William Andrew Pertica was a pitcher from 1918 through 1923 for the Boston Red Sox (1918) and St. Louis Cardinals (1921–1923). He was born in Santa Barbara, California.

His father, Frank J. Pertica, was a saloonkeeper in Santa Barbara at the time of the 1900 United States Census, and he lived with his wife, Martina, and their three sons, Frank A. (born in 1894), Roberto (born in 1897), and Angelo (born in August 1898 and apparently later known as William Andrew Pertica). Frank’s father was born in Italy; his mother in California.

His professional debut came on April 5 and earned him an L.A. Times subhead reading “Dazzling Debut is Made by Mister Pertica.” He threw a spitball — legal at the time – but it was just one pitch in his repertoire. His poise was noted: Pertica “appears to have the hall mark of sterling quality. … At no time during proceedings did he wobble in the least,” the Times wrote.

In a four season-career, Will posted a 22–18 record with a 4.27 ERA in 74 appearances, including 46 starts, 17 complete games, two shutouts, two saves, 98 strikeouts, 138 walks, and 331.0 innings of work. He was a member of the 1918 American League champions Red Sox.

In 1924, Will left the game. He made his way to New York at some point and was living in Brooklyn at the time of the 1930 U.S. Census. Pertica was a Private in the U.S. Army during World War II. He died at age 69 in a Veterans Administration Hospital in Los Angeles, CA from a heart attack on December 28, 1967.

(excerpted from SABR, BR Bullpen, Baseball Almanac and Wikipedia)