Mitch Williams

Perhaps the greatest creative prompt in late 20th-century baseball was: “What’s it like to watch Mitch ‘Wild Thing’ Williams pitch?”

• Columnist Bill Conlin compared it to “watching someone hand-over-handing down a knotted bedsheet dangling from a 15th-floor window in a burning building.”1
• Phillies manager Jim Fregosi once muttered, “Mitch doesn’t have an ulcer himself. But he’s a carrier.”2
• Earl Weaver described him as “more hazardous than smoking.”3
• Teammate Terry Mulholland explained, “[I]t’s like hiring a stunt pilot for an airline. He’ll do a couple of loop-the-loops and thrill the passengers, but then he’ll probably put that thing down on the ground pretty soft, nine out of ten times.”4
• Curt Schilling, who frequently clashed with him on the 1993 Phillies, acknowledged, “[W]e would not have gotten to the World Series without him. Say what you want about the stress, but the guy did the job.”5

The lefty appeared in 619 big-league games from 1986 through 1997, recording 192 saves. Exactly how many blown saves he had is open to question.6 One of them was especially memorable, though: Game Six of the 1993 World Series, in which Joe Carter’s three-run walk-off homer gave the Toronto Blue Jays their second straight World Series win.

Williams’ delivery astounded and baffled. Columnist Bill Lyon compared his follow-through to “a man descending stairs under the influence of heavy drink.” Williams, always starting from the stretch, “piously bows his chin to his glove, then lifts and curls his right leg until he looks like a stork in pretzeled prayer.” After the pitch, he “careens off the mound, a downhill racer who has forgotten his skis, ready to ricochet all the way into the visiting team’s dugout.”7

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Williams’ appearance was equally vivid. He favored high-cut wraparound sunglasses, headbands emblazoned NO FEAR, and cut-off sleeves.8 His flowing hairstyle was later named Bleacher Report’s fourth most awesome mullet in sports history.9 Williams called his hair “an intimidation type thing—you want to look a little angry on the field.”10

Despite the “Wild Thing” image, Williams remained a down-to-earth person who was never afraid to say “I stunk” after an unsuccessful outing rather than blame a teammate.11

***

Mitchell Steven Williams was born on November 17, 1964, in Santa Ana, California. He was the second of three sons of Geoff Williams, a machinist, and his wife Larrie, a shipping clerk.12 When Mitch was 12, his parents divorced, after which he and older brother Bruce lived with their father in West Linn, Oregon.13 “There has to be the discipline of being a father,” Williams said, “and the praise of being a friend. I had a father who depicted that to a T … My sense of humor comes from my dad … With all the trouble we have in the world, I just think life’s too short to spend it moping around.”14 He described Bruce as “my hero. I wanted to do everything like he did, but I wanted to do it even better.”15

Both Mitch and Bruce Williams proved powerful fastball pitchers with pronounced control issues.16 In 1981, Bruce graduated from West Linn High School and signed a Milwaukee Brewers contract.17 The righty pitched through 1986 in the minors but never advanced beyond Class A. Although he struck out 10.0 batters per 9 innings, he was extremely wild: 13.1 walks per 9 innings.

As a senior at West Linn High in 1982, Mitch had a 17-0 record and an ERA of 0.87. He also hit .420 with 11 home runs, leading West Linn to the state championship.18 Coach Terry Pollreisz remembered, “In my 20 years of coaching, Mitch is probably the best athlete I’ve been around. Once, I caught him playing racquetball at school during baseball season, and I told him … he shouldn’t be using his left arm for things like that. Well, he went out and learned to play righthanded and won the school championship.”19

The San Diego Padres drafted Williams in the eighth round and assigned him to the Walla Walla Padres of the short-season Northwest League.20 Williams said of Walla Walla, “It seemed like most everybody either grew onions or worked at the state prison … The team’s biggest promotion of the year was Onion Night, where waitresses walked around the stands with onions cut up on trays. People eat them like apples … Except for Onion Night, we didn’t draw very well.”21

During his minor-league career, Williams was a starter. His 3-4 record and 4.78 ERA in 12 starts for Walla Walla were so-so, reflecting the uneasy balance between walks (BB9 ratio of 11.1) and strikeouts (SO9 of 10.2). He averaged just short of five innings per appearance; no doubt his pitch counts were high. This record was good enough for a promotion to Class A Reno for 1983.

