Jack Billingham

John Eugene Billingham (born February 21, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through , most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won three National League pennants and two World Series championships between 1972 and 1977.

Billingham's 0.36 earned run average over the 1972, 1975 and 1976 World Series was the lowest in World Series history until it was surpassed by Madison Bumgarner in 2014. He also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox. In 1984, Billingham was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. He believes that he is a distant cousin of Baseball Hall of Fame member Christy Mathewson, although the exact relationship is not known. He spent seven years in the Dodgers’ minor-league system, where he was groomed as a relief pitcher.

Billingham made his major league debut with the Dodgers on April 11, 1968, at the age of 25. Billingham finished the season with a 3-0 win–loss record with a 2.14 earned-run average however, the Dodgers left Billingham unprotected and he was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft.

In the 1975 World Series, he was the starting pitcher for Cincinnati in their Game 2 victory where, Billingham gave up a first-inning run before holding the Boston Red Sox scoreless for the next four innings. His scoreless streak continued in Game 6 where he appeared as a relief pitcher and allowed one hit in one inning pitched. In the climactic Game 7, Billingham entered the game in the bottom of the fifth inning as a relief pitcher with the Reds trailing the Red Sox by a score of 3–0. He held the Red Sox scoreless for two innings, allowing the Reds to come from behind to take a 4–3 victory and clinch the 1975 World Series championship.

In seven games (including three starts) for Cincinnati, he went 2–0 with a 0.36 ERA, allowing just one earned run in 25 innings pitched. In 1979, he posted a 10–9 record with the Detroit Tigers to finish his tenth consecutive season of ten or more wins.

Career statistics In a 13-season major league career, Billingham posted a 145–113 record with 1,141 strikeouts and a 3.83 earned run average in 2,231.1 innings pitched, including 27 shutouts and 74 complete games.

Awards Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame inductee: 1984 National League All-Star: 1973 Johnny Vander Meer Award (Reds' Most Outstanding Pitcher): 1973

NL leader Innings pitched: 1973 (293) Shutouts: 1973 (7) Hit batsmen: 1971 (16) and 1977 (10)