Bill Bonham

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1971-1980)

Bill Bonham was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1980 for the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 10 seasons. Across 300 career appearances, he went 75-83 with a 4.01 ERA and 985 strikeouts. He also batted .172 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 8608.1.

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

W–L 75–83
ERA 4.01
WHIP 1.44
SO 985
Pitcher PIV 8608.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 190 lb
Born
10/1/1948 in Glendale, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1971-04-07
Last Game
1980-07-26

Full name: William Gordon Bonham

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bill Bonham — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
75 83 300 214 27 4 11 1487.1 1,512 662 98 636 985 4.01 8608.1

Career ERA 4.01 vs. league average 3.69 across their career seasons — 8.4% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Bonham Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1971 CHN NL 2 1 33 2 0 0 0 60.0 63 31 36 41 4.65 3.47 (-34%) -1448.6
1972 CHN NL 1 1 19 4 0 0 4 57.2 56 20 25 49 3.12 3.26 (+4%) 452.3
1973 CHN NL 7 5 44 15 3 0 6 152.0 126 51 64 121 3.02 3.75 (+19%) 2253.7
1974 CHN NL 11 22 44 36 10 2 1 242.2 246 104 109 191 3.86 3.63 (-6%) 3217.6
1975 CHN NL 13 15 38 36 7 2 0 229.1 254 120 109 165 4.71 3.71 (-27%) 1326.8
1976 CHN NL 9 13 32 31 3 0 0 196.0 215 93 96 110 4.27 3.51 (-22%) -1105.2
1977 CHN NL 10 13 34 34 1 0 0 214.2 207 104 82 134 4.36 4.00 (-9%) 2312.4
1978 CIN NL 11 5 23 23 1 0 0 140.1 151 55 50 83 3.53 3.69 (+4%) 1303.2
1979 CIN NL 9 7 29 29 2 0 0 175.2 173 74 60 78 3.79 4.00 (+5%) -173.2
1980 CIN NL 2 1 4 4 0 0 0 19.0 21 10 5 13 4.74 3.84 (-23%) 469.3
Career · 10 seasons 75 83 300 214 27 4 11 1,487.1 1,512 662 636 985 4.01 — 8,608

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

Bill Bonham — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
307 471 37 81 15 1 0 24 0 13 125 .172 .195 .208 .404 -2,355

Career AVG .172 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 33.2% below league average.

Career OBP .195 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 39.6% below league average.

Career SLG .208 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 44.9% below league average.

Career OPS .404 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — 42.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Bonham Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1971 CHN NL 33 12 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .167 — — — — 0.0
1972 CHN NL 19 14 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 .286 — — — — 0.0
1973 CHN NL 44 43 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 17 .093 — — — — 0.0
1974 CHN NL 48 84 8 12 2 0 0 4 0 2 25 .143 .256 (-44%) .324 (-50%) .369 (-55%) .693 (-52%) -683.1
1975 CHN NL 40 82 8 15 1 1 0 6 0 1 19 .183 .257 (-29%) .327 (-42%) .374 (-41%) .701 (-42%) -553.0
1976 CHN NL 32 65 6 13 4 0 0 2 0 2 15 .200 .255 (-22%) .320 (-30%) .360 (-28%) .681 (-29%) -294.3
1977 CHN NL 35 65 3 15 3 0 0 3 0 1 14 .231 .264 (-13%) .329 (-26%) .401 (-31%) .730 (-29%) -305.4
1978 CIN NL 23 43 2 8 3 0 0 5 0 4 9 .186 — — — — 0.0
1979 CIN NL 29 57 3 8 2 0 0 2 0 0 18 .140 .265 (-47%) .329 (-57%) .397 (-56%) .727 (-57%) -519.2
1980 CIN NL 4 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 10 seasons 307 471 37 81 15 1 0 24 0 13 125 .172 — — — — -2,355

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 (607 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Bonham — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home152209173809.182
Away1552622043015.164

Pitching — Home / Away

Bill Bonham — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home150719.17312992964933.74
Away150768.07813633404924.25

