Was Willie Foster a pitcher?

Yes. Willie Foster pitched in the major leagues, recording 125 wins and 1062 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Willie Foster hit?

Willie Foster hit 4 career home runs with 129 hits.

What teams did Willie Foster play for?

Willie Foster played for 6 teams: the Memphis Red Sox (1923–1924), the Chicago American Giants (1923–1930, 1932–1935, 1937), the Birmingham Black Barons (1925), the Homestead Grays (1931), the Kansas City Monarchs (1931), and the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1936).

What awards did Willie Foster win?

Willie Foster was selected to 3 All-Star Games.

What were Willie Foster's career stats?

In 262 games, Willie Foster went 125-60 with a 2.66 ERA, 1,062 strikeouts, 1,665.0 innings pitched, and 14 saves. At the plate he had 129 hits and 4 home runs.

What position did Willie Foster play?

Willie Foster played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Willie Foster and how much did he weigh?

Willie Foster was listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.

What was Willie Foster's career ERA?

Willie Foster finished with a 2.66 career ERA, going 125-60 with 1,062 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Willie Foster have?

Willie Foster recorded 1,062 career strikeouts.

How many All-Star Games did Willie Foster make?

Willie Foster was selected to 3 All-Star Games.

Willie Foster

Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (Final season: 1938)

Willie Foster was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for 6 teams, including the Memphis Red Sox. Across 262 career appearances, he went 125-60 with a 2.66 ERA and 1,062 strikeouts. He also batted .202 with 4 home runs. Willie Foster was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996 and 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 41671.8.

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 October 15, 2026

⭐ Hall of Fame 1996

W–L 125–60

ERA 2.66

WHIP 1.15

SO 1,062

Pitcher PIV 41671.8

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: B / L
Height / Weight: 6'0" / 190 lb
Born: 6/12/1904 in Calvert, TX, USA
Died: 9/16/1978 in Lorman, MS, USA
Last Game: 1938-04-10
Hall of Fame: Inducted 1996 (Veterans)
Awards: 3× All-Star

Full name: William Hendrick Foster

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Willie Foster — Batting
PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
156.0	133.0	14.0	23.0	5.0	1.0	1.0	5.0	13.0	7.0	0	.173	.247	.248	.495

Pitching

Willie Foster — Pitching
W	L	GS	CG	GF	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
34	22	52	38	18	5	432.1	369	193	86	16	122	232	1.79	1.14

Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Willie Foster — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching
Season	W	L	GS	CG	GF	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
1938	0	0	0	0	1	1	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00
Listed seasons · 1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00

Career Pitching Statistics

Willie Foster — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
125	60	262	185	142	34	14	1665.0	1,397	492	41	522	1,062	2.66	41671.8

Career ERA 2.66 vs. league average 4.27 across their career seasons — 37.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Willie Foster Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1923	MRS	IND	6	2	9	8	6	1	0	62.0	43	12	12	46	1.74	4.03 (+57%)	2987.8
1923	CAG	NNL	0	0	3	2	0	0	0	8.0	6	5	4	4	5.62	—	0.0
1924	MRS	NNL	1	0	1	1	1	1	0	9.0	1	0	3	14	0.00	4.13 (+100%)	0.0
1924	CAG	NNL	6	1	12	9	4	2	0	57.2	46	16	21	39	2.50	4.13 (+40%)	1648.1
1925	BBB	NNL	1	0	1	1	1	1	0	9.0	1	0	3	4	0.00	4.55 (+100%)	0.0
1925	CAG	NNL	5	0	11	8	4	1	0	69.0	56	14	18	45	1.83	4.55 (+60%)	2500.1
1926	CAG	NNL	13	4	27	17	12	5	1	174.2	115	35	56	111	1.80	4.11 (+56%)	4209.4
1927	CAG	NNL	20	5	31	24	20	6	2	207.2	178	52	61	121	2.25	4.08 (+45%)	4756.6
1928	CAG	NNL	13	8	27	20	19	3	3	195.0	184	64	61	119	2.95	4.13 (+29%)	3458.9
1929	CAG	NNL	9	7	25	17	13	2	3	145.2	130	57	50	87	3.52	4.60 (+23%)	4177.0
1930	CAG	NNL	11	8	26	15	12	1	2	159.0	146	51	55	132	2.89	4.80 (+40%)	4645.4
1931	HG	IND	9	2	12	11	10	2	0	96.0	76	25	29	76	2.34	4.10 (+43%)	3604.4
1931	KCM	IND	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	7.0	3	1	5	12	1.29	—	0.0
1932	CAG	NSL	8	5	17	13	13	2	2	116.1	102	31	24	76	2.40	4.13 (+42%)	5030.8
1933	CAG	NN2	6	4	13	9	7	1	1	83.2	63	23	18	61	2.47	3.86 (+36%)	2699.5
1934	CAG	NN2	3	2	11	6	5	1	0	56.1	52	22	22	17	3.51	4.29 (+18%)	564.9
1935	CAG	NN2	5	4	11	8	6	2	0	82.1	73	26	32	31	2.84	4.35 (+35%)	744.1
1936	PC	NN2	4	3	8	7	5	1	0	46.0	45	23	18	21	4.50	4.59 (+2%)	-261.5
1937	CAG	NAL	4	5	16	8	3	2	0	80.2	77	35	30	46	3.90	4.34 (+10%)	906.3
Career · 19 seasons			125	60	262	185	142	34	14	1,665.0	1,397	492	522	1,062	2.66	—	41,672

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 Foster — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
290	639	71	129	11	6	4	53	3	34	12	.202	.242	.257	.499	-1,656

Career AVG .202 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — 28.3% below league average.

