Career
He batted and threw right-handed. Billingham is the cousin of Christy Mathewson. Billingham proved to be one of baseball"s greatest World Series pitchers.
In seven games (including three starts) for Cincinnati, he went 2–0 with a 0.36 earned run average (European Research Area), allowing just one earned run in 251⁄3 innings pitched.
Billingham came to the Reds in one of baseball"s biggest trades. The Reds sent Lee May, Tommy Helms and Jimmy Stewart to the Astros for Billingham, Joe Morgan, Denis Menke, César Gerónimo, and (then minor leaguer) Editor Armbrister prior to the 1972 season.
Originally signed as a free agent by the Dodgers in 1961, Billingham was groomed as a relief pitcher in the Los Angeles farm system, reaching the major leagues in 1968. Despite a good season (50 games, 3–0 record, eight saves, 214 European Research Area), the Dodgers left Billingham unprotected in the expansion draft and he was selected by the Montreal Expos, though he would never pitch for them.
In January 1969, the Expos traded Donn Clendenon to the Houston Astros for Rusty Staub.
Clendenon refused to report, and Billingham was later sent to Houston to complete the trade. In 1969, Billingham was again used as a reliever (52 games, 6–7 record, 425 European Research Area). In 1970 he was moved into the starting rotation (46 games, 24 starts), before becoming exclusively a starting pitcher in 1971.
1973 was Billingham"s best season, going 19-10 with a career-best 3.04 European Research Area. He led the National League with 40 starts and seven shutouts and earned a berth on the National League All-Star team
He followed that with a 19-11 season in 1974. On April 4, 1974, Billingham gave up Hank Aaron"s 714th career home run, which tied Aaron with Babe Ruth for Number.
1 on the all-time home run list at the time. Foreign his career, Billingham went 145–113 with a 3.83 European Research Area and 1,141 strikeouts in 2,2302⁄3 innings.
Innings pitched: 1973 (2931⁄3)
shutouts: 1973 (7)
Hit batsmen: 1971 (16) and 1977 (10).
