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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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Billy Bryan, who caught for Hall of Famers Catfish Hunter and Satchel Paige in an eight-year MLB career, has died. He was 87.
Bryan spent the first six seasons of his career (1961-66) with the Kansas City A's, who would relocate to Oakland in 1968. In June 1966, Bryan was traded to the New York Yankees along with pitcher Fred Talbot for Gil Blanco, Roger Repoz, and Bill Stafford.
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After two seasons with the Yankees, Bryan spent his final season (1968) with the Washington Senators.
Bryan retired with modest numbers as a hitter — a .216 batting average, 41 home runs, 125 RBIs in 374 games — but is famous for having caught some of the best pitchers in the game's history.
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Bryan was the A's catcher on Sept. 25, 1965 when Paige, 59 and already a living legend, was the starting pitcher against the Boston Red Sox. Paige threw three innings without allowing a run in the final MLB appearance of his career.
That same year, Bryan was the starting catcher in the major league debut of a 19-year-old Hunter, an 8-time All-Star who was later inducted in the Hall of Fame.
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In the 436th start of Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford's career, Bryan replaced the future Hall of Famer as a pinch hitter on May 7, 1967.
Bryan played parts of two seasons after he was demoted by the Senators. He hit .264 with 14 homers and 46 RBIs for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 1969. In 1970, he played 13 games for the Class-A Spartanburg Phillies before calling it a career.
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According to his online obituary, Bryan served in the Air Force, and worked for the Army National Guard of Opelika, Alabama after his baseball career ended.
In a 2022 interview, Bryan fondly remembered the publicity that came with his moment as Paige's last big league catcher.
“He liked to talk and tell stories,” Bryan told MLB.com. “He never called anybody by name. If he was talking to the catcher he’d say ‘Hey, Catch, Hey, Catch,’ or to another pitcher, ‘Hey, Pitch.’ ”
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