Arizona Sports Hall of Fame voting underway; Billy Hatcher a 2022 nominee

WILLIAMS, Ariz. – Billy Hatcher of Williams, Arizona is a nominee for the 51st annual Arizona Sports Hall of Fame class.

Hatcher is one of 44 nominees for the 2022 class.

Nominees are voted on by the public, with voting underway through May 4 at www.azsportsent.com. There is no restrictions on how many candidates each individual may vote for, however, only one ballot can be cast per person.

Hatcher is perhaps the most famous ball player to hail from Williams.

Born Oct. 4, 1960 in Williams, Hatcher hit the big leagues at the age of 23, playing his first game with the Chicago Cubs Sept. 10, 1984.

Over the course of his 12-year career, Hatcher played outfield for the Cubs, the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, Reds, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Rangers and hit a career .264 average.

Career highlights include Hatcher's dramatic home run in the 14th inning of game six of the 1986 National League Championship Series. The hit momentarily kept the Houston Astros alive in the series against the New York Mets, who later went on to take the championship.

Hatcher made another mark in the history books for his thrilling hitting performance for the Reds in the 1990 World Series against the Oakland Athletics. In the series, Hatcher set a World Series record with seven consecutive hits. In addition, Hatcher's .750 batting average (9 for 12) broke Babe Ruth's four-game World Series record batting average of .625 a set in 1928.

The announcement for the 2022 class is expected to be made in June, with new enshrines honored at a gala in November.

About Arizona Sports & Entertainment Commission (ASEC)

ASEC is among the oldest sports commissions in the United States. ASEC operates as an independent 501c3 organization. Their mission is to represent the citizens of Arizona to bring sporting events to the state, assist in the promotion of existing events and support youth and amateur sports programs.