Bill Monbouquette

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Bill Monbouquette

|image = Bill Monbouquette 1967.jpg

|caption = Monbouquette in 1967

|position=Pitcher

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date|1936|8|11}}

|birth_place=Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.

|death_date={{death date and age|2015|1|25|1936|8|11}}

|death_place=Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=July 18

|debutyear=1958

|debutteam=Boston Red Sox

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 3

|finalyear=1968

|finalteam=San Francisco Giants

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=114–112

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=3.68

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=1,122

|teams =

Boston Red Sox ({{mlby|1958}}–{{mlby|1965}})
Detroit Tigers ({{mlby|1966}}–{{mlby|1967}})
New York Yankees ({{mlby|1967}}–{{mlby|1968}})
San Francisco Giants ({{mlby|1968}})

|highlights =

4× All-Star (1960, 1960², 1962, 1963)
Pitched a no-hitter on August 1, 1962
Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame

}}

William Charles Monbouquette (August 11, 1936 – January 25, 2015) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox (1958–65), Detroit Tigers (1966–67), New York Yankees (1967–68), and the San Francisco Giants (1968). A four-time All-Star player, Monbouquette was notable for pitching a no-hitter in {{mlby|1962}} as a member of the Red Sox.Associated Press Wire Services (January 27, 2015) "Bill Monbouquette, pitcher for Boston Red Sox in 1950s and ’60s, dies at 78", The Washington Post[https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/bill-monbouquette-pitcher-for-boston-red-sox-in-1950s-and-60s-dies-at-78/2015/01/27/47b3c1c8-a643-11e4-a06b-9df2002b86a0_story.html] Retrieved September 20, 2017 He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000.{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/redsox/history/red-sox-hall-of-fame |title=Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame at MLB.com |work=mlb.com |access-date=24 February 2020 }}

Early career

Bill was born in Medford, Massachusetts, and attended Medford High School. He was signed as a free agent on June 21, 1955, by the Boston Red Sox at the age of 18. By age 22 he became the uncle of one Brian Ferguson, a well renowned man and idol in the city of Medford.

Major League career

Monbouquette compiled 114 wins, 1,122 strikeouts, and a 3.68 earned run average during his major league career. He was also an above-average fielding pitcher, recording a .984 fielding percentage with only seven errors in 428 total chances in {{frac|1961|1|3}} innings of work.

File:Bill Monbouquette 1965.jpg

Monbouquette was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1955 and started his majors career on July 18, 1958. He won at least 14 games from 1960 to 1963, with a career-high 20 victories in 1963. An American League (AL) All-Star in 1960, 1962, and 1963, Monbouquette no-hit the Chicago White Sox 1–0 on August 1, 1962, at Comiskey Park; a second-inning walk to Al Smith was the only baserunner Monbouquette allowed.Ginsburg, Bob (August 2, 1962) "Bounced as All Star, Monbouquette Now the Biggest Star of All" The News-Herald (Franklin, Pennsylvania) Obtained via Newspapers.com Monbouquette credited Red Sox pitching coach Sal Maglie with refining his delivery, enabling him to improve his pitching performance.

He also collected two one-hit games, and set a Red Sox record with a 17 strikeout-game against the Washington Senators in 1961. The record stood until Roger Clemens established a major league record with 20 strikeouts in a 1986 game against Seattle.

On September 25, 1965, in a game against the Kansas City A's, Monbouquette was the starting pitcher versus 58-year-old Hall of Famer Satchel Paige. Monbouquette threw a complete game for his tenth win of the season, but became the final strikeout victim of Paige's career in the 3rd inning.

After going 96–91 with Boston, Monbouquette was sent to the Detroit Tigers before the 1966 season. He also pitched for the New York Yankees and finished his career with the San Francisco Giants on September 3, 1968. He never made the postseason.

Monbouquette spent five years coaching in the New York Mets farm system before being named the pitching coach of the Mets in November 1981, joining new manager George Bamberger.{{cite news |title=Monbouquette Goes Up |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/17/sports/sports-people-monbouquette-goes-up.html |access-date=18 August 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=17 November 1981}} In October 1983, the Mets relieved Monbouquette of his duties and announced that Bamberger, the manager, would handle both roles. Although Bamberger denied that there had been any conflict between the two, Monbouquette told The New York Times, "You can't have two pitching coaches on the same club. Two opinions could be conflicting. Maybe it was confusing at times."{{cite news |last1=Durso |first1=Joseph |title=BAMBERGER TO ACT AS PITCHING COACH |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/23/sports/bamberger-to-act-as-pitching-coach.html |access-date=18 August 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=23 October 1982}}

Monbouquette was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000. He was a pitching coach for Detroit Single-A affiliate team, Oneonta Tigers. Bill was also once professional hockey player Wayne Muloin's brother-in-law. When people would ask him for an autograph, he surprised people because although he pitched and batted right-handed, his hand writing was left handed.{{cite news|title=Bruins entertain Oakland tonight|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2209&dat=19691015&id=WopjAAAAIBAJ&pg=6687,6102169|access-date=January 27, 2015|work=Nashua Telegraph|agency=Associated Press|date=October 18, 1969}}

Illness and death

In May 2008, the Boston Globe reported that Monbouquette was suffering from acute myelogenous leukemia. The chemotherapy and drug treatment he received had the disease in remission, but he needed a bone marrow and stem cell transplant to be cured.{{cite web

|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/05/16/monbo_fights_on/

|title=Monbo fights on: Former Red Sox ace refuses to yield in the battle of his life – against leukemia | date=2008-05-16 |work=Boston Globe | author=Stan Grossfeld |access-date=2008-05-22| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080519202242/http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/05/16/monbo_fights_on/| archive-date= 19 May 2008 | url-status= live}} The Red Sox, in conjunction with Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, on June 7, 2008, encouraged fans to enroll in the National Marrow Donor Registry at Tufts University in hopes of finding a suitable donor for Monbouquette and others suffering from the disease.{{cite web

|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/06/07/injury_cast_in_a_good_light/

|title=Injury cast in a good light | date=2008-06-07 |work=Boston Globe | author=Gordon Edes and Amalie Benjamin |access-date=2008-06-08| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080608063029/http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/06/07/injury_cast_in_a_good_light/| archive-date= 8 June 2008 | url-status= live}}

In 2010, the Boston rock band the Remains released a song, "Monbo Time", as a tribute to Monbouquette. The Remains pledged to donate 50% of the revenues they receive from sales of the song to cancer research. Boston Herald, April 22, 2010; nesn.com, April 14, 2010)

Monbouquette died on January 25, 2015, aged 78 at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.{{cite web|last1=Abraham|first1=Peter|title=Former Red Sox pitcher Bill Monbouquette dies at 78|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/01/26/former-red-sox-pitcher-ben-monbouquette-dies/sXeMPgSs04iSUOdFEyz75O/story.html|work=Boston Globe|access-date=January 26, 2015|date=January 26, 2015}} He was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford, Massachusetts.