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Billy Pierce

Walter William Pierce

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Left, Throws: Left
Height: 5' 10", Weight: 160 lb.

Born: April 2, 1927 in Detroit, MI
High School: Highland Park (Highland Park, MI)
Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent in 1945. (All Transactions)
Debut: June 1, 1945
Teams (by GP): WhiteSox/Giants/Tigers 1945-1964

Final Game: October 3, 1964
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All-Star Player

Standard Pitching

More Stats

Glossary · Click headers to sort · SHARE  · CSV · PRE · LINK · Click rows to sum (Clear)
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards
1945 18 DET AL 0 0 1.80 5 0 4 0 0 0 10.0 6 2 2 1 10 10 1 0 0 45 205 1.600 5.4 0.9 9.0 9.0 1.00
1948 21 DET AL 3 0 1.000 6.34 22 5 9 0 0 0 55.1 47 40 39 5 51 36 1 0 1 258 69 1.771 7.6 0.8 8.3 5.9 0.71
1949 22 CHW AL 7 15 .318 3.88 32 26 4 8 0 0 171.2 145 89 74 11 112 95 0 2 5 761 107 1.497 7.6 0.6 5.9 5.0 0.85
1950 23 CHW AL 12 16 .429 3.98 33 29 3 15 1 1 219.1 189 112 97 11 137 118 2 0 4 978 113 1.486 7.8 0.5 5.6 4.8 0.86
1951 24 CHW AL 15 14 .517 3.03 37 28 6 18 1 2 240.1 237 93 81 14 73 113 1 0 1 1008 133 1.290 8.9 0.5 2.7 4.2 1.55
1952 25 CHW AL 15 12 .556 2.57 33 32 1 14 4 1 255.1 214 76 73 12 79 144 3 0 3 1042 142 1.148 7.5 0.4 2.8 5.1 1.82 MVP-29
1953 26 CHW AL 18 12 .600 2.72 40 33 6 19 7 3 271.1 216 94 82 20 102 186 3 0 5 1113 149 1.172 7.2 0.7 3.4 6.2 1.82 AS,MVP-10
1954 27 CHW AL 9 10 .474 3.48 36 26 4 12 4 3 188.2 179 86 73 15 86 148 3 1 3 818 107 1.405 8.5 0.7 4.1 7.1 1.72
1955 28 CHW AL 15 10 .600 1.97 33 26 5 16 6 1 205.2 162 50 45 16 64 5 157 3 1 4 836 200 1.099 7.1 0.7 2.8 6.9 2.45 AS,MVP-18
1956 29 CHW AL 20 9 .690 3.32 35 33 2 21 1 1 276.1 261 108 102 24 100 7 192 3 1 6 1166 124 1.306 8.5 0.8 3.3 6.3 1.92 AS,MVP-5
1957 30 CHW AL 20 12 .625 3.26 37 34 2 16 4 2 257.0 228 98 93 18 71 9 171 1 1 3 1062 115 1.163 8.0 0.6 2.5 6.0 2.41 AS,MVP-11
1958 31 CHW AL 17 11 .607 2.68 35 32 3 19 3 2 245.0 204 83 73 33 66 2 144 1 0 1 983 137 1.102 7.5 1.2 2.4 5.3 2.18 AS
1959 32 CHW AL 14 15 .483 3.62 34 33 0 12 2 0 224.0 217 98 90 26 62 4 114 3 1 2 934 105 1.246 8.7 1.0 2.5 4.6 1.84 AS
1960 33 CHW AL 14 7 .667 3.62 32 30 1 8 1 0 196.1 201 81 79 24 46 1 108 0 0 2 813 105 1.258 9.2 1.1 2.1 5.0 2.35
1961 34 CHW AL 10 9 .526 3.80 39 28 5 5 1 3 180.0 190 85 76 17 54 3 106 1 0 2 764 103 1.356 9.5 0.9 2.7 5.3 1.96 AS
1962 35 SFG NL 16 6 .727 3.49 30 23 2 7 2 1 162.1 147 67 63 19 35 2 76 3 1 2 657 109 1.121 8.1 1.1 1.9 4.2 2.17 CYA-3
1963 36 SFG NL 3 11 .214 4.27 38 13 13 3 1 8 99.0 106 49 47 12 20 1 52 1 2 3 420 75 1.273 9.6 1.1 1.8 4.7 2.60
1964 37 SFG NL 3 0 1.000 2.20 34 1 14 0 0 4 49.0 40 14 12 6 10 1 29 0 0 1 195 163 1.020 7.3 1.1 1.8 5.3 2.90
18 Seasons 211 169 .555 3.27 585 432 84 193 38 32 3306.2 2989 1325 1201 284 1178 35 1999 30 10 48 13853 119 1.260 8.1 0.8 3.2 5.4 1.70
162 Game Avg. 14 11 .555 3.27 39 29 6 13 3 2 221 200 89 80 19 79 134 2 1 3 926 119 1.260 8.1 0.8 3.2 5.4 1.70
W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards
CHW (13 yrs) 186 152 .550 3.19 456 390 42 183 35 19 2931.0 2643 1153 1038 241 1052 31 1796 24 7 41 12278 123 1.261 8.1 0.7 3.2 5.5 1.71
SFG (3 yrs) 22 17 .564 3.54 102 37 29 10 3 13 310.1 293 130 122 37 65 4 157 4 3 6 1272 101 1.154 8.5 1.1 1.9 4.6 2.42
DET (2 yrs) 3 0 1.000 5.65 27 5 13 0 0 0 65.1 53 42 41 6 61 46 2 0 1 303 76 1.745 7.3 0.8 8.4 6.3 0.75
AL (15 yrs) 189 152 .554 3.24 483 395 55 183 35 19 2996.1 2696 1195 1079 247 1113 31 1842 26 7 42 12581 121 1.271 8.1 0.7 3.3 5.5 1.66
NL (3 yrs) 22 17 .564 3.54 102 37 29 10 3 13 310.1 293 130 122 37 65 4 157 4 3 6 1272 101 1.154 8.5 1.1 1.9 4.6 2.42