A month in, Williams led the California League in walks. After an outing with eight more, Reno manager Jim Skaalen said, “He started to find himself in the third or fourth. He starts every game throwing too hard. He’s really excited.”22 By late June, Williams was back in low A ball in Spokane; he was successful enough to return to Reno the next year.23 In 1984, he went 9-8, 4.99, striking out 165 batters in 164 innings—but walking 127.

That December, the Texas Rangers selected Willliams in the Rule 5 draft, which required them to keep him on their active roster for the season or return him to the Padres.24 Ultimately the Rangers sent Williams down but traded for the right to keep him.25 Williams himself acknowledged, “Physically, I could have been pitching in the big leagues three years ago … I have to learn the mental part of pitching.”26

Rangers pitching coach Tom House helped him do just that. Williams credited House as “the one who got me throwing enough strikes to have a career.”27 Williams remained very wild in 1985 with the AA Tulsa Drillers and the Single-A Salem Redbirds—but House simplified his delivery, keeping his hands lower in the set position to eliminate useless motion. While many felt that throwing across the body caused injury, House reasoned that remaining closed for longer would reduce the stress on Williams’ arm and help hide the ball longer.28 Rangers assistant pitching coach Dick Egan noted that hitters lost track of the ball because “[h]e basically throws [it] out of his uniform.”29

House’s other key insight was recognizing Williams’ potential as a reliever.30 Williams felt he had to be a closer, that hitters grew less selective in the ninth inning with the game on the line, and he could get them to swing at pitches that did not go over the plate.31 He also felt that closing suited his personality, joking, “You need two things to be a closer: no mind and a short memory. I’m a genius when it comes to the ‘no mind’ stuff.”32 Chicago Cubs coach Dick Pole later called him “too hyper to sit down for four days.”33

Despite not having pitched a single inning in Triple-A, Williams began the 1986 season in the major leagues with the Rangers. He was a full-time reliever; during his time at the top level, he started just three games.

As of May 30, Williams had an ERA of 1.86; 17 of his 18 appearances were scoreless.34 Teammate Charlie Hough said, “He has to have [even greater talent than he realizes] to do what he has done in the last two years, to go from a struggling pitcher in A ball, struggling to the point he might almost be released, to the major leagues and not be just adequate but to be tremendous.”35 Williams’ performance cooled, but he finished with a respectable 3.58 ERA, eight saves, eight wins, and six losses in a league-leading 80 appearances.

Another solid season followed in 1987, but Williams struggled with his emotions, once shouting at Boston’s Wade Boggs and Mike Greenwell for not swinging at his pitches.36 Manager Bobby Valentine sent him to a hypnotist.37

That fall, Williams married schoolteacher Dee Ann Grammer. The 22-year-old was suddenly stepfather to two children. Dee acknowledged that sometimes when she tried to correct student misbehavior, the response was, “Mitch does it. What’s wrong with it?” Williams said, “She’ll point out when I’m acting like an idiot. She’ll say, ‘You’ve got a family now. You can’t act like that.’”38

In 1988, his war with the Red Sox continued. Greenwell complained, “I’ve faced him four times and I’ve been on my back four times.”39 Williams was suspended after a brawl with Marty Barrett.40 He finished with 18 saves but blew eight other opportunities and had a 4.63 ERA. Valentine said, “His talent wasn’t ever a disappointment … His biggest problem this season was … not being what he’s supposed to be—one-twenty-fourth of a baseball team.”41 Williams went to the Chicago Cubs in a nine-player trade.42

Early in the 1989 season, Williams talked about learning from his brother’s experience. “They started fooling around with him, trying to get him to let up some so he could throw strikes. Pretty soon, he couldn’t throw hard again … Now, he’s back in Oregon working a 9-to-5 job … I figured I’d get there with what God gave me, or I wouldn’t get there.”43

Manager Don Zimmer and Pole were willing to go along. Zimmer explained, “[W]e both said, ‘Let’s don’t bring him over here and tell him we’re going to do 99 different things with him.’” Zimmer said of Williams’ work ethic, “He’s one of the few people I can’t beat to the park. He gets there at 7 A.M. for day games.”44

In mid-June 1989, Williams was described as unpredictable but “nearly unbeatable.”45 That season was when he acquired the nickname “Wild Thing.” Ricky Vaughn, Charlie Sheen’s character in Major League (released that April) is a power pitcher who lacks control until he gets glasses. When Vaughn enters a game, fans chant and stomp along with the song “Wild Thing”—which Williams adopted as his walk-up tune.46 In 1993, as a Phillie, he adopted number 99. He said it reflected his penchant for doing things at 99 miles per hour, but it was also Vaughn’s number.47

Williams appeared in 76 games, tops in the majors, with 36 saves and a 2.76 ERA, even while walking 5.7 batters per nine innings. One save, on April 28, came after a single pitch—he picked off the runner at second for the final out.48

Williams also made his only All Star appearance that year. He pitched the bottom of the eighth, walking Ruben Sierra and then picking him off, getting Steve Sax to fly out, and striking out Mickey Tettleton. The NL lost, 5-3.