Career OBP .242 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 29.6% below league average.

Career SLG .257 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — 35.5% below league average.

Career OPS .499 vs. league average .742 across their career seasons — 32.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Willie Foster 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
1923	MRS	IND	9	21	2	4	0	0	0	2	1	2	0	.190	—	—	—	—	0.0
1923	CAG	NNL	3	3	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
1924	MRS	NNL	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1924	CAG	NNL	12	19	1	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.158	—	—	—	—	0.0
1925	BBB	NNL	1	2	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	.500	—	—	—	—	0.0
1925	CAG	NNL	11	23	2	5	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	.217	—	—	—	—	0.0
1926	CAG	NNL	27	60	6	15	2	0	1	5	0	4	2	.250	.279 (-11%)	.345 (-14%)	.390 (-15%)	.735 (-14%)	-142.4
1927	CAG	NNL	39	82	11	19	1	1	0	8	0	3	0	.232	.282 (-18%)	.344 (-25%)	.392 (-32%)	.736 (-28%)	-385.0
1928	CAG	NNL	29	77	9	17	3	0	0	8	0	3	4	.221	.280 (-21%)	.342 (-27%)	.395 (-34%)	.737 (-31%)	-390.1
1929	CAG	NNL	30	55	9	10	1	0	0	2	1	4	1	.182	.289 (-37%)	.353 (-33%)	.415 (-52%)	.769 (-43%)	-397.1
1930	CAG	NNL	33	71	6	17	3	0	0	6	0	4	0	.239	.293 (-19%)	.354 (-21%)	.429 (-34%)	.784 (-28%)	-341.6
1931	HG	IND	13	38	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1931	KCM	IND	1	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
1932	CAG	NSL	17	42	3	7	0	1	1	4	0	0	0	.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
1933	CAG	NN2	14	32	6	9	0	2	1	5	0	2	0	.281	—	—	—	—	0.0
1934	CAG	NN2	13	32	4	7	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	.219	—	—	—	—	0.0
1935	CAG	NN2	12	31	2	6	0	0	0	2	0	3	0	.194	—	—	—	—	0.0
1936	PC	NN2	8	20	2	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	.100	—	—	—	—	0.0
1937	CAG	NAL	17	25	5	5	1	0	0	3	0	6	3	.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 19 seasons			290	639	71	129	11	6	4	53	3	34	12	.202	—	—	—	—	-1,656

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 Foster — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
26	57	6	10	3	1	0	2	4	2	.175

Playoff Batting by Year

Willie Foster — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1937	ALC	CAG	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
1934	NLC	CAG	3	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1932	NSC	CAG	2	7	4	4	0	1	1	1	0	.571
1928	NNC	CAG	4	13	0	3	0	0	1	0	0	.231
1927	NNC	CAG	3	6	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	.167
1927	NWS	CAG	5	8	1	2	2	0	0	1	0	.250
1926	NNC	CAG	4	5	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000
1926	NWS	CAG	4	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Willie Foster — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
12	7	25	19	1	170.1	156	48	59	116	2.54

Playoff Pitching by Year

Willie Foster — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1937	ALC	CAG	0	0	1	1	0	6.1	5	1	1	2	1.42
1934	NLC	CAG	1	1	3	2	0	18.0	14	3	9	20	1.50
1932	NSC	CAG	2	0	2	2	0	18.0	17	3	3	20	1.50
1928	NNC	CAG	2	2	4	4	0	35.0	34	19	12	20	4.89
1927	NNC	CAG	2	0	3	2	0	18.0	13	4	3	12	2.00
1927	NWS	CAG	2	2	4	2	0	24.0	27	8	10	13	3.00
1926	NNC	CAG	1	2	4	3	1	22.2	20	6	8	10	2.38
1926	NWS	CAG	2	0	4	3	0	28.1	26	4	13	19	1.27

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (73 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Willie Foster — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	21	24	4	7	0	1	.292
Away	17	30	3	5	1	1	.167

Pitching — Home / Away

Willie Foster — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	20	113.2	76	10	21	22	0.79
Away	15	94.2	92	41	37	29	3.90

