William Ashley Freehan (November 29, 1941 – August 19, 2021) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire 15-year career with the Detroit Tigers.

[3][4] His father, Ashley, worked as a sales representative for a seat insulation company; his mother was Helen (Morris).

[7] In 1963 he arrived in the majors to stay, working with former catcher Rick Ferrell on his defense and splitting catching duties with Gus Triandos, who was traded following the season.

[8] He also led the AL by throwing out 53% of potential base stealers, earned the first of his ten consecutive All-Star selections, and placed seventh in the Most Valuable Player Award balloting.

In a year marked by dominant pitching, he posted career highs with 25 home runs and 84 RBI, fifth and sixth in the AL respectively.

Freehan capped his season by recording the final out of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, retiring Tim McCarver on a popup.

[16] Although Freehan's later seasons rarely approached the brilliance of those two campaigns, he continued to turn out All-Star years for the Tigers.

In 1971, he rebounded at the plate with a .277 batting average and 21 home runs, three of those coming in one game against the Boston Red Sox in August.

His batting totals are particularly remarkable in light of the fact offense was at a low throughout the sport during his career, with a decided advantage toward pitchers.

In 1973 and 1974 he surpassed Yogi Berra to become the AL's all-time leader in putouts and total chances; he broke Johnny Roseboro's major league marks in 1975.

[27] During the 1969 season, Freehan penned Behind the Mask, a diary-type recording of his thoughts and experiences as seen from the catcher's perspective that saw publication in 1970.

[28] He and pitcher Mickey Lolich started 324 games as a battery, at the time more than any other duo since 1900,[29] and a record that stood until Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals broke it in 2022.

[30] After retiring as a player, Freehan coached Tigers catcher Lance Parrish on the fine points of playing his position.