On September 18, in addition to a save, he got his first major-league hit, a three-run homer, off the Mets’ Don Aase. “I just swing it—I ain’t seeing nothing,” Williams said.49

On September 26, he saved a 3-2 victory against the Expos, clinching the National League East title.50

Against the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS, the Cubs were down two games to one and the Giants were up 6-4 in Game Four when Williams entered in the eighth. He ended the inning with two strikeouts, but the Giants’ lead held. In Game Five, Williams again entered in the eighth. The score was 1-1 and the bases were loaded with two outs. Will Clark’s single drove in two runs. The Giants’ 3-2 win secured the NL pennant.

When Williams faced the Mets on June 11, 1990, he had a 2.25 ERA. That night, he tore a knee ligament.51 From his return on July 13 to season’s end, his ERA was 5.61. The Cubs had him try a more conservative delivery aimed at putting less pressure on his knee; in September, Zimmer tried starting him.52 Williams concluded, “[The changed delivery] is not me. After last year, it’s time for me to do what I know is best. I only know one speed, and that’s all-out.”53

In December, after the Cubs signed reliever Dave Smith, Williams made it known that he wanted out.54 Later he said, “[general manager Jim ] Frey was unhappy because I wouldn’t go out and throw everybody curve balls … I tried and it didn’t work.”55 Phillies GM Lee Thomas exchanged Chuck McElroy and Bob Scanlan for Williams on April 7, 1991.56

Williams felt an immediate connection to skipper Jim Fregosi and to his new teammates, whom he described as “my type of ballplayers. They’re throwbacks, who’ll go out there and scrap and fight and do everything they can to win.”57 Fregosi said, “Mitch knows that I understand him a little bit, and that if he walks the first two hitters, I’m not going to take him out of the game … . Sometimes he does it a little differently than you’d like to see it done. But he does it.”58

The 1991 season was a career year for Williams. His 8-1 record for August tied Grover Cleveland Alexander’s Phillies record for wins in a month. He finished with 30 saves, 12 wins, five losses, and a 2.34 ERA, although the team went 78-84.

In 1992, the Phillies sank to last place in the NL East. Their starters pitched 27 complete games; otherwise, the team was often so far behind that Williams was not needed.59 Sometimes Fregosi put him in just to give him enough work to stay sharp, but Williams had a hard time doing so when the game was not on the line.60

At season’s end, Thomas called Darren Daulton, Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk, and Williams into his office. Williams recalled, “We told him that we just didn’t have the players to win … .We were screaming at each other until he finally agreed to pursue some … free agents.”61 In the offseason, Thomas signed Pete Incaviglia, Jim Eisenreich, and Danny Jackson—along with veteran bullpen help for Williams in David West and Larry Andersen.

In April 1993, Williams tallied five saves in his first five appearances. The team seized first place on April 10 and held it for the rest of the season. Fans were captivated by the team’s scruffiness and will to win. They were called the “Cheez Whiz Kids” and the “Was Kids.” Kruk quipped, “We’re not bad people, but you wouldn’t want to have us over to your house for dinner.” Fregosi’s analysis was: “If crazy is running out ground balls, playing hard, and getting the uniform dirty, then, yeah, they’re crazy.”62

The clubhouse atmosphere was magical.63 The Phillies celebrated like a fraternity on spring break—Williams was a team leader in pie fights.64 The trainer’s room was set up like a bar. The players often stayed so late that clubhouse attendants complained to Thomas. The shenanigans sparked several divorces.65 Prefiguring the trend, Williams was divorced in March 1993.66

Yet the club also had a serious side. The teammates constantly heightened their cooperation in order to win more. Players credited the extraordinary leadership of Daulton, who told Williams he was acting selfishly when he stomped off the mound after Fregosi removed him. The admonition left Williams contrite.67

 Williams reminded fans why he was called Wild Thing. Through May 16, the team won all 16 games he entered. Then he blew saves in two appearances, prompting an angry clubhouse session where his team spirit and maturity were questioned.68 On June 1, he shut the Reds down 1-2-3 for a save that Fregosi described as “the best he’s pitched all year.”69 Conversely, in a September series in Montreal, he blew a save, came in with a tie and gave up the winning run, and held on for a save in a manner that left announcer Richie Ashburn sighing, “I don’t see how people can stand this.”70 Williams finished with a 3.34 ERA and a career-high 43 saves.