Player Value--Pitchers

Glossary · SHARE  · CSV · PRE · LINK · WAR: 8+ MVP, 5+ A-S, 2+ Starter, 0-2 Reserve, < 0 Replacement
Year Age Tm Lg IP GS R Rrep Rdef aLI RAR WAR Salary Awards
1945 18 DET AL 10.0 0 2 5 0 1.0 3 0.3
1948 21 DET AL 55.1 5 40 34 -1 1.0 -6 -0.5
1949 22 CHW AL 171.2 26 89 106 2 1.0 17 1.4
1950 23 CHW AL 219.1 29 112 147 2 1.0 35 2.9
1951 24 CHW AL 240.1 28 93 145 3 1.0 52 4.8
1952 25 CHW AL 255.1 32 76 139 2 1.0 63 6.7 MVP-29
1953 26 CHW AL 271.1 33 94 159 3 1.0 65 6.5 AS,MVP-10
1954 27 CHW AL 188.2 26 86 94 9 1.0 8 0.8
1955 28 CHW AL 205.2 26 50 114 5 1.1 64 6.8 AS,MVP-18
1956 29 CHW AL 276.1 33 108 163 3 1.1 55 5.9 AS,MVP-5
1957 30 CHW AL 257.0 34 98 133 10 1.1 35 3.9 AS,MVP-11
1958 31 CHW AL 245.0 32 83 127 5 1.1 44 5.1 AS
1959 32 CHW AL 224.0 33 98 111 13 1.1 13 1.4 AS
1960 33 CHW AL 196.1 30 81 105 6 1.0 24 2.5
1961 34 CHW AL 180.0 28 85 100 0 1.0 15 1.6 AS
1962 35 SFG NL 162.1 23 67 90 4 .8 23 2.2 CYA-3
1963 36 SFG NL 99.0 13 49 52 -3 1.1 3 0.2
1964 37 SFG NL 49.0 1 14 27 0 .8 13 1.0
18 Seasons 3306.5 432 1325 1851 63 1.0 526 53.5
IP GS R Rrep Rdef aLI RAR WAR Salary Awards
CHW (13 yrs) 2930.9 390 1153 1643 63 1.0 490 50.3
SFG (3 yrs) 310.1 37 130 169 1 .9 39 3.4
DET (2 yrs) 65.1 5 42 39 -1 1.0 -3 -0.2

