Have yet to see any tribute from the Braves for Bill Fischer, who passed away this week at the age of 88.
Of his 71(!) years in pro baseball, he spent most of the times between 1991 and 2006 with the Braves as either a minor league pitching instructor/coordinator or Class AAA pitching coach for Richmond (under Grady Little). Fischer was still an active senior advisor for the Royals at the time of his passing.
While with Richmond in 1997, he was honored by the R-Braves for his (then-)50 years of baseball, receiving an engraved bowl containing 50 crystal baseballs. He was hired away by Tampa Bay in 2000 as pitching coordinator, but was back with the Braves in 2002 as minor league pitching coordinator and handled that role until 2004. Then, at the age of 81, he was hired away by the Royals.
Signed his first pro contract in 1948, at age 17. Reached the majors in 1956 at age 25, pitched for nine seasons and his final big league season was 1964. Lefty was the definition of a journeyman, pitching for the White Sox, Senators, Tigers, Athletics and Twins. But he continued pitching in the minor leagues until 1968 at the age of 37.
He served as a Marine from 1952-54.
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