The Phillies faced the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. When Williams came to the mound in Game One with a 3-2 lead in the ninth, Schilling covered his face with a towel.71 Sure enough, the water got hot. Bill Pecota walked and took third on a Kim Batiste error; after a sacrifice, a groundout scored Pecota. In the 10th, Williams gave up two two-out hits but escaped the jam. Batiste then atoned by driving in the winning run.

After two Phillies losses, Williams next appeared in Game Four. Starter Jackson took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth but weakened, allowing two singles. Williams entered—and caused a palpitation as Mark Lemke drove a long fly to left field, but Milt Thompson made a leaping grab on the warning track. In the ninth, Pecota led off with a single. Williams then made things adventurous in a different way: with his fielding. First, he mishandled Otis Nixon’s bunt trying to make a barehand play. Jeff Blauser then also bunted; Williams—whose natural delivery carried him toward the ball—grabbed it but lacked a good grip and threw wide of third. It took a running stretch from Batiste well into foul territory to get the force.72 A double-play grounder secured the Phillies’ victory to tie the series.

With the Phillies up three games to two, Williams entered Game Six with a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth. He struck out Damon Berryhill, got Lemke on a fly ball, and struck out Pecota, nailing down the pennant. Announcer Tim McCarver screamed, “Of all the improbable endings to this season, the most improbable is Mitch Williams having a one-two-three inning.”73

In the World Series, Philadelphia faced Toronto. After a Jays win in Game One, Williams appeared in Game Two in the eighth with a 6-3 lead, Paul Molitor on second, and one out. Molitor stole third and John Olerud’s sacrifice fly scored Molitor. Schilling put another towel on his head.74 Williams walked Roberto Alomar, who stole second. When Alomar tried stealing third, Williams picked him off. Tony Fernández led off the ninth with a walk, but Williams held the Jays scoreless for a 6-4 win. He then confronted Schilling, saying, “You’re a great pitcher. But sooner or later, you won’t be able to pitch anymore, and you’ll have to be a man. And right now, you ain’t a very good one.”75

Williams entered Game Four in the eighth, with the Jays up two games to one. The Phillies led 14-10 with Olerud on third, Molitor on second, and one out. The first batter Williams faced, Fernández, singled, driving in Olerud. Then Williams walked Pat Borders. He struck out Ed Sprague, but Rickey Henderson singled, sending home Molitor and Fernández. Devon White’s triple scored Borders and Henderson. Alomar grounded out, but the Phillies were down 15-14.

As Schilling pitched a complete-game shutout in Game Five, the Phillies received death threats against Williams from enraged fans. Arriving home at 2:00 A.M., he learned the news as police shined a light in his face. “Every time he heard a creak—and that house creaked a lot—Mitch was up and looking around, looking out the window. He had that 9-millimetre pistol at arm’s reach all night,” said his fiancée, Irene Iacone.76

Williams entered Game Six in the bottom of the ninth, with the Phillies up 6-5. He walked Henderson on four straight balls. Pitching coach Johnny Podres advised Williams to use a slide step to get the ball to the plate faster and minimize Henderson’s time to steal second.77 White flied out, but Molitor singled.

That brought Joe Carter to the plate. He took the first two pitches, both balls, and the third for strike one. Carter then thought, “Look fastball,” but Williams threw a curve; Carter lost the ball against Mickey Morandini’s jersey and made an ungainly strike two.78

As Marc Narducci’s 2011 retrospective put it, this left Carter confident that Williams would try another slider. Indeed, Daulton called for one. Williams shook him off and decided on a fastball up and away. Carter saw Williams shake off the sign but decided that Williams was just messing with him. Williams did throw a fastball, but not up and away. The pitch headed straight for Carter’s wheelhouse; Carter belted it into the stands for a three-run homer—and the championship.79

Carter acknowledged, “[T]he only reason I kept it fair was that I was looking breaking ball the whole time … .I guarantee you, if I was looking fastball, I would have swung and missed … or hit a foul ball.”80

