William Joseph Sullivan, Sr. (February 1, 1875 – January 28, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball, most notably as a member of the Chicago White Sox with whom he won a World Series championship in 1906. Although he was a relatively weak hitter, he sustained a sixteen-year playing career by being one of the best defensive catchers of his era.
Sullivan's reputation as a defensive standout is enhanced because of the era in which he played. In the Deadball Era, catchers played a huge defensive role, given the large number of bunts and stolen base attempts, as well as the difficulty of handling the spitball pitchers who dominated pitching staffs. He had to catch every type of pitch imaginable, such as shine balls, spitballs, knuckleballs, and emery balls. Sullivan substituted and excelled; so much so that he began being scouted by a local amateur team. In 124 games played that season, he batted just .216, but did hit seven home runs and stole 27 bases.
Sullivan then joined the Chicago White Sox of the American League in 1901. Sullivan's pitch-calling skills were evident in 1904 as the White Sox led the league with 26 shutouts. He caught for two twenty-game winning pitchers in 1905, with Nick Altrock winning 23 games and Frank Owen winning 21 games. Frank Smith added 19 wins and Doc White provided another 17 victories as the White Sox once again led the league in earned run average. The team battled the Philadelphia Athletics in a tight pennant race and were tied for first place with 11 games left in the season before faltering to finish the season in second place.
thumb|left|170px|Sullivan as a member of the Chicago White Sox, circa 1906–1911.
Sullivan was a member of the 1906 White Sox team that became known as the Hitless Wonders when they won the American League pennant despite posting the lowest team batting average in the league. The team had been in fourth place by the end of July, games behind the defending champion Athletics, when they went on a 19-game winning streak that drove them into first place. No American League team would surpass the 19-game winning streak for almost 100 years until the 2002 Oakland Athletics won 20 consecutive games. The team made up for their lack of hitting prowess by leading the league in walks, hit batsmen and sacrifice hits. The White Sox then defeated their cross-town rivals, the heavily favored Chicago Cubs in the 1906 World Series. Sullivan was literally hitless for the "Hitless Wonders," going 0-for-21 at the plate in the Series.
In 1907, Sullivan caught for three twenty-game winning pitchers, as Doc White won 27 games, Ed Walsh won 24 games and Frank Smith won 23 games. The White Sox once again led the league in earned run average, however, they fell to third in the season standings. Sullivan's catching credentials were embellished by his association with future Baseball Hall of Fame member, Walsh, who would win 40 games in 1908, as the White Sox once again led the league in shutouts. The White Sox were in contention until losing the final game of the season to the eventual American League champions, the Detroit Tigers. He served as a player-manager for the White Sox in 1909, guiding the team to a fourth-place finish. The following season, Hugh Duffy took over as manager and Sullivan returned to catching. By 1912, the 37-year-old Sullivan's performance began to decline as future Hall of Fame member, Ray Schalk, emerged as his successor.
Managerial record
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! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
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!Games!!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
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!CWS||
||152|||| 4th in AL || – || – || – || –
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! colspan="2"|Total ||152|||| || ||
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Career statistics
In a sixteen-year major league career, Sullivan played in 1,147 games, accumulating 777 hits in 3,647 at bats for a .213 career batting average along with 21 home runs, 378 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .254. Sullivan also ranks 11th overall among major league catchers in shutouts caught during his career. He was also durable, leading league catchers in games played three times, while consistently within the top three most of his career. Upon the occasion of his induction into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1956, Sullivan was honored with a plaque at the Milwaukee County Stadium. He died of a heart ailment on January 28, 1965, at the age of 89. When Billy Sullivan Jr. caught for the Detroit Tigers in the 1940 World Series, the Sullivans became the first father and son to have played in the World Series.