Bill Bailey
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1907-1922)
Bill Bailey was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1922 for 5 teams, including the St. Louis Browns, a span of 16 seasons. Across 203 career appearances, he went 38-76 with a 3.57 ERA and 570 strikeouts. He also batted .194 with 0 home runs.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 165 lb
- Died
- 11/2/1926 in Houston, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1907-09-11
- Last Game
- 1922-06-26
Full name: William F. Bailey
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | SLA | AL | 4 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 48.1 | 39 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 2.42 | 2.50 (+3%) | -188.2 |
| 1908 | SLA | AL | 3 | 5 | 22 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 106.2 | 85 | 36 | 50 | 42 | 3.04 | 2.40 (-27%) | -1806.8 |
| 1909 | SLA | AL | 9 | 10 | 32 | 20 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 199.0 | 174 | 54 | 75 | 114 | 2.44 | 2.55 (+4%) | 516.6 |
| 1910 | SLA | AL | 3 | 18 | 34 | 20 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 192.1 | 186 | 71 | 97 | 90 | 3.32 | 2.79 (-19%) | -2075.9 |
| 1911 | SLA | AL | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 31.2 | 42 | 16 | 16 | 8 | 4.55 | 3.37 (-35%) | -821.9 |
| 1912 | SLA | AL | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.2 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 9.28 | 3.36 (-176%) | -518.2 |
| 1914 | BLF | FL | 7 | 9 | 19 | 18 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 128.2 | 106 | 44 | 68 | 131 | 3.08 | 2.93 (-5%) | 1829.0 |
| 1915 | BLF | FL | 6 | 19 | 36 | 23 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 190.1 | 179 | 98 | 115 | 98 | 4.63 | 2.90 (-60%) | -4719.6 |
| 1915 | CHF | FL | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 33.1 | 23 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 2.16 | 2.90 (+25%) | 528.5 |
| 1918 | DET | AL | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37.2 | 53 | 25 | 26 | 13 | 5.97 | 2.83 (-111%) | -870.2 |
| 1921 | SLN | NL | 2 | 5 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 74.0 | 95 | 35 | 22 | 20 | 4.26 | 4.02 (-6%) | 462.9 |
| 1922 | SLN | NL | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31.2 | 38 | 19 | 23 | 11 | 5.40 | 4.18 (-29%) | -720.7 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 38 | 76 | 203 | 117 | 70 | 8 | 0 | 1,084.1 | 1,035 | 430 | 527 | 570 | 3.57 | — | -8,384 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 209 | 366 | 23 | 71 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 20 | 108 | .194 | .236 | .210 | .446 | -442 |
Career AVG .194 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 25.3% below league average.
Career OBP .236 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 27.2% below league average.
Career SLG .210 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 38.9% below league average.
Career OPS .446 vs. league average .668 across their career seasons — 33.2% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | SLA | AL | 6 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .150 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1908 | SLA | AL | 22 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | .088 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1909 | SLA | AL | 38 | 77 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 20 | .286 | .244 (+17%) | .306 (+2%) | .312 (+4%) | .618 (+3%) | 17.8 |
| 1910 | SLA | AL | 34 | 63 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 22 | .206 | .249 (-17%) | .317 (-20%) | .326 (-37%) | .644 (-29%) | -254.3 |
| 1911 | SLA | AL | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1912 | SLA | AL | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1914 | BLF | FL | 19 | 43 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 | .163 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1915 | BLF | FL | 36 | 65 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 16 | .231 | .250 (-8%) | .318 (-17%) | .332 (-26%) | .651 (-22%) | -205.2 |
| 1915 | CHF | FL | 5 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .222 | — | — | — | — | -205.2 |
| 1918 | DET | AL | 8 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .077 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1921 | SLN | NL | 19 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .091 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1922 | SLN | NL | 12 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 209 | 366 | 23 | 71 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 20 | 108 | .194 | — | — | — | — | -647 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (415 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 105 | 159 | 13 | 37 | 0 | 4 | .233 |
| Away | 107 | 206 | 10 | 34 | 0 | 5 | .165 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 103 | 522.2 | 473 | 153 | 260 | 306 | 2.63 |