Williams regretted going along with the slide step—“I knew I made a mistake,” he said.81 As he observed in his memoir, “[With the slide step], because you don’t lean as far back … as usual … you can’t get as much on the ball.”82 Dykstra ran in from center field as Carter rounded the bases, muttering as he passed Williams, “Guess there won’t be a Game Seven, will there?”83  

Williams won admiration for his brave postgame performance—sitting in front of his locker, he answered every reporter’s question with humility.84 He said, “There are no excuses. I didn’t get the job done.”85 He spoke of being upset that he let his teammates down, and for the fans who “got so well behind us.”86

On December 2, the Phillies traded Williams to the Houston Astros for Doug Jones and Jeff Juden.87 He wrote later, “When the Phillies traded me, it just sucked all the desire out of me.”88

Williams made a quick impact on the Astros when he persuaded management to lift its ban on facial hair; a team full of goatees followed.89 However, he became frustrated by lack of clarity about his role.90 There was a shouting match in manager Terry Collins’ office after a game he did not close.91 “That [argument] didn’t look good in the eyes of his teammates,” said Jeff Bagwell. “Forget about personal stats; our job is to win.”92

Williams’ ERA stood at 7.65 with just six saves on May 31; the Astros released him.93 Brief stints with the California Angels (1995), Phillies (1996), and Kansas City Royals organizations (1997) all ended in his release.

By then, his newest tattoo paid tribute to his and Irene’s first three children, Damon, Nikola, and Mitchell Jr.94 Two others, Dallas and Declan, followed.95

After Williams’ time in the majors ended, his occupations varied. Philadelphia beat writer Paul Hagen noted, “Williams worked [at two Atlantic City] casinos … .He tended his 3 & 2 ranch in Texas, then moved to New Jersey, where he managed a bowling alley and bar. Williams sold a hot sauce of his own creation, Wild Thing Southpaw Salsa.”96

Williams had coaching aspirations but lamented the “Wild Thing” label: “It’s like having the nickname ‘Robber’ and trying to get hired by a bank.”97 In 2001, he was named pitching coach (and occasional player) for the independent Atlantic City Surf. Some were amused to learn that the Surf’s hitting coach was Mario Mendoza, whose infamously light hitting inspired the term “The Mendoza Line.”98

In July 2002, the last-place Surf named Williams manager.99 They finished in first place. Surf pitcher Jim Crowell said, “Mitch knows how to motivate people to get the most out of them. He doesn’t do it by screaming or yelling. He does it by getting the respect from the players … . My mechanics were OK when I got there, when I left there, they were straightened out and my velocity and control were where I wanted them to be.”100 The Surf faltered in 2003, and Williams resigned.101

While no further coaching jobs materialized, Williams’ broadcasting career soon took off. By 2008, he was hosting several radio shows and was a regular on cable television’s “Phillies Post Game Live.” According to the New York Times, broadcasting colleagues praised “his spontaneity, his quick and self-deprecating wit, his willingness to criticize athletes and his succinct explanation of fundamentals.” SportsNet anchor Michael Barkann said, “The sky is still the limit for him. He’s very self-effacing … He’s a sweet guy who’s a smart guy.”102 In December 2008, MLB Network hired Williams as an analyst for “MLB Tonight.”103

A 2014 incident abruptly halted Williams’ broadcasting career. While coaching his son’s 10-and-under team, the Jersey Wild, he complained about an illegal substitution, and an opposing player was benched. Deadspin claimed that he called the umpire an obscene word, called a player on the opposing team a “pussy,” and ordered his pitcher to throw at an opposing batter.104 MLB Network put him on leave, demanding that he sign a contract addendum promising to seek counseling and not to attend any more of his children’s sporting events. When he refused, he was fired. Williams sued.105

A Philadelphia magazine article suggested that he had been treated unfairly. The father of the opposing player who got benched, whose son had previously played for the Wild, said Williams would never call children names or order a pitcher to hit a batter. He recalled that parents and coaches on his team “went crazy” after his son was pulled. All three parents interviewed maintained that Williams’ image and his having pitched in the World Series made him a target for other parents.106 In 2017, a jury awarded him over $1.5 million.107

Nevertheless, the broadcasting opportunities were gone.108 As of 2025, he and Irene were raising goats, pigs, and chickens on another Texas ranch. He had little contact with teammates and had not watched or heard about a baseball game in a long time. He said, “I would have worked for the organization for the rest of my career. They talk about Phillies family and everything, but we sure weren’t a part of it.”109

Still, it would be hard to second-guess his choosing his children’s sporting events over his broadcasting career. Daughter Nikola, a high school basketball star in 2015, said, “My competitiveness and overall mental toughness I got from my father. And ultimately I fear nothing when I walk on the court.”110

Son Declan became a New England Patriots rookie minicamp invitee in 2026. He recalled hearing parents chant “1993” when he was a young pitcher—but more importantly, described Williams as his role model. Declan added, “I’d love to carry on … the legacy that my dad’s been able to build throughout his life with his baseball career … I’m honored to have the Williams last name.”111

Last revised: September 1, 2026

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Paul Proia and Rory Costello and checked for accuracy by members of SABR’s fact-checking team.

