Windy McCall – Baseball Player Biography, Career, Net Worth Information

John William “Windy” McCall wrapped up his Major League Baseball career in 1957, closing the book on nearly a decade as a left-handed relief pitcher. Born in San Francisco on July 18, 1925, McCall made his debut with the Boston Red Sox in 1948, and over nine seasons, he bounced around three teams in both the American and National Leagues.

Between 1948 and 1957, McCall compiled an 11-15 record with a 4.22 ERA across 134 games for the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and New York Giants. His journey through pro baseball gives us a pretty interesting look at what life was like for a journeyman pitcher during baseball’s golden era. He struggled with consistency early on, but eventually found his groove as a reliable reliever with the Giants.

McCall’s career shows the challenges and opportunities pitchers faced in the post-war era. He started off rocky in Boston, but eventually found his place with the New York Giants. His path through the majors gives us a window into how relief pitching evolved and what players went through as the game changed in the 1940s and 1950s.

Windy McCall’s Early Life and Background

John William McCall was born July 18, 1925, in San Francisco, California. He grew up in the Mission District, just three blocks from Holly Park.

His journey from neighborhood baseball games to the major leagues hit a pause when he served in World War II in the Pacific.

Birth and Family Origins

McCall entered the world on July 18, 1925, in San Francisco. He grew up in the Mission District alongside his parents and two siblings.

His dad, John Patrick (Jack) McCall, built and remodeled houses for a living. His mom ran the household, keeping things together with three kids—two boys and a girl.

John was the only one in his family who really cared about baseball. His brother wanted nothing to do with dirty hands and later became a high school chemistry and physics teacher.

The McCalls lived close enough to Holly Park that John could easily walk over with his bat and glove to play in neighborhood games.

Jack McCall supported his son’s baseball dreams. He often took John to weekend games around San Francisco, helping him fall in love with the sport.

Education and University of San Francisco

McCall went to Balboa High School in San Francisco. He graduated early in January 1943 at just 17.

During his high school years, McCall didn’t pitch—he played the outfield and focused on hitting.

After graduation, he earned a scholarship to play center field at the University of San Francisco. His teammate Neill Sheridan, who played left field, would later join him on the Red Sox.

Bill Renna, another future big leaguer who played for Boston in 1958-1959, manned right field. McCall didn’t pitch during his short stint at the university.

His college baseball career lasted only a season. He left the University of San Francisco after six months to join the Marine Corps in 1943.

Military Service in World War II

McCall enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1943, just two weeks after signing his first pro contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was only 17, so his parents had to sign off on it.

He served with the Fourth Division in the Pacific theater. His service took him to places like Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

McCall’s unit waited as floating reserve off Iwo Jima. After heavy casualties, his ship became a hospital ship, and the unit returned to rebuild.

He ended up assigned to Military Police duty on Okinawa. The MPs cleared out Japanese soldiers hiding in caves, who sometimes came out at night.

While serving, McCall started pitching for the first time. He played baseball games on Maui and Okinawa, and realized his arm strength made him effective on the mound.

McCall left Okinawa on May 16, 1946, after the war ended. On his last day, his unit captured 12 Japanese soldiers, including an officer, who’d been hiding in a cave.

Professional Baseball Career Overview

Windy McCall spent almost a decade in Major League Baseball, moving between three teams as he built a reputation as a reliable relief pitcher. He put up an 11-15 record with a 4.22 ERA over 134 appearances from 1948 to 1957.

MLB Debut and Initial Years

McCall made his MLB debut on April 25, 1948, with the Boston Red Sox at age 22. In his first game against the New York Yankees, he pitched 1.1 innings and allowed three earned runs.

He spent his first two seasons with Boston from 1948-1949. During that time, he tried to get comfortable in the majors and adjust to the tougher competition.

Ted Williams, the Red Sox legend, gave McCall his nickname “Windy” during batting practice. Williams joked to a sportswriter that “the windy one told me when I was pitching batting practice to bring up some of my good bats.”

McCall’s early years with Boston gave him valuable experience. He learned the basics of relief pitching while sharing a clubhouse with some of the game’s biggest stars.

Transition Through Teams

In 1950, McCall joined the Pittsburgh Pirates for a single season. That brief stint was a bit of a crossroads as he adjusted to a new team and different expectations.

After Pittsburgh, McCall played three seasons (1951-1953) with the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League. The minor leagues gave him a chance to work on his skills and prep for a return to the majors.

The New York Giants signed McCall in 1954, and that kicked off the best stretch of his career. He stuck with the Giants from 1954 through 1957, which ended up being his final four seasons in pro baseball.

While with New York, McCall found his stride. He was part of the 1954 World Series championship team, finally earning a ring.

Role and Position Evolution

McCall mostly worked as a relief pitcher during his career, though he did make the occasional start. Out of his 134 appearances, he started 15 games and finished four complete games.

