Simpson was born in
Columbus, Ohio. He attended
Notre Dame but after only one semester, joined the
United States Army in 1945 during the waning days of
World War II. After completing his military service, Simpson enrolled at
Ohio State before joining the professional baseball ranks. He pitched in the
Philadelphia Athletics' system and was acquired by the Cubs in 1952. In 1953, Simpson made the Cubs'
MLB roster coming out of spring training and remained a member of their pitching staff all season, working in 30
games, 29 in
relief. In his only
start, he failed to record an out on September 2 against the
Pittsburgh Pirates at
Forbes Field, yielding five
runs, all
earned, and four
hits, including a three-run home run by
Preston Ward. Simpson took the loss in that 8–1 Cub defeat. One week later, against the Pirates at
Wrigley Field, he won his only MLB game. Simpson entered the game in the ninth
inning with the Cubs trailing, 7–5, and worked a perfect 1-2-3 frame. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Cub slugger
Ralph Kiner hit a three-run
walk-off home run against his old Pirate mates to give Simpson the 8–7 win. Altogether, Simpson allowed 60 hits and 25
bases on balls in 45 MLB
innings pitched, striking out 21. Simpson died February 7, 2021, from
Alzheimer's disease. ==References==