Notes

1 Bill Conlin, “For Phils, Wild Thing Williams remains prize catch,” Bloomsburg (Pennsylvania) Press-Enterprise, December 12, 1991, 20.

2 Bob Gordon and Tom Burgoyne. More than Beards, Bellies and Biceps: The Story of the 1993 Phillies (And the Phillie Fanatic Too), (New York: Sports Publishing, 2013), 350.

3 Jim Henneman, “Deal is a deal,” Baltimore Evening Sun, August 8, 1986, C4.

4 Gordon and Burgoyne, 350.

5 Gordon and Burgoyne, 352.

6 Blown saves have been officially tabulated only since 1988; the statistic has since been retroactively calculated. The most detailed study—Vin Getz, “MLB: Relief Pitchers with the Most Career Blown Saves,” Sports List of the Day, May 30, 2013—presents the top 20 career totals. Williams is not on this list. (https://sportsweeksportslist.wordpress.com/?s=blown).

7 Bill Lyon, “‘Wild Thing’ takes the Phillies on a wild, wild, wild joy ride,” Lancaster (Pennsylvania) New Era, August 12, 1991, C1.

8 E.g., Marc Narducci, “Bittersweet Memories,” Philadelphia Inquirer, February 5, 2011, E1; Jordan Kligman, “He’s Got the Heat,” U.S. Sun, October 15, 2023, https://www.the-sun.com/sport/9334412/mlb-mitch-williams-salsa-post-retirement-career-change/; Gordon and Burgoyne, cover.

9 Todd Boldiszar, “The 25 Most Awesome Mullets in Sports History,” Bleacher Report, June 7, 2018, https://bleacherreport.com/articles/563513-the-25-most-awesome-mullets-in-sports-history

10 Greg Hanlon, “Can Hair Make You a Better Pitcher?” New York Times, April 30, 2012, https://archive.nytimes.com/6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/can-hair-make-you-a-better-pitcher/.

11 Timothy Dwyer, “’I stunk’: Williams doesn’t try to deflect the blame,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 21, 1993, C10.

12 William C. Kashatus, Macho Row: The 1993 Phillies and Baseball’s Unwritten Code (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2017), 167; Ira Berkow, “Getting a World Away from Series,” New York Times, October 31, 1993, 8:1.

13 Kashatus, 167.

14 Linda Kay, “On the quiet side,” Chicago Tribune, June 4, 1989, 3:3.

15 Mitch Williams and Darrell Berger, Straight Talk from Wild Thing (Chicago: Triumph Books, 2010), 162.

16 Williams and Berger, 2.

17 Roger Anthony, “Williams, Normand: 2 tough lefties,” (Portland) Oregon Journal, April 22, 1982, 33.

18 Pete Lesage, “Pick by Padres suits Williams just fine,” Portland Oregonian, June 15, 1982, 6MS.

19 Frank Fitzpatrick, “It could be Wild,” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 6, 1992, E1.

20 Kashatus, 168.

21 Williams and Berger, 3.

22 Billy Turner, “Reno Padres warming up,” Reno Gazette-Journal, May 5, 1983, 2B.

23 Hampton, Rusty and Reid English. “NWL welcomes two new teams,” Salem (Oregon) Statesman Journal, June 22, 1983, 3D.

24 John Maffei, “Gwosdz happy to be wanted man,” Escondido (California) Times-Advocate, December 5, 1984, C1, C4.

25 “Rangers Deal Asadoor to Padres for Williams,” Tulsa World, April 6, 1985, B5.

26 Mike Tully, “Rangers mull taking chance on West Linn grad,” Bend (Oregon) Bulletin, March 5, 1985, D1.

27 Williams and Berger, 7.

28 Williams and Berger, 7.

29 Campbell, “Meet Mitch.”

30 Paul Hagen, “Mitch’s pitch: Rangers’ Williams making the most of his chances,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 30, 1986, D1.

