Willie Cornelius

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Willie Cornelius was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for 5 teams, including the Memphis Red Sox. Across 177 career appearances, he went 54-65 with a 4.54 ERA and 537 strikeouts. He also batted .216 with 3 home runs. Willie Cornelius was a 3-time All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 11748.5.

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 54–65
ERA 4.54
WHIP 1.43
SO 537
Pitcher PIV 11748.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 180 lb
Born
9/3/1906 in Atlanta, GA, USA
Died
10/30/1989 in Chicago, IL, USA
Awards
3× All-Star

Full name: William McKinley Cornelius

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Willie Cornelius — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
321.0 277.0 36.0 72.0 10.0 5.0 4.0 32.0 33.0 9.0 2.0 .260 .341 .375 .716

Pitching

Willie Cornelius — Pitching
W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
68 57 142 73 47 4 1021.2 889 554 186 25 222 284 1.64 1.09

Career Pitching Statistics

Willie Cornelius — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
54 65 177 125 65 5 4 1003.1 1,053 506 37 379 537 4.54 11748.5

Career ERA 4.54 vs. league average 4.13 across their career seasons — 9.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Willie Cornelius Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1929 MRS NNL 3 3 6 4 4 0 0 41.0 49 19 10 30 4.17 4.60 (+9%) 1500.7
1930 MRS NNL 4 6 16 10 2 1 0 64.1 64 47 34 40 6.58 4.80 (-37%) -731.8
1930 BBB NNL 3 4 11 7 5 1 0 65.2 63 30 29 33 4.11 4.80 (+14%) 464.4
1933 CAG NN2 6 6 15 13 9 0 0 98.2 109 55 40 49 5.02 3.86 (-30%) 261.3
1934 CAG NN2 4 7 14 11 7 0 0 84.0 103 54 34 40 5.79 4.29 (-35%) 329.7
1935 CAG NN2 4 5 11 8 2 0 0 59.0 78 36 34 39 5.49 4.35 (-26%) -193.7
1936 CAG IND 3 3 8 7 4 1 0 52.2 63 33 18 36 5.64 4.59 (-23%) 1611.5
1937 CAG NAL 5 4 17 12 6 1 1 103.0 82 33 35 66 2.88 4.34 (+34%) 2121.2
1938 CAG NAL 9 1 20 8 8 0 3 102.0 84 24 30 77 2.12 4.35 (+51%) 3857.7
1939 CAG NAL 3 8 15 10 4 0 0 99.1 95 50 28 47 4.53 4.28 (-6%) 2598.4
1940 CAG NAL 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 7.0 4 0 1 7 0.00 — 0.0
1941 CAG NAL 0 7 10 9 3 0 0 61.2 57 24 23 21 3.50 3.94 (+11%) 120.9
1942 CAG NAL 2 3 7 6 1 0 0 23.1 34 15 10 10 5.79 3.57 (-62%) 3.4
1942 CCB NAL 0 2 3 2 0 0 0 11.2 17 10 9 5 7.71 3.57 (-116%) -460.8
1943 CAG NAL 4 4 10 10 6 0 0 62.0 65 27 22 11 3.92 3.50 (-12%) -330.2
1945 CAG NAL 3 2 10 7 3 0 0 50.2 71 44 13 17 7.82 3.67 (-113%) 685.4
1946 CAG NAL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 17.1 15 5 9 9 2.60 3.59 (+28%) -89.7
Career · 17 seasons 54 65 177 125 65 5 4 1,003.1 1,053 506 379 537 4.54 — 11,748

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

Willie Cornelius — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
211 412 57 89 13 7 3 39 2 50 8 .216 .307 .303 .610 -69

Career AVG .216 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — 20.6% below league average.

Career OBP .307 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 9.3% below league average.

Career SLG .303 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — 21.3% below league average.

Career OPS .610 vs. league average .724 across their career seasons — 15.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Willie Cornelius 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
1929 MRS NNL 9 25 4 7 0 0 0 3 1 4 0 .280 — — — — 0.0
1930 MRS NNL 17 24 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .125 — — — — 0.0
1930 BBB NNL 12 21 2 3 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 .143 — — — — 0.0
1933 CAG NN2 15 39 7 6 4 0 0 1 0 7 0 .154 — — — — 0.0
1934 CAG NN2 16 36 5 6 0 1 0 3 0 2 1 .167 — — — — 0.0
1935 CAG NN2 12 23 6 4 0 0 1 3 0 5 0 .174 — — — — 0.0
1936 CAG IND 8 17 2 4 1 0 0 1 0 5 0 .235 — — — — 0.0
1937 CAG NAL 20 40 4 3 0 0 1 4 0 2 3 .075 — — — — 0.0
1938 CAG NAL 20 30 3 5 1 1 0 3 0 5 2 .167 — — — — 0.0
1939 CAG NAL 18 34 4 9 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 .265 — — — — 0.0
1940 CAG NAL 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 — — — — 0.0
1941 CAG NAL 10 20 2 7 0 0 0 3 0 2 1 .350 — — — — 0.0
1942 CAG NAL 10 11 1 4 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 .364 — — — — 0.0
1942 CCB NAL 3 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 — — — — 0.0
1942 JRC NAL 3 5 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .400 — — — — 0.0
1943 CAG NAL 17 48 9 10 2 1 1 9 0 4 0 .208 — — — — -68.6
1945 CAG NAL 16 25 5 11 2 1 0 6 0 5 0 .440 — — — — 0.0
1946 CAG NAL 4 8 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .375 — — — — 0.0
Career · 18 seasons 211 412 57 89 13 7 3 39 2 50 8 .216 — — — — -69

