McNulty signed with the Kansas City Athletics in February 1965.[1] Don Pries, the scout who signed him, had informed him that the Athletics would be moving to Oakland, California, in two years.[4] That year, McNulty enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, attending boot camp for six months. He also needed to miss one month of each baseball season for the next six years to fulfill his commitment.[4]
On July 9, 1969, Tommie Reynolds went on the disabled list with a broken finger and the Athletics promoted McNulty to the major leagues.[6] They told him that he would play as a left fielder, though he had no experience playing the position.[7] He batted 0-for-17 with 10 strikeouts in five games.[7][8] The Athletics demoted him to the Iowa Oaks of the Triple-AAmerican Association on July 14.[9]
McNulty batted .295 with 22 home runs for Iowa in 1970.[10] After the season, the Milwaukee Brewers acquired McNulty in a trade for Gary Timberlake.[11] McNulty thought that he had hit well enough to make the Brewers' roster for the 1971 season, but managerDave Bristol thought he was a poor and lackadaisical fielder. Milwaukee's general manager, Frank Lane, approached McNulty about becoming a pitcher, which he refused. The Athletics purchased McNulty's contract back from Milwaukee before the start of the season and returned him to Iowa.[12] He hit 27 home runs for Iowa in 1971, which led the American Association.[10] After the 1971 season, the Athletics traded McNulty and Frank Fernández to the Chicago Cubs for Adrian Garrett.[13] He played for the Tacoma Rainiers in the PCL playoffs and hit four home runs.[10]
Having too many outfielders and wanting to prioritize the development of Terry Hughes as a third baseman, the Cubs loaned McNulty to the Brewers for the 1972 season.[11] He played for the Evansville Triplets of the American Association, where he batted .258 with 24 home runs and 73 RBIs.[8] In late September, the Athletics reacquired McNulty, intending to promote him to the major leagues. They could not find him as he had gone hunting in the Warner Mountains.[4] McNulty's father drove to Alturas where he found two forest rangers who located Bill at his campsite to tell him that there was a family emergency. At the nearest sheriff's station, he called his father, who told him to report to Oakland.[8][14] McNulty batted 1-for-10 for the Athletics in three games as a third baseman. His only hit came off of Nolan Ryan.[7]
Before the 1974 season, the Brewers purchased McNulty's contract from the Mets and assigned him to the Sacramento Solons of the PCL.[19][20] In 1974, McNulty hit 55 home runs, leading all of professional baseball.[21][22] He also batted .330 and set PCL records with 134 runs scored and 135 RBIs. However, Sacramento's home stadium, Hughes Stadium, was a converted football field that went only 232 feet (71 m) to left field, an unusually short distance.[23] He returned to Sacramento for the 1975 season.[24] However, the Brewers attempted to cut his salary, and he signed with the Lotte Orions of Nippon Professional Baseball for $70,000 ($396,364 in current dollar terms) one month into the 1975 season. He batted .190 for Lotte and was released after spending six weeks with the team.[7]
Personal life
While he was still playing for Sacramento, McNulty became a partner in a clothing store in Roseville, California.[21]
McNulty met Sue Isekite when he played for Tacoma. They married in 1979 and lived in Eatonville, Washington. They have two daughters.[4]
^"A's, Twins Schedule 2 For Tonight After Rainout In Oakland". The Sacramento Bee. September 26, 1972. p. 25. Retrieved April 30, 2024 – via newspapers.com. McNulty phoned his father from the nearest sheriff's office and was told the A's had bought his contract and to report to Oakland as soon as possible. 'My father said he had to tell me it was an emergency because that was the only way to get me off the mountain,' McNulty said last night.
