TicketsThe pride of Goshen High School, Bill Faul was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 21st, 1940. His father, William A. Faul Sr., served in World War I and was a machinist at the time of his son's birth. His mother, Mildred, was a schoolteacher.
After spending his childhood moving with his family across multiple parts of the Cincinnati area, Faul enrolled at Goshen High. He joined the baseball team, and his talent was immediately evident. He tossed two no-hitters as a sophomore and batted over .500, splitting time as a pitcher and a shortstop.
It was evident that his talent was greatest on the mound, though. Faul led Goshen to the state championship his senior year, posting an astounding 13-0 record. He was a workhorse, pitching well into extra innings when needed. He would pitch both games in doubleheaders, throwing overhead the first game and sidearm the next.
After high school, he stayed home and enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. With freshmen not allowed to play varsity sports, Faul got his chance as a sophomore in 1960. He responded by breaking the record for most strikeouts in a single game with 19. That record was set by the legendary Sandy Koufax, who was blossoming into one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history at the time. The following year, on his birthday, Faul shattered his record with an unfathomable 24 strikeouts in a single game––a 7-5 win against the Jacksonville Naval Air Station. That year, he earned first-team All-American honors and led the country in strikeouts with 133.
It was evident by this time that Bill was an intriguing character, to say the least. The night before his historic outing in Jacksonville, his teammates reportedly messed with him by saying he'd be parachuted into the ballpark for his start. He was reportedly so terrified that he wasn't able to sleep that night. Another tale mentions Faul telling UC's trainer that his arm was sore. He positioned Faul's arm under a reading lamp, and fifteen minutes later, Faul told his trainer, "That does feel really good!"
Big personality or not, it was also evident that Faul was the ace of the Bearcats' staff. "Guys loved him," said head coach Glenn Sample. "We knew when he pitched, we had a good chance to win."
During his senior season, Faul gave them as good of a chance as you could get every time he stepped on the mound. After gracing the cover of the 1962 NCAA Baseball Guide, Faul responded with a dominating 0.80 earned run average, a school record that still stands today. The major leagues took notice, with multiple teams desiring his services, including Cleveland and the defending world champion New York Yankees. However, the Detroit Tigers swooped in with a contract offer that included a $25,000 signing bonus. Faul signed it and was sent to their Double-A affiliate that summer.
As a member of the Knoxville Smokies, Faul impressed. He posted a 2.10 ERA with five complete games and was a September call-up to the big-league roster that same season.
During spring training the following year, Faul dominated the Kansas City Athletics with eight shutout innings on March 23rd, showing his talent was worthy of a big-league roster spot. It wasn't his blazing fastball that he gave credit to, though, or one of his breaking pitches.
It was something else. It was something intangible. It was hypnosis.
The night before the game, Faul visited Dr. Julius Tapert, who taught at Wayne State University in Detroit. It was there that Tapert hypnotized Faul. "He suggested to me to relax out on the mound," Faul recounted. "He told me that I could get my breaking pitches over the plate when I was behind the batter, even by a 3-0 count. I tried it, and it worked." Sportswriter Joe Falls described Faul's mesmerizing pitching performance as a combination of Dizzy Dean, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson.
Faul earned his first major league victory in complete-game fashion, striking out six in a 5-1 win over the Senators. Before the game, he fell asleep in the clubhouse and had to be woken up by teammates 30 minutes before he took the mound.
After a 3-0 start to the season for Faul, things started to crumble for him in Detroit when a midseason coaching change occurred. The new manager, Chuck Dressen, had no interest in Faul's antics. Faul finished 4-5 on the season and was demoted to Triple-A for the 1964 season. After one year in Detroit's farm system, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 1965.
He was able to return to his majors, and on July 25th, he shut out the Roberto Clemente-led Pirates on only 76 pitches in a game that lasted 97 minutes. In his best season as a pro, Faul posted a respectable 6-6 record with a 3.54 ERA for a Cubs ballclub that won 59 games.
Unfortunately, Faul's effectiveness deteriorated from there. He had a 5.09 ERA in the 1966 season before being demoted back to the minors, where he would stay until 1970, when he popped up on the San Francisco Giants roster for seven games as a reliever.
Faul's talent on the mound is not why many remember him, though. It was his eccentricity that made him beloved by players and journalists in an era that was old-school and buttoned-up. He once reported to spring training wearing a cowboy suit while riding a bicycle. He would place himself in a trance in a corner before games, telling himself he needed to throw the ball low and away. He also would bite the heads off live parakeets and swallow live toads, saying they "put an extra hop on his fastball." Coach Sample said that Faul "believed everything you told him" and that his teammates would "tell him a guy is hitting .785 and is 8-for-8. It would get Bill going. And Bill would go out and strike the guy out three times."
Faul lived a relatively quiet life after his retirement. He moved back to the Cincinnati area and passed away in 2002 at 61 years old. He was inducted into the UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012 alongside Sandy Koufax, and his dominance in the Bearcat record books can still be seen today.
