Astros Legends Series: Bill Dawley

Q: What was Bill Dawley's ERA during his first half of the 1983 season with the Astros?

Bill Dawley posted a 1.88 ERA during the first half of the 1983 season.

Q: How did Bill Dawley earn the nickname 'The Vulture'?

He earned the nickname 'The Vulture' for winning games while the Astros struggled, starting the season with a 2-11 record.

Q: Which All-Star players did Bill Dawley face in his first All-Star game?

In his first All-Star game, Bill Dawley faced notable players like Jim Rice, George Brett, and Dave Winfield.

Q: What was Bill Dawley's experience pitching in the Dome like?

Bill Dawley enjoyed pitching in the Dome, noting that he initially had a streak of 10 or 11 scoreless innings before giving up his first run to Dale Murphy.

CHICAGO - 1986: Bill Dawley of the Chicago White Sox pitches during an MLB game at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois during the 1986 season . (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | Getty Images Bill Dawley would appear in 275 games as a reliever during his major league career. He’d make his debut with the Astros on April 15th and set ablaze the first half of the 1983 season, winning 5 contests while posting a 1.88 ERA. That start would culminate with an All-Star Selection at Old Comiskey Park in the Mid-Summer Classic in Chicago. Here’s the 12th installment of our continuing legends series. **Q: Did you have any idea you were going to be dealt during spring training in 1983?** *A: I had obviously been with the Reds for years and I thought that year I would make the club, but I didn’t make the starting five.* *On one of the very last days of spring training, they demoted me, but back then you had 72 hours to report to the minor leagues. I was disappointed, but then I received a phone call from Chief Bender who was the man responsible for building the foundation for the Big Red Machine. He told me he about a trade to the Astros, so I get optioned to Tucson, AZ and now I’m in their system but not with the main club.* *As fate would have it, the Astros started the year 0-9 and they brought me up.* **Q: And then upon being brought up, you catch fire immediately and start paying dividends. What do you remember most from your first game?** *A: I’m brought up and we’re playing the Expos. The first batter I faced, I actually hit in the ribs, that was Chris Spiers.* *So, he’s on first and then Terry Francona comes up next and bunts into a double play with a hard ground ball to Phil Garner. I get the next guy out, we score a run the next inning, and all of sudden, I have my first win.* *The team is 1-9 and I’m 1-0! (laughs) It happens again a few nights later, I get another win after the team loses a few, and I’m 2-0, but the team is 2-11. They quickly gave me the nickname “The Vulture”.* **Q: All told the first half is so impressive, that you are named to the All-Star Team. What was that experience like?** *A: I was sitting in a hotel in Atlanta, and back then the managers and coaches picked the pitching staff so Whitey Herzog calls and says “**Congrats!* *You’re an all-star.”* *It all happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to think about it. Ironically, I had grown up a huge Red Sox fan, and the first guy I faced that night was Jim Rice.* **Q: You get Rice, you face George Brett, Lance Parrish, and Manny Trillo. You got all of those guys out. What was that experience like?** *A: I was pumped. I was on cloud nine. I struck out Parrish, I got Brett to foul out to third base. After Brett, Dave Winfield came up and I made him look silly on two sliders to start things, and thought I could get a fastball by him, but he hit it into right field and then I got Trillo. I still remember what I threw those guys and it sometimes feels like yesterday.* **Q: Toughest hitter you ever faced?** *A: Andre Dawson. When he was with the Expos, I think I got him out every single time. When he was traded to the Cubs, he just owned me. He hit three home runs against me, a fastball, a slider, and a change up. He was my toughest out by far.* **Q: Pitching in the Dome. What comes to mind?** *A: I loved it. You know my first 10 or 11 innings; I hadn’t given up a run. So, one night, the count is 2 balls and no strikes on Dale Murphy, and I just thought because the dome was so massive that I’d throw him a fastball on the outer half, because no one in the Dome hits a homerun to center field.* *Well, I was wrong (laughs). Dale hits it over the fence and that was the first run I ever gave up. It was a great place to pitch, and I actually liked the AstroTurf because you rarely got any bad bounces along the way.*