| Away | 100 | 558.0 | 563 | 200 | 272 | 276 | 3.23 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922-06-26 | STL | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-06-13 | STL | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1922-06-05 | STL | BSN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-05-30 | STL | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-05-25 | STL | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-05-23 | STL | BSN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-05-22 | STL | BSN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-05-15 | STL | PHI | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-04-27 | STL | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-04-22 | STL | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922-06-26 | STL | CIN | — | 2.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1922-06-13 | STL | PHI | — | 3.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1922-06-05 | STL | BSN | — | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-05-30 | STL | CHC | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1922-05-25 | STL | PIT | — | 1.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-05-23 | STL | BSN | — | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-05-22 | STL | BSN | L | 7.0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 1922-05-15 | STL | PHI | — | 1.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1922-04-27 | STL | CHC | — | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-04-22 | STL | PIT | — | 4.0 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 203 | 57 | 34 | 315 | 26 | 5 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | SLA | P | 6 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 1908 | SLA | P | 22 | 12 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 0 |
| 1909 | SLA | OF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909 | SLA | P | 32 | 20 | 4 | 52 | 2 | 1 |
| 1910 | SLA | P | 34 | 20 | 7 | 57 | 6 | 0 |
| 1911 | SLA | P | 7 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| 1912 | SLA | P | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914 | BLF | P | 19 | 0 | 5 | 45 | 2 | 0 |
| 1915 | BLF | P | 36 | 0 | 9 | 49 | 7 | 1 |
| 1915 | CHF | P | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918 | DET | P | 8 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921 | SLN | P | 19 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 3 | 1 |
| 1922 | SLN | P | 12 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 203 |
| Right Field | 2 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bill Bailey (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Bill Bailey: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 11, 1907 and the final game on June 26, 1922, Bill Bailey built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the St. Louis Browns (1907 through 1912), the Baltimore Terrapins (1914 through 1915), the Chicago Whales (1915), the Detroit Tigers (1918), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1921 to 1922). At 5'11" and 165 pounds, Bailey is listed as a pitcher. The bio says Bailey threw and hit left-handed. Bailey was born on April 12, 1888, in Fort Smith, AR, USA. Bailey died on November 2, 1926, in Houston, TX, USA. Bill Bailey was the playing name; the full given name is William F.
The pitching table credits Bailey with a 38-76 record and a 3.57 ERA in 203 games. Also on Bailey's record: 570 strikeouts, 70 complete games, and 8 shutouts. The league ERA over Bailey's seasons was 3.10, so the 3.57 figure ran 15.1% worse than average. No season topped the 9 wins of 1909.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Bailey
- What years did Bill Bailey play?
- Bill Bailey played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1922.
- Was Bill Bailey a pitcher?
- Yes. Bill Bailey pitched in the major leagues, recording 38 wins and 570 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bill Bailey hit?
- Bill Bailey hit 0 career home runs with 71 hits.
- What teams did Bill Bailey play for?
- Bill Bailey played for 5 teams: the St. Louis Browns (1907–1912), the Baltimore Terrapins (1914–1915), the Chicago Whales (1915), the Detroit Tigers (1918), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1921–1922).
- What were Bill Bailey's career stats?
- In 203 games, Bill Bailey went 38-76 with a 3.57 ERA, 570 strikeouts, and 1,084.1 innings pitched. At the plate he had 71 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Bill Bailey play?
- Bill Bailey played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bill Bailey and how much did he weigh?
- Bill Bailey was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 165 pounds.
- What was Bill Bailey's career ERA?
- Bill Bailey finished with a 3.57 career ERA, going 38-76 with 570 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Bill Bailey have?
- Bill Bailey recorded 570 career strikeouts.
- Is Bill Bailey in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Bailey has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.