Gary Bell
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1958-1969)
Gary Bell was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1958 to 1969 for 4 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 12 seasons. Across 519 career appearances, he went 121-117 with a 3.68 ERA, 1,378 strikeouts, and 51 saves. He also batted .185 with 1 home runs. Gary Bell was a 3-time All-Star.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 196 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1958-06-01
- Last Game
- 1969-09-12
- Awards
- 3× All-Star
Full name: Wilbur Gary Bell
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | CLE | AL | 12 | 10 | 33 | 23 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 182.0 | 141 | 67 | 73 | 110 | 3.31 | 3.86 (+14%) | 444.2 |
| 1959 | CLE | AL | 16 | 11 | 44 | 28 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 234.0 | 208 | 105 | 105 | 136 | 4.04 | 3.90 (-3%) | -2588.3 |
| 1960 | CLE | AL | 9 | 10 | 28 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 154.2 | 139 | 71 | 82 | 109 | 4.13 | 3.82 (-8%) | -1111.4 |
| 1961 | CLE | AL | 12 | 16 | 34 | 34 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 228.1 | 214 | 104 | 100 | 163 | 4.10 | 4.03 (-2%) | -1909.3 |
| 1962 | CLE | AL | 10 | 9 | 57 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 107.2 | 104 | 51 | 52 | 80 | 4.26 | 3.96 (-8%) | -1073.3 |
| 1963 | CLE | AL | 8 | 5 | 58 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 119.0 | 91 | 39 | 52 | 98 | 2.95 | 3.46 (+15%) | -609.7 |
| 1964 | CLE | AL | 8 | 6 | 56 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 106.0 | 106 | 51 | 53 | 89 | 4.33 | 3.58 (-21%) | -2114.7 |
| 1965 | CLE | AL | 6 | 5 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 103.2 | 86 | 35 | 50 | 86 | 3.04 | 3.50 (+13%) | 683.3 |
| 1966 | CLE | AL | 14 | 15 | 40 | 37 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 254.1 | 211 | 91 | 79 | 194 | 3.22 | 3.52 (+9%) | 3622.2 |
| 1967 | CLE | AL | 1 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60.2 | 50 | 25 | 24 | 39 | 3.71 | 3.30 (-12%) | -1040.6 |
| 1967 | BOS | AL | 12 | 8 | 29 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 165.1 | 143 | 58 | 47 | 115 | 3.16 | 3.30 (+4%) | -115.4 |
| 1968 | BOS | AL | 11 | 11 | 35 | 27 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 199.1 | 177 | 69 | 68 | 103 | 3.12 | 2.98 (-4%) | 390.1 |
| 1969 | SE1 | AL | 2 | 6 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 61.1 | 76 | 32 | 34 | 30 | 4.70 | 3.61 (-30%) | -2106.8 |
| 1969 | CHA | AL | 0 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38.2 | 48 | 27 | 23 | 26 | 6.28 | 3.61 (-74%) | -2107.6 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 121 | 117 | 519 | 233 | 71 | 9 | 51 | 2,015.0 | 1,794 | 825 | 842 | 1,378 | 3.68 | — | -9,637 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 521 | 569 | 46 | 105 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 1 | 25 | 152 | .185 | .222 | .220 | .441 | -2,497 |
Career AVG .185 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — 26.1% below league average.
Career OBP .222 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — 29.8% below league average.
Career SLG .220 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 41.6% below league average.