Postseason Pitching

Glossary · Click headers to sort · SHARE  · CSV · PRE · LINK · Postseason Gamelog
Year Age Tm Lg Series Rslt Opp W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB
1959 32 CHW AL WS L LAD 0 0 0.00 3 0 0 0 0 0 4.0 2 0 0 0 2 1 3 0 0 0 17 1.000 4.5 0.0 4.5 6.8 1.50
1962 35 SFG NL WS L NYY 1 1 .500 2.40 2 2 0 1 0 0 15.0 8 5 4 1 2 1 5 0 0 0 55 0.667 4.8 0.6 1.2 3.0 2.50
2 Seasons (2 Series) 1 1 .500 1.89 5 2 0 1 0 0 19.0 10 5 4 1 4 2 8 0 0 0 72 0.737 4.7 0.5 1.9 3.8 2.00
2 WS 1 1 .500 1.89 5 2 0 1 0 0 19.0 10 5 4 1 4 2 8 0 0 0 72 0.737 4.7 0.5 1.9 3.8 2.00

Standard Batting

More Stats

Glossary · Click headers to sort · SHARE  · CSV · PRE · LINK · Click rows to sum (Clear)
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards
1945 18 DET AL 5 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 -100 0 1 0 0 /1
1948 21 DET AL 22 17 17 5 5 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 4 .294 .294 .529 .824 114 9 0 0 0 1
1949 22 CHW AL 39 62 51 7 9 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 15 .176 .250 .176 .426 15 9 2 0 6 1
1950 23 CHW AL 40 88 77 10 20 3 0 0 6 0 0 6 13 .260 .321 .299 .620 62 23 1 1 4 1
1951 24 CHW AL 39 93 79 10 16 1 0 0 3 0 1 9 17 .203 .284 .215 .499 37 17 2 0 5 1
1952 25 CHW AL 35 102 91 11 17 1 0 0 3 0 1 6 20 .187 .237 .198 .435 21 18 3 0 5 1 MVP-29
1953 26 CHW AL 42 102 87 4 11 0 0 0 4 0 0 4 16 .126 .174 .126 .300 -19 11 3 1 10 1/3 AS,MVP-10
1954 27 CHW AL 38 68 57 4 11 0 0 0 5 0 0 4 12 .193 .242 .193 .435 19 11 0 0 6 1 1
1955 28 CHW AL 34 81 70 5 12 2 0 0 7 1 0 3 10 .171 .205 .200 .405 8 14 0 0 8 0 0 1 AS,MVP-18
1956 29 CHW AL 39 113 102 6 16 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 22 .157 .189 .157 .346 -8 16 3 1 7 0 0 1 AS,MVP-5
1957 30 CHW AL 41 104 99 7 17 1 0 0 6 0 0 2 25 .172 .188 .182 .370 1 18 3 0 3 0 0 1 AS,MVP-11
1958 31 CHW AL 35 94 83 10 17 3 0 0 4 0 0 4 13 .205 .250 .241 .491 37 20 0 1 6 0 0 1 AS
1959 32 CHW AL 34 81 68 3 13 1 2 0 7 0 0 7 13 .191 .267 .265 .531 48 18 1 0 6 0 0 1 AS
1960 33 CHW AL 32 76 67 4 12 1 0 0 7 0 0 6 14 .179 .247 .194 .441 21 13 2 0 3 0 0 1
1961 34 CHW AL 39 63 56 3 8 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 11 .143 .158 .143 .301 -18 8 2 0 6 0 0 1 AS
1962 35 SFG NL 30 66 56 3 12 0 0 0 5 0 0 3 12 .214 .254 .214 .469 28 12 1 0 7 0 0 1 CYA-3
1963 36 SFG NL 38 34 31 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 11 .129 .182 .129 .311 -8 4 0 0 1 0 0 1
1964 37 SFG NL 34 9 9 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 .333 .333 .333 .667 87 3 0 0 0 0 0 1
18 Seasons 616 1255 1102 94 203 13 4 0 69 1 2 65 232 .184 .232 .203 .435 19 224 24 4 83 1 0
162 Game Avg. 162 330 290 25 53 3 1 0 18 0 1 17 61 .184 .232 .203 .435 19 59 6 1 22
G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards
CHW (13 yrs) 487 1127 987 84 179 13 2 0 60 1 2 60 201 .181 .231 .199 .430 17 196 22 4 75 1 0
SFG (3 yrs) 102 109 96 5 19 0 0 0 7 0 0 5 26 .198 .238 .198 .436 22 19 1 0 8 0 0
DET (2 yrs) 27 19 19 5 5 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 5 .263 .263 .474 .737 93 9 1 0 0
AL (15 yrs) 514 1146 1006 89 184 13 4 0 62 1 2 60 206 .183 .232 .204 .435 18 205 23 4 75 1 0
NL (3 yrs) 102 109 96 5 19 0 0 0 7 0 0 5 26 .198 .238 .198 .436 22 19 1 0 8 0 0

