KANSAS CITY, MO (October 31, 2018) - The Kansas City Royals sadly announced today the passing of senior pitching advisor William Charles "Bill" Fischer at the age of 88. A native of Council Bluffs, IA, Fischer is survived by his wife, Val, and children, Mike and Melissa. Known throughout baseball circles as "Fish", Fischer just completed his 71st year in professional baseball in a career that began in 1948 as a 17-year old with the Chicago White Sox organization.
"Bill Fischer impacted a countless number of people during his career, not only with his immense knowledge of pitching, but also with his demeanor and the ability to teach young people how to be men," said Dayton Moore, Royals Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations/General Manager. "Fish's accomplishments in uniform for eight decades were a tribute to his passion for the game and the knowledge that he possessed, which he thoroughly enjoyed passing on to others to make them better. All of us were blessed and are better people for having had the opportunity to work with him during his illustrious career. I'm so thankful and appreciative how all of our staff, players, managers and coaches respected and treated him over the years. It stimulated him and allowed him to thrive to stay in the game where he was a valuable part of our organization."
Fischer's playing career spanned his minor league start with the White Sox in 1948 through the 1968 season, wrapping up also as a minor leaguer in the Chicago system. During that span, Fish had big league stops that included nine seasons with the White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Kansas City A's and Minnesota Twins, posting a career record of 45-58 and 13 saves over 281 appearances (78 starts). He still holds the Major League record for consecutive innings without allowing a walk at 84.1 during the 1962 season as a member of the Athletics here in Kansas City.
Fish's coaching career included Major League pitching coach stops with Cincinnati (1979-83), Boston (1985-91) and Tampa Bay (2000-01). He was also a minor league pitching instructor for the Royals from 1975-78 and again in 1984, before joining the Atlanta Braves' organization for an extended stint from 1991-2006 and then returned to the Royals in 2007, serving as the organization's pitching coordinator until 2010 prior to being promoted to senior pitching advisor for the last eight seasons.