He was more than just a wacky pitcher. He was a father, a brother, and someone teammates loved being around. Along with all of that, Faul was a fascinating character, with an endless number of stories about him.
He was unique.
After spending his childhood moving with his family across multiple parts of the Cincinnati area, Faul enrolled at Goshen High. He joined the baseball team, and his talent was immediately evident. He tossed two no-hitters as a sophomore and batted over .500, splitting time as a pitcher and a shortstop.
It was evident that his talent was greatest on the mound, though. Faul led Goshen to the state championship his senior year, posting an astounding 13-0 record. He was a workhorse, pitching well into extra innings when needed. He would pitch both games in doubleheaders, throwing overhead the first game and sidearm the next.
After high school, he stayed home and enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. With freshmen not allowed to play varsity sports, Faul got his chance as a sophomore in 1960. He responded by breaking the record for most strikeouts in a single game with 19. That record was set by the legendary Sandy Koufax, who was blossoming into one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history at the time. The following year, on his birthday, Faul shattered his record with an unfathomable 24 strikeouts in a single game––a 7-5 win against the Jacksonville Naval Air Station. That year, he earned first-team All-American honors and led the country in strikeouts with 133.
It was evident by this time that Bill was an intriguing character, to say the least. The night before his historic outing in Jacksonville, his teammates reportedly messed with him by saying he'd be parachuted into the ballpark for his start. He was reportedly so terrified that he wasn't able to sleep that night. Another tale mentions Faul telling UC's trainer that his arm was sore. He positioned Faul's arm under a reading lamp, and fifteen minutes later, Faul told his trainer, "That does feel really good!"
Big personality or not, it was also evident that Faul was the ace of the Bearcats' staff. "Guys loved him," said head coach Glenn Sample. "We knew when he pitched, we had a good chance to win."
During his senior season, Faul gave them as good of a chance as you could get every time he stepped on the mound. After gracing the cover of the 1962 NCAA Baseball Guide, Faul responded with a dominating 0.80 earned run average, a school record that still stands today. The major leagues took notice, with multiple teams desiring his services, including Cleveland and the defending world champion New York Yankees. However, the Detroit Tigers swooped in with a contract offer that included a $25,000 signing bonus. Faul signed it and was sent to their Double-A affiliate that summer.
As a member of the Knoxville Smokies, Faul impressed. He posted a 2.10 ERA with five complete games and was a September call-up to the big-league roster that same season.
During spring training the following year, Faul dominated the Kansas City Athletics with eight shutout innings on March 23rd, showing his talent was worthy of a big-league roster spot. It wasn't his blazing fastball that he gave credit to, though, or one of his breaking pitches.
It was something else. It was something intangible. It was hypnosis.
The night before the game, Faul visited Dr. Julius Tapert, who taught at Wayne State University in Detroit. It was there that Tapert hypnotized Faul. "He suggested to me to relax out on the mound," Faul recounted. "He told me that I could get my breaking pitches over the plate when I was behind the batter, even by a 3-0 count. I tried it, and it worked." Sportswriter Joe Falls described Faul's mesmerizing pitching performance as a combination of Dizzy Dean, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson.
Faul earned his first major league victory in complete-game fashion, striking out six in a 5-1 win over the Senators. Before the game, he fell asleep in the clubhouse and had to be woken up by teammates 30 minutes before he took the mound.
After a 3-0 start to the season for Faul, things started to crumble for him in Detroit when a midseason coaching change occurred. The new manager, Chuck Dressen, had no interest in Faul's antics. Faul finished 4-5 on the season and was demoted to Triple-A for the 1964 season. After one year in Detroit's farm system, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 1965.
He was able to return to his majors, and on July 25th, he shut out the Roberto Clemente-led Pirates on only 76 pitches in a game that lasted 97 minutes. In his best season as a pro, Faul posted a respectable 6-6 record with a 3.54 ERA for a Cubs ballclub that won 59 games.
Unfortunately, Faul's effectiveness deteriorated from there. He had a 5.09 ERA in the 1966 season before being demoted back to the minors, where he would stay until 1970, when he popped up on the San Francisco Giants roster for seven games as a reliever.
Faul's talent on the mound is not why many remember him, though. It was his eccentricity that made him beloved by players and journalists in an era that was old-school and buttoned-up. He once reported to spring training wearing a cowboy suit while riding a bicycle. He would place himself in a trance in a corner before games, telling himself he needed to throw the ball low and away. He also would bite the heads off live parakeets and swallow live toads, saying they "put an extra hop on his fastball." Coach Sample said that Faul "believed everything you told him" and that his teammates would "tell him a guy is hitting .785 and is 8-for-8. It would get Bill going. And Bill would go out and strike the guy out three times."
Faul lived a relatively quiet life after his retirement. He moved back to the Cincinnati area and passed away in 2002 at 61 years old. He was inducted into the UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012 alongside Sandy Koufax, and his dominance in the Bearcat record books can still be seen today.
He was more than just a wacky pitcher. He was a father, a brother, and someone teammates loved being around. Along with all of that, Faul was a fascinating character, with an endless number of stories about him.
He was unique.