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Willie Cornelius — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 17 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .118

Playoff Batting by Year

Willie Cornelius — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1943 ALC CAG 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500
1937 ALC CAG 3 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .091
1934 NLC CAG 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Willie Cornelius — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 2 6 4 0 43.2 31 11 11 22 2.27

Playoff Pitching by Year

Willie Cornelius — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1943 ALC CAG 0 0 1 0 0 3.0 4 2 0 0 6.00
1937 ALC CAG 1 1 3 2 0 28.2 18 6 7 16 1.88
1934 NLC CAG 0 1 2 2 0 12.0 9 3 4 6 2.25

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (297 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Willie Cornelius — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home90861019113.221
Away711082030316.278

Pitching — Home / Away

Willie Cornelius — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home82444.235575891561.52
Away54281.02694858671.54

Last 10 Games — Batting

Willie Cornelius — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1946-05-19 CAGKCML 100000000
1946-05-15 CAGIN9L 201000010
1946-05-07 CAGKCML 301000000
1945-09-10 CAGCIAW 000000000
1945-09-02 CAGCVBL 000000000
1945-08-29 CAGKCML 110000000
1945-08-27 CAGKCML 000000000
1945-08-26 CAGKCMW 101000100
1945-08-18 CAGMEML 000000010
1945-07-30 CAGKCML 100000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Willie Cornelius — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1946-05-15 CAGIN9 — 6.1411240
1946-05-07 CAGKCM — 4.2770310
1945-09-10 CAGCIA — 1.0560300
1945-09-02 CAGCVB L 0.0000000
1945-08-27 CAGKCM — 0.0000000
1945-07-27 CAGKCM — 0.2440100
1945-07-23 CAGBIR W 8.0080001
1945-07-15 CAGMEM W 6.0710000
1945-07-01 CAGCIA W 7.0840000
1945-06-24 CAGCVB — 3.11099100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Willie Cornelius — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
2B 1 1 1 3 0 0
3B 1 1 0 1 0 0
OF 18 10 14 0 1 0
P 177 126 32 278 22 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Willie Cornelius — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1929 MRS 2B 1 1 1 3 0 0
1929 MRS OF 3 2 2 0 0 0
1929 MRS P 6 4 0 6 2 0
1930 MRS 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1930 MRS OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1930 MRS P 16 11 2 18 2 0
1930 BBB P 11 7 2 13 3 0
1933 CAG P 15 13 0 26 2 2
1934 CAG OF 2 1 1 0 0 0
1934 CAG P 14 11 1 29 1 2
1935 CAG P 11 8 1 14 4 3
1936 CAG P 8 7 3 9 0 0
1937 CAG OF 3 0 2 0 0 0
1937 CAG P 17 12 7 33 0 0
1938 CAG P 20 8 3 27 2 0
1939 CAG P 15 10 2 41 2 1
1940 CAG P 1 1 1 3 0 0
1941 CAG P 10 9 2 12 0 0
1942 CAG P 7 6 1 3 0 2
1942 CCB P 3 2 0 3 0 0
1942 JRC OF 2 1 3 0 0 0
1943 CAG 3B 1 1 0 1 0 0
1943 CAG OF 6 5 5 0 1 0
1943 CAG P 10 10 5 20 3 0
1945 CAG OF 1 1 1 0 0 0
1945 CAG P 10 7 0 12 1 1
1946 CAG P 3 0 2 9 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Willie Cornelius Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 177
First Base 1
Second Base 1
Third Base 1
Left Field 11
Right Field 7

Most Similar Players

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

  1. 98
    Laymon Yokely
    56-68, 4.56 ERA
  2. 92
    Al Nipper
    46-50, 4.52 ERA
  3. 92
    Bennie Daniels
    45-76, 4.44 ERA
  4. 88
    Pete Smith
    47-71, 4.55 ERA
  5. 84
    Bob Milacki
    39-47, 4.38 ERA
  6. 83
    Armando Reynoso
    68-62, 4.74 ERA

Compare Willie Cornelius

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Cornelius's closest peers by position and era.

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Willie Cornelius: the record in brief

Willie Cornelius's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1929 to 1946. The team column moves through the Memphis Red Sox (1929 through 1930), the Birmingham Black Barons (1930), the Chicago American Giants (1933 to 1946), the Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes (1942), and the Jacksonville Red Caps (1942). Listed as a pitcher, Cornelius batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 180 pounds on a 5-foot-8 frame. The birth record reads September 3, 1906, in Atlanta, GA, USA. The bio records the death on October 30, 1989, in Chicago, IL, USA. On the record, Willie Cornelius was born William McKinley Cornelius.

Across 177 games (125 starts), Cornelius recorded 54 wins against 65 losses with a 4.54 ERA. The totals include 537 strikeouts, 65 complete games, and 5 shutouts. Against a 4.13 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.54 mark was 9.8% worse. No season topped the 9 wins of 1938.

Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Cornelius

Was Willie Cornelius a pitcher?
Yes. Willie Cornelius pitched in the major leagues, recording 54 wins and 537 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Willie Cornelius hit?
Willie Cornelius hit 3 career home runs with 89 hits.
What was Willie Cornelius's career batting average?
Willie Cornelius batted .216 over his career, with 89 hits in 412 at bats.
How many RBI did Willie Cornelius have?
Willie Cornelius drove in 39 runs in his career.
What was Willie Cornelius's career ERA?
Willie Cornelius finished with a 4.54 career ERA, going 54-65 with 537 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Willie Cornelius have?
Willie Cornelius recorded 537 career strikeouts.