Billy Sorrell
Billy Lee Sorrell (October 14, 1940 – July 22, 2008) was an American professional baseball player who appeared in the major leagues as a third baseman. He batted left-handed, threw right-handed, stood 6 feet tall and weighed about 190 pounds. He was born in Morehead, Kentucky, and died in Rancho Bernardo, California, at age 67.
Sorrell signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1960 and made his major league debut on September 2, 1965, as a pinch hitter. He singled in that game off Frank Linzy and ended up collecting five hits in his brief Phillies stint, finishing the season with a .385 average during that appearance.
In 1966, he played in the minor leagues for the San Diego Padres, where he hit 20 home runs. He was then selected by the San Francisco Giants in the Rule 5 Draft and played for the Giants in 1967, appearing in 18 games before being returned to the Phillies’ organization. He spent 1968 in the Mets’ system, and in 1969 his contract was purchased by the Kansas City Royals, a new expansion team.
Sorrell’s most extensive major league opportunity came in 1970 with the Royals, when he played in 57 games and had 145 plate appearances. Over his MLB career, he appeared in 85 games across three seasons (Phillies in 1965, Giants in 1967, Royals in 1970) and posted a .267 batting average with 5 home runs and 17 runs batted in.
After leaving the majors, Sorrell continued to play in the minor leagues through 1971, then spent two seasons in Japan with the Hankyu Braves, batting .278 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs in 183 games before retiring in 1973.
A notable piece of trivia about Sorrell is that he was the 10,000th player in Major League Baseball history to debut. Baseball-Reference notes that several players debuted on September 2, 1965, around the same time, and later sources have adjusted this ranking.
Billy Sorrell’s professional baseball career included time in the major leagues, the minor leagues, and Japan, from 1960 through 1973.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 20:57 (CET).