gone toward cancer patient care, education, and research programs; and

WHEREAS, He played his last 3 seasons with the Giants, but moved his family back to Chicago, where he owned an automobile dealership for 2 years, worked as a stockbroker, and was an unofficial scout for the White Sox; he later worked for and retired from Continental Envelope Company; and

WHEREAS, In 1987, the Chicago White Sox retired his number 19; upon Nellie Fox's selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Nellie Fox Society was renamed the Billy Pierce Society, in part to create awareness of the fact that Billy Pierce belongs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame; in 2007, a bronze likeness of Billy Pierce was unveiled at U.S. Cellular Field; and

WHEREAS, He and his wife of over 60 years, Gloria, have 3 children, Bill, Patti, and Bob; and 5 grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare May 16, 2012 as Billy Pierce Day in the State of Illinois in honor of his baseball career and continuing humanitarian work; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Billy Pierce as a symbol of our respect and esteem.