At 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, he threw and batted left-handed. That lefty delivery made him especially tough on left-handed hitters.

Over his seven-season career, McCall recorded 12 saves and struck out 144 batters. He walked 103 hitters and gave up 249 hits in 253⅓ innings pitched.

His last MLB appearance came on May 5, 1957, against the Chicago Cubs. He threw 0.1 innings, allowed two hits and two earned runs, struck out one, and walked one.

Teams and Notable Seasons

Windy McCall played for three major league teams during his seven-season career from 1948 to 1957. He had his best years with the New York Giants, helping them win the 1954 World Series as a dependable relief pitcher.

Boston Red Sox Tenure

McCall started his major league career with the Boston Red Sox in 1948. He made his debut on April 25, 1948, at age 22, facing the New York Yankees.

His first game was rough. He gave up three earned runs in just 1.1 innings and took the loss.

Boston sent him down to AA Louisville after that tough start. He spent most of 1948 in the minors and finished with a 9-12 record.

McCall got another shot with Boston in 1949 but didn’t pitch much. He made just five appearances before the Red Sox traded him away.

His time in Boston only lasted two seasons. The team decided to move on after he couldn’t quite find his footing in the majors.

Pittsburgh Pirates Period

The Red Sox traded McCall to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1950. His stint in Pittsburgh was short and, honestly, not very successful.

He pitched for the Pirates during the 1950 season. The same issues with consistency and control that bothered him in Boston stuck around.

Pittsburgh sent him to the Pacific Coast League after that season. He joined the San Francisco Seals and played there for three years, from 1951 to 1953.

With the Seals, McCall managed to turn things around a bit. He won double-digit games each season, though his record was still just a little above .500.

New York Giants Years

In October 1953, the San Francisco Seals traded McCall to the New York Giants for $60,000 and three minor leaguers. That move changed everything for him.

He joined the Giants just as they were gearing up for their 1954 World Series win. McCall pitched in 33 games that season, all out of the bullpen.

His 1954 stats looked like this:

• Record: 2-4 with 2 saves
• ERA: 3.25
• Innings: 61
• Strikeouts: 38
• Hits allowed: 50

In 1955, McCall got more chances. He started six games, finished with a 6-5 record, notched three saves, and posted a 3.69 ERA.

He pitched 95 innings in 1955. He struck out hitters at a decent rate but still had some control problems, walking 37 and plunking six batters.

The 1956 season was solid for McCall. He tied for second on the team with seven saves and went 3-4 with a 3.61 ERA.

When the Giants played their last season in New York in 1957, McCall’s big league career was winding down. He pitched just three innings in April, gave up five earned runs, and the team released him on May 3rd.

Pitching Style and Performance Analysis

Windy McCall’s left-handed pitching and stats show a guy who specialized in relief work during his nine-year Major League run from 1948 to 1957. With a 4.22 ERA and 12 saves, he filled the role of a situational pitcher across three teams.

Pitching Techniques and Arsenal

McCall threw and batted left-handed, stood 6 feet tall, and weighed 180 pounds. His frame was pretty standard for pitchers at the time. The left-handed pitcher leaned on his ability to get batters out in short relief stints.

In his last season in 1957, McCall pitched just 5 games for the San Francisco Giants. He threw only 3 innings that year. His final game was May 5, 1957, against the Chicago Cubs, where he pitched 0.1 innings.

McCall’s style focused on quick relief outings, not starting games. He appeared in 134 games total, mostly coming in when managers needed a lefty specialist to face certain batters.

Statistical Achievements

McCall finished his career with 11 wins and 15 losses over nine seasons in the majors. He struck out 144 batters. His WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) was 1.388, which means he let a moderate number of runners reach base.

He played for three different teams: the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and New York Giants. Like a lot of relievers back then, he moved around a bit.

With 144 strikeouts in 134 games, McCall averaged just over one strikeout per appearance. That was pretty normal for relievers who usually faced just a handful of hitters each outing.

ERA and Saves Contributions

McCall’s 4.22 ERA put him in the middle of the pack for pitchers of his era. He notched 12 career saves, which is notable since the save stat wasn’t officially tracked until 1969. Those saves got calculated later based on the game situations.

In 1957, his last season, McCall had a tough time with his ERA. He posted a 15.43 ERA in 4 home games and a whopping 45.00 ERA in 1 road game. He allowed 8 hits in just 3 innings that year.

His worst outing happened on the road, where he gave up 1 hit and 1 earned run in only 0.2 innings. At home, he allowed 7 hits and 4 earned runs in 2.1 innings. Honestly, those numbers show his skills had faded by the end.