31 Williams and Berger, 40.

32 Kashatus, 24.

33 Linda Kay, “Williams the flake is solid family man,” Spokane (Washington) Spokesman-Review, June 8, 1989, D4.

34 Paul Hagen, “Williams: off-beat, but on the ball,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 30, 1986, B7.

35 Ken Wheeler, “Rising star blazes path for Rangers,” Sunday Portland Oregonian, June 29, 1986, E1.

36 Steve Campbell, “Meet Mitch Williams—the grown-up version,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, February 28, 1988, 2:1.

37 Williams and Berger, 38.

38 Campbell, “Meet Mitch.”

39 Ian Thomson, “Team spirit became a battle cry for Sox,” Boston Globe, April 10, 1988, 66.

40 Tony DeMarco, “Williams’ 2-game penalty upheld eight days after his last appearance,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 3, 1988, 3:3.

41 Steve Campbell, “Rangers looking at ways to cool a bullpen that adds fuel to fire,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 23, 1988, 3:5, 3:8.

42 “Rangers Trade for Palmeiro,” Kerrville (Texas) Times, December 6, 1988, 9.

43 Gary Nuhn, “Cubs’ wildman is a long way from 9-to-5,” Dayton Daily News, May 21, 1989, 1-D.  

44 Nuhn.

45 Dan O’Neill, “’Unique’ Williams Putting Color into Cubs’ Bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 13, 1989, 3C.  

46 Kay; Nuhn.

47 Dave Johnson,” Evansville (Indiana) Courier and Press, April 18, 1993, B3.

48 “Perfect pitch is no pitch for Cubs’ Williams,” Rock Island (Illinois) Argus, April 29, 1989, C1.

49 Carrie Muskat, “Cub streak past Mets,” Rockford (Illinois) Register Star, September 19, 1989, C1.

50 “Cubs prevail! Cubs prevail!” Bedford (Indiana) Times-Mail, September 27, 1989, B1.

51 “Cubs reliever out 6-8 weeks,” Iowa City (Iowa) Press-Citizen, June 14, 1990, 2D.

52 “Wild Thing can’t save Cubs as a starter,” Rock Island Argus, September 11, 1990, C4; Andrew Bagnato, “Cubs’ Righetti quest doesn’t bother Williams,” Chicago Tribune, November 25, 1990, 3:10.

53 Bagnato.

54 “Mitch Williams wants out of Chicago since signing of Dave Smith,” Taylorville (Illinois) Daily Breeze Courier, December 18, 1990, 10.

55 Jon Marks, “It’s Never Dull When Williams Pitches,” Phillies Report, May 23, 1991.

56“At long last, Mitch Williams is with Phillies,” Chambersburg (Pennsylvania) Public Opinion, April 8, 1991, 6B.

57 Marks.

58 M.G. Missanelli, “A wild ride on Williams’ roller coaster,” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 1, 1991, 5-D.

59 George A. King, III, “Phils’ Mitch can’t wait to ditch a lost season,” Trenton (New Jersey) Times, October 3, 1992, C3.

60 King; Paul Hagen, “Give defense save,” Philadelphia Daily News, September 5, 1992, 51.

61 Williams and Corrigan, 89-90.

62 Edwin J. Smith, “Crazy About Winning,” The Sporting News, May 24, 1993, 9-10; Gordon and Burgoyne, 17-22.

63 E.g., Gordon and Burgoyne, 158.

64 Kashatus, 24.

65 Gordon and Burgoyne, 153-59.

66 Gil LeBreton, “Wild as Ever,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 19, 1993, C1, C6.

67 Michael Geffner, “From anti-hero to superhero,” Wilmington (Delaware) News Journal, September 26, 1993: 10.

68 Paul Hagen, “Williams saves face, victory,” Philadelphia Daily News, June 2, 1993, 84.

69 Hagen.

70 Bill Conlin, “Watching Mitch is sheer torture,” Philadelphia Daily News, September 20, 1993, 103.

71 Kashatus, 267.

72 Kashatus, 276.

73 Kashatus, 282.

74 Kashatus, 294.

75 Williams and Berger, 93.

76 Kashatus, 301; Scott Ostler, “Philly takes the loss much too hard,” Anniston (Alabama) Star, October 25, 1993, 3B; Ira Berkow, “Williams gets a world away from series,” Ottawa (Ontario) Citizen, November 3, 1993, C2.