Player Value--Batters

Glossary · SHARE  · CSV · PRE · LINK · WAR: 8+ MVP, 5+ A-S, 2+ Starter, 0-2 Reserve, < 0 Replacement
Year Age Tm Lg PA Rbat Rbaser Rroe Rdp Rfield Rpos Rrep RAR WAR Salary Pos Awards
1945 18 DET AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 /1
1948 21 DET AL 17 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0.3 1
1949 22 CHW AL 62 -7 0 0 0 0 4 2 -1 -0.2 1
1950 23 CHW AL 88 -5 0 0 0 0 7 2 4 0.5 1
1951 24 CHW AL 93 -7 0 0 0 0 6 3 2 0.1 1
1952 25 CHW AL 102 -10 0 0 0 0 8 3 1 0.0 1 MVP-29
1953 26 CHW AL 102 -14 0 0 0 0 7 3 -4 -0.5 1/3 AS,MVP-10
1954 27 CHW AL 68 -6 -1 -1 0 0 5 2 -1 -0.2 1
1955 28 CHW AL 81 -9 -1 -1 2 0 6 2 -1 -0.1 1 AS,MVP-18
1956 29 CHW AL 113 -17 -1 -2 0 0 8 3 -9 -0.9 1 AS,MVP-5
1957 30 CHW AL 104 -14 -1 -1 -1 0 8 3 -6 -0.8 1 AS,MVP-11
1958 31 CHW AL 94 -7 0 -1 0 0 7 3 2 0.1 1 AS
1959 32 CHW AL 81 -5 0 0 0 0 7 2 4 0.4 1 AS
1960 33 CHW AL 76 -8 -1 -1 0 0 6 2 -2 -0.3 1
1961 34 CHW AL 63 -10 0 0 0 0 5 2 -3 -0.4 1 AS
1962 35 SFG NL 66 -6 0 0 1 0 6 2 3 0.3 1 CYA-3
1963 36 SFG NL 34 -4 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 -0.1 1
1964 37 SFG NL 9 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.1 1
18 Seasons 1255 -129 -4 -7 2 0 95 35 -8 -1.7
PA Rbat Rbaser Rroe Rdp Rfield Rpos Rrep RAR WAR Salary Pos Awards
CHW (13 yrs) 1127 -119 -5 -7 1 0 84 32 -14 -2.3
SFG (3 yrs) 109 -10 0 0 1 0 10 3 4 0.3
DET (2 yrs) 19 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0.3

Postseason Batting

Glossary · Click headers to sort · SHARE  · CSV · PRE · LINK · Postseason Gamelog
Year Age Tm Lg Series Opp Rslt G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB
1959 32 CHW AL WS LAD L 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1962 35 SFG NL WS NYY L 2 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 Seasons (2 Series) 5 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 WS 5 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0

