William P. "Plunk" Drake (June 8, 1895 – October 30, 1977) was a Negro league baseball pitcher. Drake pitched for top Negro league teams between 1920 and 1927, primarily remembered for his time with the Kansas City Monarchs, participating in two Colored World Series in 1924 and 1925. He gained his nickname from his propensity for pitching inside to batters and his willingness to hit batters who crowded the plate. He claimed to have taught Satchel Paige his famous hesitation pitch, though credit is usually given to Bill Gatewood. References Notes Sources University of Missouri-St Louis Negro Baseball Project: Oral History Interview with Bill Drake External links and Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats and Seamheads 1895 births 1977 deaths All Nations players Detroit Stars players Indianapolis ABCs players Kansas City Monarchs players St. Louis Giants players Baseball players from Missouri Sportspeople from Sedalia, Missouri Baseball pitchers 20th-century African-American sportspeople