Josh Billings
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1927-1929)
Josh Billings was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1929 for the Detroit Tigers, a span of 3 seasons. Across 39 career appearances, he went 10-15 with a 5.03 ERA and 67 strikeouts.
- 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
- 5'11" / 180 lb
- Died
- 12/26/1983 in Greenbrae, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1927-08-17
- Last Game
- 1929-08-05
Full name: Haskell Clark Billings
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | DET | AL | 5 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 67.0 | 64 | 36 | 39 | 18 | 4.84 | 4.08 (-18%) | -1787.8 |
| 1928 | DET | AL | 5 | 10 | 21 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 110.2 | 118 | 63 | 59 | 48 | 5.12 | 4.13 (-24%) | -823.4 |
| 1929 | DET | AL | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19.1 | 27 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 5.12 | 4.60 (-11%) | -92.9 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 10 | 15 | 39 | 25 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 197.0 | 209 | 110 | 107 | 67 | 5.03 | — | -2,704 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | 68 | 11 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 15 | .250 | .301 | .324 | .625 | 0 |
Career AVG .250 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — 12.0% below league average.
Career OBP .301 vs. league average .347 across their career seasons — 13.1% below league average.
Career SLG .324 vs. league average .401 across their career seasons — 19.3% below league average.
Career OPS .625 vs. league average .748 across their career seasons — 16.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | DET | AL | 10 | 27 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .259 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | DET | AL | 21 | 35 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1929 | DET | AL | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 39 | 68 | 11 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 15 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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 (78 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 19 | 37 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 4 | .243 |
| Away | 20 | 30 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | .267 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 19 | 115.1 | 104 | 57 | 64 | 52 | 4.45 |
| Away | 20 | 82.0 | 104 | 54 | 45 | 16 | 5.93 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-08-05 | DET | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-07-31 | DET | PHA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-07-16 | DET | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-07-11 | DET | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1929-06-29 | DET | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-06-16 | DET | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-05-27 | DET | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-05-14 | DET | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1928-08-16 | DET | PHA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1928-08-03 | DET | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-08-05 | DET | MIN | — | 0.2 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-07-31 | DET | PHA | — | 3.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-07-16 | DET | NYY | — | 6.0 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-07-11 | DET | BOS | — | 4.0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-06-29 | DET | CLE | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-06-16 | DET | NYY | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-05-27 | DET | CHW | L | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-05-14 | DET | PHA | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1928-08-16 | DET | PHA | — | 3.2 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 1928-08-03 | DET | MIN | — | 1.1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 39 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown University | Providence | RI | 1927 |
Josh Billings: the record in brief
Josh Billings's major league career runs from a debut on August 17, 1927 to a final game on August 5, 1929. All of the seasons listed were played for the Detroit Tigers. Billings is listed as a pitcher at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds. Billings threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is September 27, 1907, in New York, NY, USA. Billings died on December 26, 1983, in Greenbrae, CA, USA. The given name on file is Haskell Clark Billings.
Billings went 10-15 with a 5.03 ERA in 39 games, 25 of them starts. The same table counts 67 strikeouts. The league ERA over Billings's seasons was 4.27, so the 5.03 figure ran 17.7% worse than average. Billings won 5 games in 1927, the most of any season listed. In 1927, one of the busiest seasons, Billings posted a 4.84 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.08.
The position breakdown shows 39 games, all at pitcher. On the mound, the fielding record shows 2 errors alongside 8 putouts and 46 assists.
Frequently Asked Questions about Josh Billings
- What years did Josh Billings play?
- Josh Billings played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1929.
- Was Josh Billings a pitcher?
- Yes. Josh Billings pitched in the major leagues, recording 10 wins and 67 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Josh Billings hit?
- Josh Billings hit 0 career home runs with 17 hits.
- What teams did Josh Billings play for?
- Josh Billings played for one team, the Detroit Tigers (1927–1929).
- What were Josh Billings's career stats?
- In 39 games, Josh Billings went 10-15 with a 5.03 ERA, 67 strikeouts, and 197.0 innings pitched.
- What position did Josh Billings play?
- Josh Billings played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Josh Billings and how much did he weigh?
- Josh Billings was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 180 pounds.
- What was Josh Billings's career ERA?
- Josh Billings finished with a 5.03 career ERA, going 10-15 with 67 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Josh Billings have?
- Josh Billings recorded 67 career strikeouts.
- Is Josh Billings in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Josh Billings has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.