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William Henry Greason (born September 3, 1924) is an American former professional baseball player who later became a Baptist minister.[1] He was born in Atlanta. Greason enlisted in the United States Marine Corps during World War II and did his basic training at Montford Point. He embarked with the 66th Supply Platoon, an all-black unit, in the Pacific Theater of Operations and took part in the Battle of Iwo Jima.[2]

Bill Greason
Greason at Rickwood Field in 2006
Pitcher
Born: (1924-09-03) September 3, 1924 (age 98) Atlanta, Georgia
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Professional debut
NgL: 1948, for the Birmingham Black Barons
MLB: May 31, 1954, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
June 20, 1954, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	0–1
Earned run average	13.50
Innings pitched	4
Teams
Negro leagues Birmingham Black Barons (1948–1951) Major League Baseball St. Louis Cardinals (1954)
Career highlights and awards
NgL All-Star (1949)
Military career Allegiance  United States Service/branch  United States Marine Corps Years of service 1943–1945, 1951–1952 Unit V Amphibious Corps Battles/wars World War II (Battle of Iwo Jima) Korean War

Negro league career

Greason was a 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), 170 lb (77 kg) right-handed pitcher. After the war, he played professional baseball in the Negro leagues for the minor league Nashville Black Vols and Asheville Blues, and the major league Birmingham Black Barons,[1] where he was a teammate of Willie Mays.[2] In 1952, Greason joined minor league baseball as a member of the Oklahoma City Indians of the Double-A Texas League, where he won nine of his ten decisions and posted a 2.14 earned run average.[3] Another successful year at Oklahoma City in 1953 led to his acquisition by the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball, where he would become the team's second African-American player, after Tom Alston.[2]

Major League career

Greason appeared in three games for the 1954 Cardinals, two as a starting pitcher. In his May 31 debut, he took the loss after allowing five earned runs and five hits over three innings in a rain-shortened game against the Chicago Cubs. In Greason's next start, he failed to record an out against the Philadelphia Phillies and allowed one earned run. In his final MLB game, he pitched a scoreless inning of relief against the New York Giants.[4] Altogether, Greason allowed eight hits and six earned runs in four MLB innings pitched, with four bases on balls and two strikeouts. He spent the remainder of his professional baseball career in the upper levels of the minor leagues in the Cardinal farm system, retiring after the 1959 campaign.

Ministry and later life

After his playing days, Greason studied for the ministry at Birmingham Baptist Bible College and Samford University. He became a member of the 16th Street Baptist Church and a pastor of Bethel Baptist Church of Birmingham, Alabama.[5]

In 2011 Greason was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the annual Alabama Black Achievement Awards Gala.[6] In 2012, the Montford Point Marines, including Greason, were awarded a group Congressional Gold Medal.[7]

See also

• List of Negro league baseball players who played in Major League Baseball

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors) and Seamheads

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