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Bonham — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1980-07-26 CINNYNW 110000010
1980-05-03 CINCHCL 000000000
1980-04-19 CINATLW 300000000
1980-04-12 CINATLW 200000001
1979-09-30 CINATLL 000000000
1979-09-19 CINSDPW 200000001
1979-09-14 CINLADL 100000001
1979-09-08 CINLADW 210000000
1979-09-03 CINATLW 211000000
1979-08-29 CINPHIW 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bill Bonham — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1980-07-26 CINNYN W 5.0611130
1980-05-03 CINCHC L 0.1555110
1980-04-19 CINATL W 7.0411251
1980-04-12 CINATL — 6.2633140
1979-09-30 CINATL L 3.0433231
1979-09-19 CINSDP W 5.1222440
1979-09-14 CINLAD L 7.0511330
1979-09-08 CINLAD W 7.1611520
1979-09-03 CINATL — 4.1943110
1979-08-29 CINPHI — 4.0665201

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Bonham — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 300 214 103 297 26 18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Bonham — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1971 CHN P 33 2 5 13 0 1
1972 CHN P 19 4 3 9 0 0
1973 CHN P 44 15 10 40 2 2
1974 CHN P 44 36 20 54 6 4
1975 CHN P 38 36 15 37 4 3
1976 CHN P 32 31 8 32 3 2
1977 CHN P 34 34 20 43 3 4
1978 CIN P 23 23 13 35 3 2
1979 CIN P 29 29 9 31 4 0
1980 CIN P 4 4 0 3 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Bonham Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 300

College History

Bill Bonham — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Los Angeles Valley College Los Angeles CA 1967, 1968
University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles CA 1969, 1970

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Bill Bonham (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Pete Falcone
    70-90, 4.07 ERA
  2. 83
    Tom Underwood
    86-87, 3.89 ERA
  3. 82
    Cal Eldred
    86-74, 4.42 ERA
  4. 81
    Mike Bielecki
    70-73, 4.18 ERA
  5. 80
    Lynn McGlothen
    86-93, 3.98 ERA
  6. 76
    Paul Foytack
    86-87, 4.14 ERA

Bill Bonham: the record in brief

Bill Bonham's major league career runs from a debut on April 7, 1971 to a final game on July 26, 1980. The team column moves through the Chicago Cubs (1971 to 1977) and the Cincinnati Reds (1978 through 1980). Bonham, born on October 1, 1948, in Glendale, CA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6'3" and 190 pounds. The bio lists the given name William Gordon.

The pitching table credits Bonham with a 75-83 record and a 4.01 ERA in 300 games. Bonham had 985 strikeouts, 27 complete games, and 11 saves. Against a 3.69 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.01 mark was 8.4% worse. 1975 brought Bonham a season-high 13 wins. The strikeout high was 191 in 1974. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.02 in 1973, when the league's was 3.75. Bonham's career Pitcher PIV, which scores run prevention against each season's league, is 8,608.1.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Bonham

What years did Bill Bonham play?
Bill Bonham played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1980.
Was Bill Bonham a pitcher?
Yes. Bill Bonham pitched in the major leagues, recording 75 wins and 985 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bill Bonham hit?
Bill Bonham hit 0 career home runs with 81 hits.
What teams did Bill Bonham play for?
Bill Bonham played for 2 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1971–1977) and the Cincinnati Reds (1978–1980).
What were Bill Bonham's career stats?
In 300 games, Bill Bonham went 75-83 with a 4.01 ERA, 985 strikeouts, 1,487.1 innings pitched, and 11 saves. At the plate he had 81 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Bill Bonham play?
Bill Bonham played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Bonham and how much did he weigh?
Bill Bonham was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 190 pounds.
What was Bill Bonham's career ERA?
Bill Bonham finished with a 4.01 career ERA, going 75-83 with 985 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bill Bonham have?
Bill Bonham recorded 985 career strikeouts.
Is Bill Bonham in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Bonham has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.