77 Narducci.

78 Joe Posnanski, Why We Love Baseball (New York: Dutton, 2023), 146.

79 Narducci.

80 Narducci.

81 Narducci.

82 Williams and Berger, x.

83 John Henderson, “Williams survived Carter’s home run,” Denver Post, September 18, 2000, https://extras.denverpost.com/rock/bmon0918a.htm.

84 Gordon and Burgoyne, 337.

85 Michael Bamberger, “Williams eyes truth without blinking,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 24, 1993, C1.

86 Bamberger.

87 Michael Murphy, “Williams’ style keeps games tense,” Houston Chronicle, December 3, 1993, 8B.

88 Williams and Berger, 175.

89 Dan Good, Playing Through the Pain: Ken Caminiti and the Steroids Confession that Changed Baseball Forever (New York: Abrams, 2022), 147-48.

90 Williams and Berger, 174.

91 Jim Molony, “Wild Thing takes act on the road,” Houston Post, June 1, 1994, C-3.

92 Tim Kurkjian, “Relief at Last,” Sports Illustrated, June 13, 1994, 41.

93 Jim Molony, “Attitude, not ability, Williams’ undoing,” Houston Post, June 1, 1994, C-3.

94 Sam Donnellon, “Just call him Mitch,” Philadelphia Daily News, February 26, 1997, 81.

95 Regina Medina, “’Wild Thing” happy in his cage,” Philadelphia Daily News, May 4, 2015, 6.

96 Paul Hagen, “Williams proving a ‘wild’ success in second career,” MLB.com, February 5, 2013.

97 Angela Couloumbis, “The Wild Thing has found that he just can’t stay away,” Philadelphia Inquirer, January 5, 1998, A1, A8; John Blanchette, “Williams Still ‘Wild Thing,’” Spokane Spokesman-Review, June 23, 2009, B1.

98 “Sports Forum: Surf Waves,” New York Daily News, February 12, 2001, 66.

99 Bill LeConey, “The changing surf,” Press of Atlantic City (New Jersey), July 2, 2002, D1.

100 Bob Brookover, “Tryout has high praise for Mitch Williams,” Philadelphia Inquirer, February 17, 2003, D5; Ed Hilt, “Ex-Surf lefty Crowell makes pitch at Phils’ camp,” Press of Atlantic City, February 20, 2003, D8.  

101 Bill LeConey, “Williams resigns after 1½ seasons as Surf’s manager,” Press of Atlantic City, February 3, 2004, D1.

102 Joe LaPointe, “Out of the Phillies Frying Pan, He Hasn’t Lost His Fire,” New York Times, May 25, 2008, SP2; “Mitch Williams gets new TV home,” Philadelphia Daily News, December 31, 2008, 63.  

103 “Mitch Williams gets new TV home.”

104 Richard Rys, “Is Mitch Williams Getting Screwed?” Philadelphia Magazine, April 5, 2015, Is Mitch Williams Getting Screwed? | Philadelphia Magazine; “Ex-Phillies pitcher ejected from youth game in Md.,” Baltimore Sun, May 13, 2014, D2.   

105 Timothy Burke, “Why Was Mitch Williams Fired from MLB Network? Why Is He Suing His Former Employer?” Deadspin, September 13, 2016, Deadspin | Why Was Mitch Williams Fired From MLB Network? Why Is He Suing His Former Employer?; “Mitch ‘Wild Thing’ Williams sues Deadspin, MLB Network over reports leading to firing,” Easton (Pennsylvania) Express-Times, September 30, 2014, B1.

106 Rys.

107 Robert Moran, “Mitch awarded $1.5M by jury,” Philadelphia Daily News, June 21, 2017, D4.

108 Rys.

109 Bob Brookover, “A ‘Wild Thing’ happened 32 years ago after an improbable Phillies win,” Trenton Times, July 3, 2025, E1.

110 Kyle Phillippi, “Daughters of three former Philly stars carry on family athletic tradition,” Philly Voice, March 23, 2015,  Daughters of Chris Therien, Mitch Williams and Jon Runyan carry on family athletic tradition | PhillyVoice

111 Ethan Hurwitz, “Patriots Minicamp Invite Wants to Bring His ‘Smash Mouth’ Play to NFL,” Sports Illustrated, May 3, 2026, EXCLUSIVE: Patriots Minicamp Invite Wants To Bring His ‘Smash Mouth’ Play To NFL; “2026 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Declan Williams, LB, University of Incarnate Word, NFL Draft Diamonds, https://nfldraftdiamonds.com/2025/10/declan-williams/