William Beneditto Renna [Big Bill] (born October 14, 1924 in Hanford, California) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for four different teams between the 1953 and 1959 seasons. Listed at 6' 3", 218 lb., Renna batted and threw right-handed. He was one of the first of several Santa Clara University graduates to reach the major league label.

Renna entered the majors in 1953 with the New York Yankees, playing for them one year before joining the Philadelphia Athletics (1954), Kansas City Athletics (1955-56) and Boston Red Sox (1958-59). His most productive season came in 1954 with the Athletics, when he posted career-numbers in home runs (13), runs (52), RBI and games (123), while hitting .254. Primarily a pinch-hitter for the 1958 Red Sox, he collected 18 RBI on only 15 pinch-hits.

In a six-season career, Renna was a .239 hitter (219-for-918) with 28 home runs and 119 RBI in 370 games, including 123 runs, 36 doubles, 10 triples, two stolen bases, and a .315 on-base percentage.

[edit] Fact

• Renna entered the baseball record books while playing for the Kansas City Blues of the American Association. On June 29, 1952, the Blues belted 10 home runs against the St. Paul Saints to set a league mark for most home runs by one team. Kansas City collected 53 total bases and hit six homers in an inning, also AA marks, en route to a 17-4 win. Roy Partee hit three homers (including two in the big inning), while Renna, Vic Power and Kal Segrist added two apiece and Andy Carey hit one.

[edit] See also

• 1958 Boston Red Sox season

[edit] External links

• Baseball Library
• Baseball Reference
• MLB chronology
• Retrosheet