Bill Steen

William John Steen (November 11, 1887 - March 13, 1979) was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played four years with the Cleveland Indians (1912-1915) and Detroit Tigers (1915).

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Steen attended Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, before playing professional baseball. Steen debuted with the Indians on April 15, 1912 and had a 23-31 record in four seasons with the team.

Steen was Cleveland's #4 starter in 1912, but suffered a broken wrist in 1913. He won 30 games for the Portland Beavers in the Pacific Coast League in 1911 and posted a 1.55 ERA for the San Francisco Seals (also in the PCL) in 1915.

In June 1915, the Detroit Tigers were in a tight pennant race with the Boston Red Sox, but needed pitching help. They purchased Steen from the Indians. Steen played in 20 games for the 1915 Tigers (including seven as a starter), compiling a record of 5-1 with a 2.72 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 111) in 79.3 innings pitched. The 1915 Tigers wound up winning 100 games (the best record in the team's history) but finished in second place to the Red Sox who won 101 games. Steen pitched his last major league game on August 22, 1915.

Steen died in Signal Hill, Pennsylvania at age 91 in 1979.

External links

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/steenbi01.shtml Baseball-Reference.com]