By Doc McElroy

William Francis Plummer (March 21, 1947 – March 12, 2024) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher in 1968 and then from 1970 to 1978, most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won four National League pennants and two World Series championships between 1970 and 1976. He also played for the Chicago Cubs and the Seattle Mariners.

In October 2021, a documentary entitled Plum: A Baseball Life, about Plummer’s 53-year baseball career, was released.

Plummer died on March 12, 2024, at his home in Redding, California, after a heart attack. He was 76.

PLAYING CAREER WITH BIG RED MACHINE

The Cubs traded Plummer, Clarence Jones, and Kenneth Myette to the Reds for Ted Abernathy on January 9, 1969. He spent the season with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. He was in the minors again in 1970, but was called up to the pennant-winning Reds in September, long enough to play in four games with nine plate appearances, including his first career hit.

While never a regular starter—he was Johnny Bench‘s backup catcher during the Big Red Machine years—he did play solid defense with a .983 fielding percentage, but was a lifetime .188 hitter. His most memorable game was in 1974, when he hit two home runs in Philadelphia off hall of famer Steve Carlton.

Plummer’s career as a backup catcher was profiled in a Sports Illustrated article in July 1977. “I’ve always wondered how Bill would do if he played two months straight,” said Pete Rose. “He’s a physical fitness nut, and if hard work means anything, he would do all right.” The article’s writer said of Plummer, “He is a private person. He hoards his time and spends it with his wife Robin and two daughters, Gina and Tricia. He doesn’t drink, works out, jogs and plays tennis, and during the winter he labors on his father-in-law’s northern California cattle ranch.”