William Milton Harris (June 23, 1900 – August 21, 1965) spent more than 40 years in baseball, serving as a pitcher, manager and scout, for six different Major League Baseball organizations. Listed at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), 180 lb (81.6 kg), Harris batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Wylie, Texas.
Harris joined the Pirates in the fall of 1931. Sportswriter Harry Grayson thought it was odd that while no major league team tried Harris after he won 19 games with Minneapolis in 1925 and 26 games with Asheville in 1928, Pittsburgh signed him during a year in which he lost 23 minor league games. Harris thought that it was because Galveston, with which he spent most of the season, was not a great ballclub-though posting a losing record, he completed 29 games, threw six shutouts, and posted a 2.60 ERA.[1]
On August 2, 1938, the Red Sox acquired Harris from the minor league Buffalo Bisons for Johnny Marcum and $20,000.[2] The Red Sox, struggling to find effective pitchers, added Harris to their starting rotation.[1][3]
During the 1931 season, Harris threw a no-hitter with Galveston. He threw two more no-hitters for the 1935 Buffalo Bisons of the International League, though one of those was only seven innings.[1]
Sportswriter Harry Grayson in 1938 wrote that "Harris perhaps has been with more clubs than any other athlete in the history of the game."[1]
Earlier in his career, Harris had an overhand delivery. In 1926, he broke a finger on his pitching hand while with the Millers. That prompted him to begin throwing sidearm. Grayson described him as having an "excellent sinker", as well as a fastball that was "fairly fast".[1] Harris also threw a curveball, though Grayson thought it was his worst pitch.[1]
