Bill Atkinson (baseball)

William Cecil Glenn Atkinson (born October 4, 1954 in Chatham, Ontario, Canada) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. The 5'7", 165 lb. right-hander was signed by the Montreal Expos as an amateur free agent on October 4, 1971, and he played for them from 1976 to 1979.

Atkinson made his major league debut against the St. Louis Cardinals on September 18, 1976 at Jarry Park. He entered game 1 of the doubleheader in the top of the 4th with Montreal trailing 4-0, and he proceeded to hurl three scoreless innings of relief before being lifted for a pinch hitter. He had allowed three hits, struck out one, and walked no one.

1977 was the only season in which Atkinson spent the entire year with the Expos. In his other three seasons he spent a good part of the year with the Denver Bears of the American Association. In '77 he appeared in 55 games for Montreal with a record of 7-2, 7 saves, and an earned run average of 3.35.

Career totals include 98 games pitched, an 11-4 record, 0 games started, 49 games finished, 11 saves, 99 strikeouts and 62 walks in 147.1 innings pitched, and an ERA of 3.42. At the plate he was 3-for-10 (.300) with one run batted in.

Atkinson was purchased by the Chicago White Sox on December 12, 1979 but never again reached the major league level.

Career highlight

* Atkinson pitched scoreless ball in the 12th, 13th, and 14th innings and got his first major league hit and second win in a 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. {Olympic Stadium -- April 18, 1977}

See also

* Montreal Expos all-time roster
* List of Major League Baseball players from Canada

External links

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/a/atkinbi01.shtml Baseball-Reference]
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Patkib101.htm Retrosheet]