Standard Fielding

More Stats

Glossary · Click headers to sort · SHARE  · CSV · PRE · LINK
Year Tm Lg Age Pos G GS Inn Ch PO A E DP Fld% RF/9 RF/G lgFld% lgRF9 lgRFG Awards
1945 DET AL 18 P 5 2 0 2 0 0 1.000 0.40 .950 2.24
1948 DET AL 21 P 22 11 2 9 0 0 1.000 0.50 .964 1.99
1949 CHW AL 22 P 32 49 12 33 4 2 .918 1.41 .963 2.09
1950 CHW AL 23 P 33 35 4 30 1 1 .971 1.03 .949 1.99
1951 CHW AL 24 P 37 51 11 38 2 4 .961 1.32 .953 2.06
1952 CHW AL 25 P 33 57 13 43 1 3 .982 1.70 .965 2.10 MVP-29
1953 CHW AL 26 P 40 47 10 33 4 1 .915 1.08 .960 1.93 AS,MVP-10
1953 CHW AL 26 1B 1 1 1 0 0 0 1.000 1.00 1.000 9.70 AS,MVP-10
1954 CHW AL 27 P 36 26 188.2 27 7 19 1 1 .963 1.24 0.72 .959 2.01 1.99
1955 CHW AL 28 P 33 26 205.2 32 7 25 0 1 1.000 1.40 0.97 .953 1.99 1.97 AS,MVP-18
1956 CHW AL 29 P 35 33 276.1 40 4 33 3 2 .925 1.21 1.06 .952 1.92 1.91 AS,MVP-5
1957 CHW AL 30 P 37 34 257.0 55 8 45 2 2 .964 1.86 1.43 .964 1.99 2.00 AS,MVP-11
1958 CHW AL 31 P 35 32 245.0 38 11 26 1 3 .974 1.36 1.06 .963 1.95 1.93 AS
1959 CHW AL 32 P 34 33 224.0 53 11 40 2 4 .962 2.05 1.50 .955 2.06 2.03 AS
1960 CHW AL 33 P 32 31 196.1 38 7 29 2 2 .947 1.65 1.13 .968 1.96 1.95
1961 CHW AL 34 P 39 28 180.0 41 7 31 3 1 .927 1.90 0.97 .956 2.05 2.02 AS
1962 SFG NL 35 P 30 23 162.1 29 4 24 1 3 .966 1.55 0.93 .948 2.07 2.05 CYA-3
1963 SFG NL 36 P 38 13 99.0 24 4 20 0 2 1.000 2.18 0.63 .950 2.06 2.06
1964 SFG NL 37 P 34 1 49.0 9 1 7 1 0 .889 1.47 0.24 .956 2.15 2.13
18 Seasons P 585 280 2083.1 638 123 487 28 32 .956 1.60 1.04 .958 2.00 2.01
1 Season 1B 1 1 1 0 0 0 1.000 1.00 1.000 9.70
18 Seasons TOT 586 280 2083.1 639 124 487 28 32 .956 1.60 1.04 .958 2.00 2.03
Pos G GS Inn Ch PO A E DP Fld% RF/9 RF/G lgFld% lgRF9 lgRFG Awards

Appearances on Leader Boards, Awards, and Honors

Stats are Year-Value-Rank, Glossary

Hall of Fame
1970 BBWAA ( 1.7%)
1971 BBWAA ( 1.9%)
1972 BBWAA ( 1.0%)
1973 BBWAA ( 1.1%)
1974 BBWAA ( 1.1%)

All-Star Games
1953 (P)
1955 (P)
1956 (P)
1957 *
1958
1959-1
1961-1

Awards (yr lg award)
1956 AL TSN Pitcher of the Year
1957 AL TSN Pitcher of the Year

MVP (yr lg (rk, shr))
1952 AL (29, 1%)
1953 AL (10, 16%)
1955 AL (18, 2%)
1956 AL (5, 22%)
1957 AL (11, 10%)
0.51 Career Shares (423rd)

Cy Young (yr lg (rk, shr))
1962 ML (3, 5%)
0.05 Career Shares (208th)

Wins Above Replacement† s c a p y
1951 AL  4.9 (10th)
1952 AL  6.7 (4th)
1953 AL  6.0 (3rd)
1955 AL  6.7 (3rd)
1958 AL  5.2 (10th)
Career  51.8 (229th)

WAR for Pitchers† s c a p y
1951 AL  4.8 (4th)
1952 AL  6.7 (2nd)
1953 AL  6.5 (1st)
1955 AL  6.8 (1st)
1956 AL  5.9 (4th)
1957 AL  3.9 (5th)
1958 AL  5.1 (2nd)
Career  53.5 (66th)

