Billy was given the Orioles' second base role in 1988; with his brother, Cal, Jr., at shortstop, the pair formed the Orioles' double play combination. Six games into the season, Cal, Sr., was fired as the Orioles' manager, the quickest managerial firing in major league history. Immediately after, Billy switched his uniform number from 3 to his father's 7, saying, "I just didn't want to see anybody else wear it." The Orioles lost their first 21 games of the season en route to a 54-107 finish. A picture of Billy appeared on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" on May 2, 1988, used in an emblematic fashion to symbolize frustration at the team's struggles. In his rookie season, Billy played a career-high 150 games, batting .207 with 106 hits, two home runs, 34 RBI, and a .984 fielding percentage.