Bruton, "Billy" (William H.)
Baseball
b. Dec. 22, 1925, Panola, AL
Bruton joined the NL's Milwaukee Braves in 1953 and led the league in stolen bases his first three seasons with totals of 26 in 1953, 34 in 954, and 25 in 1955. He also led the NL with 15 triples in 1956 and 13 triples in 1960, when he was tops in runs scored with 112.
A left-handed hitting, right-handed throwing center fielder, Bruton was with pennant-winning teams in 1957 and 1958. He missed the 1957 World Series with a broken leg and batted .412 in 1958, when the Braves lost to the New York Yankees in seven games.
Bruton was traded to the AL's Detroit Tigers in 1961 and he finished has career with them in 1964. He had a career .273 average with 1,651 hits, including 241 doubles, 102 triples, and 94 home runs. He stole 207 bases, scored 937 runs, and had 545 RBI.