Earned Run Average s c a p y
1951 AL  3.03 (4th)
1952 AL  2.57 (6th)
1953 AL  2.72 (2nd)
1955 AL  1.97 (1st)
1956 AL  3.32 (9th)
1958 AL  2.68 (2nd)

Wins s c a p y
1952 AL  15 (7th)
1953 AL  18 (5th)
1955 AL  15 (9th)
1956 AL  20 (2nd)
1957 AL  20 (1st)
1958 AL  17 (2nd)
1960 AL  14 (7th)
1962 NL  16 (10th)
Career  211 (90th)

Win-Loss % s c a p y
1956 AL  .690 (2nd)
1957 AL  .625 (10th)
1958 AL  .607 (5th)
1960 AL  .667 (4th)
1962 NL  .727 (4th)

Walks & Hits per IP s c a p y
1951 AL  1.290 (8th)
1952 AL  1.148 (4th)
1953 AL  1.172 (3rd)
1955 AL  1.099 (1st)
1957 AL  1.163 (8th)
1958 AL  1.102 (2nd)
1960 AL  1.258 (10th)
1962 NL  1.121 (4th)

Hits per 9 IP s c a p y
1949 AL  7.602 (5th)
1950 AL  7.755 (2nd)
1952 AL  7.543 (7th)
1953 AL  7.165 (1st)
1955 AL  7.089 (4th)
1957 AL  7.984 (9th)
1958 AL  7.494 (4th)
Career  8.135 (157th)

Bases On Balls per 9 IP s c a p y
1951 AL  2.734 (3rd)
1952 AL  2.785 (8th)
1955 AL  2.801 (6th)
1956 AL  3.257 (9th)
1957 AL  2.486 (7th)
1958 AL  2.425 (5th)
1959 AL  2.491 (10th)
1960 AL  2.109 (5th)
1962 NL  1.941 (4th)

Strikeouts per 9 IP s c a p y
1949 AL  4.981 (3rd)
1950 AL  4.842 (6th)
1951 AL  4.232 (7th)
1952 AL  5.076 (7th)
1953 AL  6.170 (1st)
1954 AL  7.060 (1st)
1955 AL  6.870 (3rd)
1956 AL  6.253 (4th)
1957 AL  5.988 (5th)
1960 AL  4.951 (10th)

Games Played s c a p y
Career  585 (198th)

Innings Pitched s c a p y
1951 AL  240.3 (7th)
1952 AL  255.3 (5th)
1953 AL  271.3 (3rd)
1956 AL  276.3 (3rd)
1957 AL  257.0 (3rd)
1958 AL  245.0 (5th)
Career  3306.7 (89th)

Strikeouts s c a p y
1950 AL  118 (6th)
1951 AL  113 (8th)
1952 AL  144 (4th)
1953 AL  186 (1st)
1954 AL  148 (4th)
1955 AL  157 (3rd)
1956 AL  192 (2nd)
1957 AL  171 (4th)
1958 AL  144 (7th)
Career  1999 (65th)

Games Started s c a p y
1951 AL  28 (10th)
1952 AL  32 (6th)
1953 AL  33 (6th)
1956 AL  33 (6th)
1957 AL  34 (3rd)
1958 AL  32 (8th)
1959 AL  33 (5th)
1960 AL  30 (9th)
Career  432 (89th)

Complete Games s c a p y
1950 AL  15 (8th)
1951 AL  18 (4th)
1952 AL  14 (10th)
1953 AL  19 (4th)
1955 AL  16 (3rd)
1956 AL  21 (1st)
1957 AL  16 (1st)
1958 AL  19 (1st)
1959 AL  12 (8th)
Career  193 (148th)

Shutouts s c a p y
1952 AL  4 (5th)
1953 AL  7 (2nd)
1954 AL  4 (3rd)
1955 AL  6 (2nd)
1957 AL  4 (2nd)
1958 AL  3 (6th)
1962 NL  2 (10th)
Career  38 (54th)

Home Runs s c a p y
1953 AL  20 (5th)
1956 AL  24 (5th)
1958 AL  33 (2nd)
1959 AL  26 (6th)
1960 AL  24 (7th)
Career  284 (62nd)

Bases on Balls s c a p y
1950 AL  137 (4th)
1953 AL  102 (7th)
1956 AL  100 (10th)
Career  1178 (57th)

