Bill Gilbreth
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1971-1974)
Bill Gilbreth was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1974 for the Detroit Tigers and the California Angels, a span of 4 seasons. Across 14 career appearances, he went 2-1 with a 6.69 ERA and 16 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
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- Died
- 7/12/2020 in Abilene, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1971-06-25
- Last Game
- 1974-05-12
Full name: William Freeman Gilbreth
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | DET | AL | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 | 28 | 16 | 21 | 14 | 4.80 | 3.47 (-38%) | -1561.8 |
| 1972 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 16.20 | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | CAL | AL | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 13.50 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 2 | 1 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 36.1 | 40 | 27 | 26 | 16 | 6.69 | — | -1,562 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .167 | .167 | .167 | .333 | 0 |
Career AVG .167 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — 33.4% below league average.
Career OBP .167 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — 47.5% below league average.
Career SLG .167 vs. league average .363 across their career seasons — 54.1% below league average.
Career OPS .333 vs. league average .680 across their career seasons — 51.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | DET | AL | 9 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | DET | AL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | CAL | AL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 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 (28 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 10 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| Away | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 10 | 32.1 | 34 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 5.57 |
| Away | 4 | 4.0 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 15.75 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-05-12 | LAA | KCR | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-05-11 | LAA | KCR | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-05-08 | LAA | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-08-02 | DET | MIL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-08-01 | DET | MIL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-09-13 | DET | BAL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-09-09 | DET | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-07-25 | DET | OAK | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-07-21 | DET | LAA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1971-07-18 | DET | KCR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-05-12 | LAA | KCR | — | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-05-11 | LAA | KCR | — | 0.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-05-08 | LAA | CLE | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-08-02 | DET | MIL | — | 1.2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1972-08-01 | DET | MIL | — | 3.1 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1971-09-13 | DET | BAL | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-09-09 | DET | BOS | — | 1.2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1971-07-25 | DET | OAK | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-07-21 | DET | LAA | — | 1.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1971-07-18 | DET | KCR | L | 1.0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 14 |
Bill Gilbreth: the record in brief
Between the debut on June 25, 1971 and the final game on May 12, 1974, Bill Gilbreth built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the Detroit Tigers (1971 through 1972) and the California Angels (1974). The bio lists Gilbreth as a pitcher who batted and threw left-handed. Height and weight on file: 6'0" and 180 pounds. The birth record reads September 3, 1947, in Abilene, TX, USA. Gilbreth's death is recorded on July 12, 2020, in Abilene, TX, USA. On the record, Bill Gilbreth was born William Freeman Gilbreth.
Gilbreth went 2-1 with a 6.69 ERA in 14 games, 5 of them starts. Gilbreth had 16 strikeouts. The league ERA over Gilbreth's seasons was 3.46, so the 6.69 figure ran 93.5% worse than average. 1971 was Gilbreth's sharpest full season, a 4.80 ERA against the league's 3.47.
Every defensive appearance on record for Gilbreth, 14 games, came at pitcher. Fielding on the mound produced 1 putouts and 8 assists against 0 errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Gilbreth
- What years did Bill Gilbreth play?
- Bill Gilbreth played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1974.
- Was Bill Gilbreth a pitcher?
- Yes. Bill Gilbreth pitched in the major leagues, recording 2 wins and 16 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bill Gilbreth hit?
- Bill Gilbreth hit 0 career home runs with 2 hits.
- What teams did Bill Gilbreth play for?
- Bill Gilbreth played for 2 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1971–1972) and the California Angels (1974).
- What were Bill Gilbreth's career stats?
- In 14 games, Bill Gilbreth went 2-1 with a 6.69 ERA, 16 strikeouts, and 36.1 innings pitched.
- What position did Bill Gilbreth play?
- Bill Gilbreth played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bill Gilbreth and how much did he weigh?
- Bill Gilbreth was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.
- What was Bill Gilbreth's career ERA?
- Bill Gilbreth finished with a 6.69 career ERA, going 2-1 with 16 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Bill Gilbreth have?
- Bill Gilbreth recorded 16 career strikeouts.
- Is Bill Gilbreth in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Gilbreth has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.