View source for Cy Williams

{{Short description|American baseball player (1887–1974)}}
{{For|the American football player|Cy Williams (American football)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Cy Williams
|image=Cy Williams 1921 (cropped).jpg
|caption=1921 baseball card of Williams
|position=[[Outfielder]]
|birth_date={{birth date|1887|12|21|mf=y}}
|birth_place=[[Wadena, Indiana]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1974|4|23|1887|12|21}}
|death_place=[[Eagle River, Wisconsin]], U.S.
|bats=Left
|throws=Left
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=July 18
|debutyear=1912
|debutteam=Chicago Cubs
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 22
|finalyear=1930
|finalteam=Philadelphia Phillies
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.292
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=251
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=1,005
|teams=
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1912}}–{{mlby|1917}})
* [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1918}}–{{mlby|1930}})
|highlights=
* 4× [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders|NL home run leader]] (1916, 1920, 1923, 1927)
* [[Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame|Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame]]
}}

'''Frederick''' "'''Cy'''" '''Williams''' (December 21, 1887 – April 23, 1974) was an American professional [[baseball]] player.<ref name="Cy Williams statistics">{{cite web |title=Cy Williams statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willicy01.shtml |access-date=24 April 2012 |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> He played in [[Major League Baseball]] as an [[outfielder]] for the [[Chicago Cubs]] (1912–17) and [[Philadelphia Phillies]] (1918–30).<ref name="Cy Williams statistics"/> As Major League Baseball emerged from the [[dead-ball era]], Williams became one of the most prominent [[home run]] hitters in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]].<ref name="sabrbio">{{Cite web |last=Gagnon |first=Cappy |title=Cy Williams |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Cy-Williams/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Society for American Baseball Research}}</ref><ref name="20th Century All-Overlooked Stars">{{Cite magazine |author=Vass |first=George |date=August 1999 |title=20th Century All-Overlooked Stars |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_baseball-digest_1999-08_58_8 |url-access=limited |access-date=2025-02-16 |magazine=Baseball Digest |pages=40–51 |volume=58 |issue=8}}</ref><ref name="Baseball's Forgotten Stars">{{Cite magazine |author=Vass |first=George |date=July 2004 |title=Baseball's Forgotten Stars |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_baseball-digest_2004-07_63_7 |url-access=limited |access-date=2025-02-16 |magazine=Baseball Digest |pages=30–39 |volume=63 |issue=7}}</ref>

==Baseball career==
Born in [[Wadena, Indiana]], Williams attended [[University of Notre Dame|Notre Dame]] where he studied architecture and played football with [[Knute Rockne]].<ref name=sabrbio/> His hitting prowess caught the attention of the [[Chicago Cubs]], who purchased his contract after he graduated from college.<ref name=sabrbio/> Williams made his major league debut with the Cubs on July 18, [[1912 Chicago Cubs season|1912]] at the age of 24.<ref name="Cy Williams statistics"/> From 1915 to 1927 he was a consistent power hitting [[center fielder]], leading the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] in home runs four times during his career.<ref name="Cy Williams statistics"/>

Williams was the first National League player to hit 200 career home runs, and is one of three players born before 1900 to hit 200 homers in his career (Babe Ruth and [[Rogers Hornsby]] are the others). He was the National League's career home run leader until his record of 251 was surpassed by Hornsby in 1929.<ref name=sabrbio/>

In a 19-year major league career, Williams played in 2,002 [[Games played|games]], accumulating 1,981 [[Hit (baseball)|hits]] in 6,780 [[at bat]]s for a .292 career [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] along with 251 home runs, 1,005 [[runs batted in]] and an [[on-base percentage]] of .365.<ref name="Cy Williams statistics"/> He hit over .300 six times in his career. An excellent defensive player, Williams had a .973 career [[fielding percentage]], which was nine points higher than the league average during his playing career.<ref name="Cy Williams statistics"/>

Williams was also an effective [[pinch-hitter]] in his major league career, batting .287 (48–167) with 10 home runs and 41 RBI in that role.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cy Williams Situational Batting |url=https://baseball-reference.com/players/w/willicy01-bat.shtml |accessdate=September 3, 2024 |website=Baseball Reference}}</ref>

The [[infield shift]], in which defensive players moved to the right side of the playing field was first employed against Williams during the 1920s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hornsby |first=Rogers |author-link=Rogers Hornsby |date=April 29, 1930 |title=Hitter's style sets infield, Hornsby's tip |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/354941126/?match=1&clipping_id=170286585 |access-date=2025-04-14 |publisher=Chicago Tribune |page=16 |language=en |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gagnon |first=Cappy |title=Cy Williams |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/cy-williams/ |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=Society for American Baseball Research}}</ref> However, it later became known as the "Williams Shift" because of another hitter, [[Ted Williams]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Matt |date=2021-06-22 |title=Evolution Of The Shift: The Real Issue In MLB |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/article-numbers-evolution-shift-real-issue-mlb |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}</ref>

Williams played in his final major league game on September 22, 1930, at the age of 42.<ref name="Cy Williams statistics" /> In 1931, he served as a [[player-manager]] in the [[Minor League Baseball|minor leagues]] for the [[Richmond Byrds]] of the [[Eastern League (baseball, 1916–32)|Eastern League]].<ref name="Cy Williams minor league statistics">{{cite web |title=Cy Williams minor league statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=willia003fre |access-date=24 April 2012 |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>

==Later life==
After retirement, Williams worked as an architect at the 3 Lakes Theatre in [[Three Lakes, Wisconsin]] beginning in 1949. Before that, he designed the 3 Lakes Theatre's exterior and interior and later opened that June of the same year.<ref name=sabrbio/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Three Lakes Center for the Arts in Three Lakes, WI |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/30036 |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Cinema Treasures}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
* [[List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle]]
* [[List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball]]
* [[Major League Baseball titles leaders]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{baseballstats |br=w/willicy01 |brm=willia003fre}}, or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/W/Pwillc103.htm Retrosheet]
* {{sabrbio|Cy-Williams|Cappy Gagnon|February 15, 2025}}
* {{find a Grave|3628}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-ach|ach}}
{{Succession box| before = [[Jim Bottomley]] | title = [[Hitting for the cycle]]| years = August 5, 1927 | after = [[Bill Terry]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{NL home run champions}}
{{Philadelphia Phillies}}
{{Philly Baseball Wall of Fame}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Cy}}
[[Category:1887 births]]
[[Category:1974 deaths]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball center fielders]]
[[Category:National League home run champions]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs players]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Phillies players]]
[[Category:Minor league baseball managers]]
[[Category:Richmond Byrds players]]
[[Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball players]]
[[Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players]]
[[Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Indiana]]
[[Category:People from Benton County, Indiana]]
[[Category:People from Three Lakes, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:20th-century American architects]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]