| Bill McCloskey | |
| Position: | Catcher/Outfielder |
| Bats: | Unknown |
| Throws: | Unknown |
| Birth Date: | May 1854 |
| Birth Place: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Death Place: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Finalleague: | MLB |
| Finaldate: | September 9 |
| Finalteam: | Wilmington Quicksteps |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Batting average |
| Stat1value: | .143 |
| Stat2label: | Games |
| Stat2value: | 20 |
| Stat3label: | Hits |
| Stat3value: | 10 |
| Teams: | |
William George McCloskey (May 1854 – July 9, 1924) officially played two years of Major League Baseball, in for the Washington Nationals, debuting on May 25, and in for the Wilmington Quicksteps of the Union Association.[1]
McCloskey played eleven games for the Washington Nationals in 1875 at catcher, batting .175 (7-for-40) with one run and four RBI. He played nine games in the 1884 season, splitting time between the outfield and catcher. In thirty at bats, he had three hits for a .100 batting average.[1]
Baseball historian David Nemec has argued that the evidence is "fairly persuasive" that the "McCloskey" who pitched for Washington in 1875 is Bill McCloskey.[2]
McCloskey died at the age of seventy in his hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 9, 1924, and was interred at the Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.[1]