Hits s c a p y
1951 AL  237 (4th)
1953 AL  216 (10th)
1956 AL  261 (4th)
1957 AL  228 (5th)
1958 AL  204 (10th)
1959 AL  217 (8th)
Career  2989 (128th)

Strikeouts / Base On Balls s c a p y
1951 AL  1.548 (3rd)
1952 AL  1.823 (2nd)
1953 AL  1.824 (2nd)
1954 AL  1.721 (6th)
1955 AL  2.453 (1st)
1956 AL  1.920 (5th)
1957 AL  2.409 (4th)
1958 AL  2.182 (7th)
1959 AL  1.839 (9th)
1960 AL  2.348 (4th)

Home Runs per 9 IP s c a p y
1950 AL  .451 (3rd)
1951 AL  .524 (8th)
1952 AL  .423 (7th)
1957 AL  .630 (8th)

Losses s c a p y
1949 AL  15 (5th)
1950 AL  16 (5th)
1951 AL  14 (1st)
1953 AL  12 (9th)
1959 AL  15 (3rd)
Career  169 (94th)

Earned Runs s c a p y
1956 AL  102 (5th)
1957 AL  93 (8th)
1959 AL  90 (8th)
Career  1201 (121st)

Wild Pitches s c a p y
1956 AL  6 (7th)

Batters Faced s c a p y
1951 AL  1008 (7th)
1952 AL  1042 (5th)
1953 AL  1113 (3rd)
1956 AL  1166 (2nd)
1957 AL  1062 (3rd)
1958 AL  983 (7th)
1959 AL  934 (9th)
Career  13853 (88th)

Adjusted ERA+ s c a p y
1951 AL  133 (3rd)
1952 AL  142 (4th)
1953 AL  149 (2nd)
1955 AL  200 (1st)
1956 AL  124 (9th)
1957 AL  115 (10th)
1958 AL  137 (3rd)
Career  119 (128th)

Adj. Pitching Runs s c a p y
1951 AL  27 (2nd)
1952 AL  34 (3rd)
1953 AL  39 (1st)
1955 AL  46 (1st)
1956 AL  28 (7th)
1957 AL  17 (9th)
1958 AL  27 (3rd)
Career  250 (47th)

Adj. Pitching Wins s c a p y
1951 AL  2.8 (2nd)
1952 AL  3.8 (3rd)
1953 AL  4.1 (1st)
1955 AL  5.0 (1st)
1956 AL  2.9 (7th)
1957 AL  1.8 (9th)
1958 AL  2.9 (3rd)
Career  26.5 (48th)

Base-Out Runs Saved (RE24)† s c a p y
1951 AL  26.30 (7th)
1952 AL  38.66 (4th)
1953 AL  45.59 (1st)
1955 AL  51.95 (1st)
1956 AL  37.19 (5th)
1957 AL  22.91 (5th)
1958 AL  32.64 (3rd)
Career  326.53 (17th)

Win Probability Added (WPA)† s c a p y
1951 AL  4.2 (2nd)
1952 AL  3.2 (8th)
1953 AL  5.5 (1st)
1955 AL  6.0 (2nd)
1956 AL  3.9 (5th)
1957 AL  3.4 (4th)
1958 AL  2.8 (4th)
1959 AL  3.2 (6th)
1960 AL  1.9 (9th)
Career  37.2 (12th)

Sit. Wins Saved (WPA/LI)† s c a p y
1952 AL  4.2 (1st)
1953 AL  4.7 (1st)
1955 AL  4.3 (1st)
1956 AL  2.9 (5th)
1957 AL  3.5 (2nd)
1958 AL  2.2 (5th)
Career  27.6 (27th)

Base-Out Wins Saved (REW)† s c a p y
1951 AL  2.7 (7th)
1952 AL  4.4 (4th)
1953 AL  4.9 (1st)
1955 AL  5.8 (1st)
1956 AL  3.9 (5th)
1957 AL  2.5 (6th)
1958 AL  3.6 (2nd)
Career  35.0 (18th)

Assists as P s c a p y
1957 AL  45 (5th)

Errors Committed as P s c a p y
1949 AL  4 (4th)
1953 AL  4 (2nd)

Oldest s c a p y
1964 NL  born 1927-04-02 (10th)

Youngest s c a p y
1945 AL  born 1927-04-02 (2nd)


† Statistics like WPA, REW and RE24 are computed from play-by-play data which is only complete from 1974 to the present. From 1950-1973, the data is incomplete, though for most seasons only less than 20 games per season total are missing. Please see our page on data coverage for a full view of the data used to create these leaderboards.

