William C. Fischer

William C. Fischer, passed away October 30, 2018.

William was born in Wausau, Wisconsin on October 11, 1930 to the late William Constantine and Grace (Chizek) Fischer.

Fischer was 17 when he signed with the Chicago White Sox in 1948. He was fresh out of high school and pitched in the White Sox minor league system until 1951, when he was drafted into the Marines. He returned to the White Sox in 1954 and wound up playing for nine organizations and making 281 major league appearances.

Fischer went 45-58 in nine years in the big leagues, with a 4.34 earned run average, according to baseball-reference.com. In 1962, Fischer set the still-standing MLB record of 841⁄3 consecutive innings without issuing a walk, according to the SABR bio.

Another claim to fame for Fischer came after he gave up a home run to New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle while pitching for the Kansas City A’s. With the game tied in the 11th inning, Fischer threw a high fastball that Mantle smashed, almost sending it out of Yankee Stadium. “The ball struck the facade on the right-field roof approximately 370 feet from home plate and 115 feet above field level”. Mantle said it was his hardest hit ever, SABR noted. Fischer served as pitching coach of the Cincinnati Reds, the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, as well as filling a variety of roles in the minor leagues after his playing days. Fischer joined the Royals organization in 2007.

Fischer eventually settled in Council Bluffs, marrying his second wife, Val, on Nov. 2, 1984.

William is survived by his sons, Mike and Mike; three daughters, Melissa, Mary, Patti; grandchildren, Justin, Jessica, Matt, Eric, Tyler, Brian, Kelsey, Conner, Aiden, Addison; great grandchildren, Benjamin, Elizabeth, Noah, Regan, Reid, August, Rory, Brooks; and a host of other family and friends.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 10, 2018, at 2:00 p.m., at the Hoy Kilnoski Funeral Home. Memorials will be directed by the family.