Last 10 Games — Batting

Willie Foster — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	BB	SO
1937-09-05	CAG	MEM	W	0	0	0	0	0
1937-08-18	CAG	KCM	L	0	0	0	1	0
1937-08-17	CAG	KCM	L	0	0	0	0	0
1937-08-15	CAG	IN6	L	0	0	0	0	0
1937-07-27	CAG	KCM	L	2	2	1	2	1
1937-07-25	CAG	KCM	L	1	0	0	0	0
1937-07-25	CAG	KCM	L	1	0	0	0	0
1937-07-21	CAG	ATN	L	1	0	0	1	1
1937-07-11	CAG	IN6	W	0	0	0	0	0
1937-07-04	CAG	KCM	L	1	0	0	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Willie Foster — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1937-09-05	CAG	MEM	W	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1937-08-18	CAG	KCM	—	3.0	2	0	0	1	3	0
1937-08-17	CAG	KCM	—	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0
1937-08-15	CAG	IN6	—	5.0	2	0	0	0	0	0
1937-07-27	CAG	KCM	L	8.1	11	8	6	6	5	1
1937-07-25	CAG	KCM	—	1.2	3	3	3	3	1	1
1937-07-21	CAG	ATN	L	5.2	8	4	4	2	3	1
1937-07-11	CAG	IN6	—	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1937-07-04	CAG	KCM	L	5.0	4	4	2	2	2	0
1937-06-30	CAG	DT2	W	9.0	4	0	0	2	7	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Willie Foster — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	4	1	19	0	1	1
OF	9	4	7	0	0	0
P	262	185	51	469	28	9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Willie Foster — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1923	MRS	P	9	8	3	11	0	0
1923	CAG	P	3	2	0	3	1	0
1924	MRS	P	1	1	1	5	0	0
1924	CAG	P	12	9	2	19	0	0
1925	BBB	P	1	1	0	0	0	0
1925	CAG	P	11	8	0	0	0	0
1926	CAG	P	27	17	4	52	1	1
1927	CAG	OF	2	0	0	0	0	0
1927	CAG	P	31	24	4	73	6	2
1928	CAG	P	27	20	5	61	3	1
1929	CAG	1B	2	0	9	0	1	0
1929	CAG	OF	3	2	4	0	0	0
1929	CAG	P	25	17	5	37	1	1
1930	CAG	1B	2	1	10	0	0	1
1930	CAG	OF	1	0	1	0	0	0
1930	CAG	P	26	15	6	54	1	2
1931	HG	P	12	11	4	22	2	0
1931	KCM	P	1	1	0	2	0	0
1932	CAG	P	17	13	4	38	2	0
1933	CAG	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1933	CAG	P	13	9	4	18	2	0
1934	CAG	OF	2	2	2	0	0	0
1934	CAG	P	11	6	6	19	2	1
1935	CAG	P	11	8	2	19	3	1
1936	PC	P	8	7	0	7	2	0
1937	CAG	P	16	8	1	29	2	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Willie Foster Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	262
First Base	4
Left Field	2
Center Field	3
Right Field	4

Most Similar Players

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

Compare Willie Foster

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See Willie Foster in Another Era

Translate Willie Foster's peak season across eras →

Willie Foster: the record in brief

Willie Foster's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1923 to 1937. By club, Foster's seasons break down as the Memphis Red Sox (1923 through 1924), the Chicago American Giants (1923 to 1937), the Birmingham Black Barons (1925), the Homestead Grays (1931), the Kansas City Monarchs (1931), and the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1936). Foster, born on June 12, 1904, in Calvert, TX, USA, is listed as a pitcher and switch-hit and threw left-handed. Size on record: 6'0" and 190 pounds. Foster died on September 16, 1978, in Lorman, MS, USA. Willie Foster was the playing name; the full given name is William Hendrick.

The pitching table credits Foster with a 125-60 record and a 2.66 ERA in 262 games. The totals include 1,062 strikeouts, 142 complete games, 34 shutouts, and 14 saves. Against a 4.27 league ERA for the same years, Foster was 37.7% better. Foster won 20 games in 1927, the most of any season listed. The strikeout high was 132 in 1930.

Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Foster

Was Willie Foster a pitcher?: Yes. Willie Foster pitched in the major leagues, recording 125 wins and 1062 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Willie Foster hit?: Willie Foster hit 4 career home runs with 129 hits.
Is Willie Foster in the Hall of Fame?: Yes. Willie Foster was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.
What teams did Willie Foster play for?: Willie Foster played for 6 teams: the Memphis Red Sox (1923–1924), the Chicago American Giants (1923–1930, 1932–1935, 1937), the Birmingham Black Barons (1925), the Homestead Grays (1931), the Kansas City Monarchs (1931), and the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1936).
What awards did Willie Foster win?: Willie Foster was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
What were Willie Foster's career stats?: In 262 games, Willie Foster went 125-60 with a 2.66 ERA, 1,062 strikeouts, 1,665.0 innings pitched, and 14 saves. At the plate he had 129 hits and 4 home runs.
What position did Willie Foster play?: Willie Foster played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Willie Foster and how much did he weigh?: Willie Foster was listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.
What was Willie Foster's career ERA?: Willie Foster finished with a 2.66 career ERA, going 125-60 with 1,062 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Willie Foster have?: Willie Foster recorded 1,062 career strikeouts.
How many All-Star Games did Willie Foster make?: Willie Foster was selected to 3 All-Star Games.