Bill Werle

William George Werle (December 21, 1920 – November 27, 2010) was an American left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher from Oakland, California.

Werle pitched for Modesto Junior College in the spring of 1941.

In an 8–7 loss to Compton Junior College he ceded 14 hits, but it was an unearned run which caused his defeat.

He pitched a complete game.

In March 1942 Werle held the University of Southern California baseball team to eight hits in a key California Intercollegiate Baseball Association contest.

The University of California won 10–5.

One of the hits he gave up was a solo homer to Cal Barnes in the ninth inning.

Playing for the Stockton, California, All-Stars, Werle shut out the McClellan Field Commandos, 7–0, in May 1943.

In a benefit game for Hammond General Hospital in Modesto, California, Werle was one of three San Francisco Seals pitchers to face Sergeant Joe DiMaggio.

Stationed at the Santa Ana, California, Army Air Base, Dimaggio did not reach safely in four at bats.

In February 1945 Werle was inducted into the U.S. Army.

He had been employed in a Stockton war plant.

He was married and had one child.

Following World War II Werle again pitched for San Francisco.

In a game versus the Sacramento Solons, in June 1946, he gave up 13 hits, including two home runs.

Werle pitched 16 innings against Sacramento in August 1948, winning the first game 11–0 and preserving a tie in the nightcap, 3–3.

He struck out nine batters in the opener and five in the finale.

The tie was not broken because of a league rule prohibiting an inning from beginning after 11:50 p.m. He won 17 and lost seven with the Seals who were managed by Lefty O'Doul.

He pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox from 1949 to 1954.

His nickname was Bugs because of his interest in entomology.

He threw and batted left-handed.

His playing weight was 182 pounds.

The Pittsburgh Pirates released catcher LeRoy Jarvis to the Seals as partial payment for the rights to Werle in January 1949.

As a National League rookie Werle survived a ninth inning rally at Ebbets Field in May 1949 to beat the Dodgers, 5–3.

He surrendered seven runs, three in the last inning, when Bob Ramazzoti homered.

Pirates chief scout, Pie Traynor, favored Cliff Chambers over Werle, and predicted Chambers would win more games in 1949.

Werle shut out the Cincinnati Reds on seven hits on July 4, 1949.

It was the second game of a doubleheader and lifted the Pirates into sixth place in the National League.

Werle pitched in relief for Pittsburgh in 1950.

In June he came on for his second relief stint in two days.

Tommy Holmes homered off of him in the eight inning, breaking a 6–6 tie and giving the Boston Braves the win.

Werle outpitched All-Star Larry Jansen with a two-hitter on July 15 at Forbes Field.

The Pirates beat the New York Giants 2–1.

On April 17, 1951, Werle provided effective relief in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

He retired the side without a hit in the top of the seventh after Murry Dickson walked the bases loaded.

The Portland Beavers obtained Werle from the Cincinnati Reds in early April 1955.

By this time he had become a sidearm pitcher.

He yielded only four hits to the Seals in an April 12 contest in San Francisco.

Werle tossed a three-hitter against Sacramento on June 10, in a 6–0 Portland win.

He was selected by Charlie Metro for the northern squad in the 1957 Pacific Coast League All-Star Game.