Career OPS .441 vs. league average .692 across their career seasons — 36.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | CLE | AL | 33 | 56 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 14 | .196 | .257 (-24%) | .324 (-19%) | .394 (-37%) | .719 (-29%) | -251.5 |
| 1959 | CLE | AL | 44 | 75 | 8 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 19 | .240 | .256 (-6%) | .323 (-17%) | .392 (-32%) | .715 (-25%) | -293.5 |
| 1960 | CLE | AL | 30 | 47 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | .149 | — | — | — | — | -350.1 |
| 1961 | CLE | AL | 34 | 81 | 8 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 17 | .198 | .258 (-24%) | .328 (-29%) | .399 (-47%) | .727 (-39%) | -511.0 |
| 1962 | CLE | AL | 57 | 24 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | .208 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | CLE | AL | 58 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .115 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1964 | CLE | AL | 56 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .375 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1965 | CLE | AL | 60 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .062 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1966 | CLE | AL | 40 | 76 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 25 | .132 | .248 (-47%) | .309 (-40%) | .376 (-58%) | .685 (-50%) | -571.6 |
| 1967 | CLE | AL | 9 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1967 | BOS | AL | 29 | 59 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .203 | .242 (-16%) | .306 (-34%) | .357 (-29%) | .663 (-31%) | 0.0 |
| 1968 | BOS | AL | 35 | 59 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | .220 | .236 (-7%) | .298 (-29%) | .340 (-20%) | .638 (-24%) | -237.1 |
| 1969 | SE1 | AL | 13 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .214 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1969 | CHA | AL | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 521 | 569 | 46 | 105 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 1 | 25 | 152 | .185 | — | — | — | — | -2,215 | ||
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 (1040 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 258 | 258 | 20 | 50 | 1 | 21 | .194 |
| Away | 263 | 311 | 26 | 55 | 0 | 20 | .177 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 257 | 995.2 | 868 | 404 | 399 | 698 | 3.65 |
| Away | 262 | 1019.1 | 926 | 419 | 443 | 680 | 3.70 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-09-12 | CHW | OAK | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-09-01 | CHW | BAL | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969-08-30 | CHW | CLE | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969-08-26 | CHW | NYY | — | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-08-20 | CHW | TEX | — | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-08-16 | CHW | NYY | — | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969-08-11 | CHW | BOS | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1969-08-09 | CHW | DET | — | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969-08-08 | CHW | DET | — | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969-08-01 | CHW | DET | — | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | CLE | P | 33 | 23 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 5 |
| 1959 | CLE | P | 44 | 28 | 19 | 27 | 3 | 3 |
| 1960 | CLE | P | 28 | 23 | 11 | 26 | 2 | 4 |
| 1961 | CLE | P | 34 | 34 | 26 | 24 | 1 | 1 |
| 1962 | CLE | P | 57 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 1963 | CLE | P | 58 | 7 | 6 | 20 | 1 | 2 |
| 1964 | CLE | P | 56 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| 1965 | CLE | P | 60 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966 | CLE | P | 40 | 37 | 8 | 50 | 2 | 3 |
| 1967 | CLE | P | 9 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967 | BOS | P | 29 | 24 | 10 | 22 | 1 | 3 |
| 1968 | BOS | P | 35 | 27 | 16 | 29 | 2 | 4 |
| 1969 | SE1 | P | 13 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 2 |
| 1969 | CHA | P | 23 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 519 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 3rd | 3.0 | 24 | 3 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Gary Bell (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Gary Bell: the record in brief
Gary Bell's major league career runs from a debut on June 1, 1958 to a final game on September 12, 1969. The season rows list, in order, the Cleveland Indians (1958 through 1967), the Boston Red Sox (1967 to 1968), the Seattle Pilots (1969), and the Chicago White Sox (1969). Bell, born on November 17, 1936, in San Antonio, TX, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6 feet, 1 inch and 196 pounds. The given name on file is Wilbur Gary Bell.
The pitching table credits Bell with a 121-117 record and a 3.68 ERA in 519 games. Bell had 1,378 strikeouts, 71 complete games, 9 shutouts, and 51 saves. Bell's 3.68 ERA was close to the 3.61 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 16, in 1959. 1966 produced Bell's most strikeouts, 194. The most saves in one season was 17, in 1965. 1968 was Bell's sharpest full season, a 3.12 ERA against the league's 2.98.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gary Bell
- What years did Gary Bell play?
- Gary Bell played in Major League Baseball from 1958 to 1969.
- Was Gary Bell a pitcher?
- Yes. Gary Bell pitched in the major leagues, recording 121 wins and 1378 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Gary Bell hit?
- Gary Bell hit 1 career home runs with 105 hits.
- What was Gary Bell's career batting average?
- Gary Bell batted .185 over his career, with 105 hits in 569 at bats.
- How many RBI did Gary Bell have?
- Gary Bell drove in 41 runs in his career.
- What was Gary Bell's career ERA?
- Gary Bell finished with a 3.68 career ERA, going 121-117 with 1,378 strikeouts.