Willie Patterson
From BR Bullpen
Willie Lee Patterson Jr. (Pat, Birmingham)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.
- Born April 1, 1919 in Americus, GA USA
- Died August 20, 2004 in Mobile, AL USA
Willie Patterson played in the dying days of the Negro Leagues.
Patterson broke in with the 1950 New York Cubans as a 31-year-old backup catcher. He moved to the Birmingham Black Barons in 1951. He split 1952 between the Chicago American Giants and Philadelphia Stars. In the 1952 East-West Game, he hit 5th and played first base for the West. He went 2 for 4 with a run and two RBI in a 7-3 win. With the Memphis Red Sox a year later, he hit 6th and manned first in the 1953 East-West Game. He doubled home Hank Baylis with the tying run in the second and finished 1 for 3 with a run and a RBI before being replaced by Pancho Herrera in a 5-1 victory.
After his baseball career, Willie was a longshoreman, a member of the International Longshoreman's Union No. 1410, until his retirement in 1981. He loved to play checkers and dominoes in addition to baseball.