Hall Of Fame Statistics

Player rank in (·)

Black InkPitching - 20 (92), Average HOFer ≈ 40
Gray InkPitching - 190 (50), Average HOFer ≈ 185
Hall of Fame MonitorPitching - 82 (138), Likely HOFer ≈ 100
Hall of Fame StandardsPitching - 35 (97), Average HOFer ≈ 50

Similarity Scores

Explanation of Similarity Scores
Similar Pitchers 
 View Player Links in Pop-up
 Compare Stats to Similars
  1. Vida Blue (957)
  2. Luis Tiant (922)
  3. Hal Newhouser (920) *
  4. Jim Perry (920)
  5. Catfish Hunter (916) *
  6. Milt Pappas (910)
  7. Bob Welch (909)
  8. Hooks Dauss (904)
  9. Orel Hershiser (903)
  10. Mickey Lolich (902)
* - Signifies Hall of Famer
Most Similar by Ages 
 View Player Links in Pop-up
 Hold mouse over #'s to see names
  1. Jim Kaat (980)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  2. John Sowders (971)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  3. Jim Kaat (968)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  4. Britt Burns (962)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  5. Rube Benton (958)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  6. Johnny Antonelli (951)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  7. Johnny Antonelli (956)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  8. Johnny Antonelli (960)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  9. Dave Stieb (950)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  10. Fernando Valenzuela (947)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  11. Dave Stieb (941)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  12. Vida Blue (950)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  13. Vida Blue (956)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  14. Vida Blue (963)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  15. Vida Blue (959)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  16. Jerry Reuss (914)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
* - Signifies Hall of Famer
Similar Batters 
 View Player Links in Pop-up
 Compare Stats to Similars
  1. Rube Marquard (982) *
  2. Eddie Cicotte (979)
  3. Jesse Haines (979) *
  4. Curt Simmons (978)
  5. Tom Glavine (977)
  6. Larry French (974)
  7. Whitey Ford (972) *
  8. Virgil Trucks (972)
  9. Bobo Newsom (971)
  10. Bump Hadley (970)
* - Signifies Hall of Famer
Most Similar by Ages 
 View Player Links in Pop-up
 Hold mouse over #'s to see names
  1. Greg Maddux (984)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  2. Curt Simmons (990)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  3. Curt Simmons (989)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  4. Curt Simmons (989)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  5. Greg Maddux (982)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  6. Eddie Cicotte (983)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  7. Eppa Rixey (982) * 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  8. Curt Simmons (989)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  9. Rube Marquard (983) * 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
  10. Tom Glavine (986)  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
* - Signifies Hall of Famer

Transactions

Before 1945 Season: Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent.

November 10, 1948: Traded by the Detroit Tigers with $10,000 to the Chicago White Sox for Aaron Robinson.

November 30, 1961: Traded by the Chicago White Sox with Don Larsen to the San Francisco Giants for a player to be named later, Bob Farley, Eddie Fisher and Dom Zanni. The San Francisco Giants sent Verle Tiefenthaler (August 17, 1962) to the Chicago White Sox to complete the trade.

December 2, 1963: Released by the San Francisco Giants.

April 13, 1964: Signed as a Free Agent with the San Francisco Giants.

October 6, 1964: Released by the San Francisco Giants.

The transaction information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. We attempt to update transactions throughout the season.

Other Resources & Links

Error?     Compare     Search SABR's Baseball Index     Other Links@google.com     Baseball Library     Baseball-Almanac.com     Retrosheet     The Baseball Cube     The Baseball Page     WhatIfSports: Billy Pierce    

Viewed 95,420 times through September 5, 2010.
Name and misspellings: Walter billie Billy William Pierce

Player Page Tricks and Tips

Sum any set of rows by clicking anywhere (not red or blue) on the first and last rows of your selection. We will then compute the totals for the player between and including those two seasons.
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