# Billy Shantz

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**Wilmer Ebert Shantz** (July 31, 1927 – December 13, 1993) was an American professional [baseball](/source/Baseball) [catcher](/source/Catcher) and [manager](/source/Manager_(baseball)). He appeared in 131 [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) (MLB) [games](/source/Games_played), 130 of them for the 1954–55 [Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics](/source/Oakland_Athletics) and one for the 1960 [New York Yankees](/source/New_York_Yankees). His older brother, [Bobby](/source/Bobby_Shantz), a [left-handed](/source/Left-handed) [pitcher](/source/Pitcher), played in the Majors for 16 seasons (1949–64) and was the [Most Valuable Player](/source/Most_Valuable_Player_(baseball)) in the [American League](/source/American_League) in . In contrast to his diminutive brother Bobby, who stood 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) tall, Billy Shantz was listed as 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 160 pounds (73 kg). He batted and threw [right-handed](/source/Right-handed).

Born in [Pottstown, Pennsylvania](/source/Pottstown,_Pennsylvania), Shantz began his pro career in 1948 in the Athletics' [farm system](/source/Farm_system) and played continuously through 1962, including his two full seasons in MLB. He was the second-string catcher and a teammate of his elder brother's during the Athletics' last season in [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia) and their first year in [Kansas City](/source/Kansas_City,_Missouri), [hitting](/source/Batting_average_(baseball)) .256 and .258 and collecting two [home runs](/source/Home_runs) among his 98 total [hits](/source/Hit_(baseball)). In 1959, he followed Bobby to the Yankees' organization, where he played at the [Triple-A](/source/Triple-A_(baseball)) level and appeared in one big-league game, on June 29, 1960, against the Athletics, as a defensive replacement. In relief of [Yogi Berra](/source/Yogi_Berra), he caught the final [inning](/source/Inning_(baseball)) of [Jim Coates](/source/Jim_Coates)' 10–0 [shutout](/source/Shutout_(baseball)) victory and did not have a [plate appearance](/source/Plate_appearance).[1]

Shantz served as a [player-manager](/source/Player-manager) in Panama.[2]

Billy Shantz played 1,181 [minor league](/source/Minor_league_baseball) games over 16 total seasons, including a stint as a playing coach in 1966. He also managed in the Yankee farm system for four seasons (1963; 1967–69). He died at age 66 in [Lauderhill, Florida](/source/Lauderhill,_Florida).

## References

1. ["New York Yankees 10, Kansas City Athletics 0"](http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1960/B06290NYA1960.htm). [Retrosheet](/source/Retrosheet). Retrieved 7 January 2018.

1. Hernández, Lou (29 April 2013). [*Memories of Winter Ball: Interviews with Players in the Latin American Winter Leagues of the 1950s*](https://books.google.com/books?id=Pkb0gLLZGCoC). McFarland. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-7864-7141-6. Retrieved 15 September 2021.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Billy Shantz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Shantz) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Shantz?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.