Comparisons Across Leagues

McCall’s career ERA sat at 4.22, which ran higher than the league average for most of the 1950s. Relief pitchers usually posted higher ERAs than starters, mostly because managers called them in during tough spots.

He finished with 12 saves, a total that was pretty respectable for a reliever in that era. Back then, teams hadn’t really developed the idea of a specialized closer yet.

Managers used relievers like McCall in all sorts of situations. Compared to other left-handed relievers of his time, McCall’s stats looked pretty average.

He brought value as a situational pitcher, especially against left-handed hitters. The fact that he stuck around for nine years says a lot—he clearly had enough skill to keep a job in the majors that long.

Minor Leagues and Post-MLB Career

McCall’s baseball journey didn’t stop with the majors. He spent significant time in the Pacific Coast League and bounced around other high-level minor league teams.

He wrapped up his career in 1959 with the AAA Miami Marlins after putting together a 10-year minor league record.

Pacific Coast League Years

McCall logged a good chunk of his career in the Pacific Coast League. In 1949, he suited up for the Seattle Rainiers, struggling to a 0-5 record as part of an overall 5-7 season split across several teams.

The Pacific Coast League was a tough place to play in the 1940s and 1950s. Plenty of players used it as a springboard to the majors, or hung on there after their MLB days.

McCall’s time in the PCL often came during transition points in his career. He usually landed there between stints with different major league organizations.

San Francisco Seals Highlights

Between 1951 and 1953, McCall pitched for the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League. That was a homecoming for him, since he grew up in San Francisco.

The Seals stood out as one of the league’s top franchises back then. Playing for his hometown team probably gave McCall some comfort and maybe even a little boost from the local fans.

Those three years with the Seals happened during a gap in his major league career. He didn’t make it back to the majors until 1954, when he joined the New York Giants.

That Seals stint helped McCall keep his professional career alive during his time away from the big leagues.

AAA Miami and Final Playing Days

McCall finished up his pro career with the AAA Miami Marlins in 1959, at age 33. That season closed out his ten years in the minors.

Across his minor league career, he racked up 80 wins and 70 losses with a 4.36 ERA over 283 games. Those numbers show he performed pretty consistently down there.

The Miami Marlins gave him his last shot at pro baseball. At 33, he was about the age most players called it quits back then.

After baseball, McCall switched gears and moved into business. He worked as a corporate salesman for Bekins Van and Storage in San Francisco, then later moved to Sierra Vista, Arizona in the early 1980s.

Retirement, Legacy, and Personal Life

Windy McCall’s baseball career wrapped up in 1957 after a decade in pro ball. He started out as a promising young pitcher and wound up a World Series champion, leaving a modest but meaningful mark on the sport in the 1950s.

Final MLB Season in 1957

The 1957 season brought McCall’s major league run to a close. He threw just three innings that April for the New York Giants.

Things didn’t go well—he gave up five earned runs in those brief outings. By May 3rd, 1957, the Giants let him go.

His quick release showed how much he struggled that spring. It’s worth noting, 1957 was the Giants’ last season in New York before their move to San Francisco.

After leaving the Giants, McCall went back to the minors. He spent the rest of 1957 in the Pacific Coast League, then played at the AAA level with Miami from 1958 to 1959.

His final big league numbers: 11 wins and 15 losses with a 4.22 ERA across 134 appearances.

Impact on Baseball History

McCall made his biggest mark as part of the 1954 World Series champion New York Giants. That year, he appeared in 33 games, posting a 2-4 record with two saves and a 3.25 ERA.

He didn’t get to pitch in the World Series itself, but his work during the regular season helped the Giants reach the top. His role as a reliever came at a time when bullpens were starting to matter more in baseball.

McCall showed what dedicated relief pitchers could do for a team. In 1956, he tied for second on the Giants staff with seven saves.

He played for teams in Boston, Pittsburgh, and New York. That kind of movement was pretty common for players in the 1950s.

McCall’s minor league record—80-70 with a 4.36 ERA over 283 games—shows he kept things steady at that level.

Life After Baseball and Legacy

John William McCall stuck around for almost sixty years after he hung up his baseball cleats. He died on February 5, 2015, at 89. That’s a long time to see the sport shift and twist into something new.

He was born in San Francisco on July 18, 1925. When his career wrapped up, McCall headed back to California. Before he ever wore a big-league uniform, he studied at the University of San Francisco. The nickname “Windy” just sort of followed him everywhere, even after the cheers faded.

People mostly remember McCall for his World Series win with the 1954 Giants. That team shocked everyone by sweeping the heavily favored Cleveland Indians, and honestly, it still stands as one of baseball’s wildest upsets. Being part of that crew gave McCall a lasting spot in Giants history.

His MLB career lasted seven years, which feels pretty typical for a solid, mid-level player from those days. McCall’s story echoes what a lot of players went through—guys who helped their teams but never really became household names.