Bill Hart

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1886-1901)

Bill Hart was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1886 to 1901 for 5 teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 16 seasons. Across 206 career appearances, he went 66-120 with a 4.65 ERA and 431 strikeouts. He also batted .207 with 4 home runs.

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 66–120
ERA 4.65
WHIP 1.59
SO 431
Pitcher PIV -16267.8
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
— / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 163 lb
Born
7/19/1865 in Louisville, KY, USA
Died
9/19/1936 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1886-07-26
Last Game
1901-07-30

Full name: William Franklin Hart

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bill Hart — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
66 120 206 190 162 5 3 1582.0 1,819 817 43 704 431 4.65 -16267.8

Career ERA 4.65 vs. league average 3.87 across their career seasons — 20.0% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Hart (b. 1865) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1886 PH4 AA 9 13 22 22 22 2 0 186.0 183 66 66 78 3.19 3.37 (+5%) -2599.6
1887 PH4 AA 1 2 3 3 3 0 0 26.0 28 13 17 4 4.50 4.17 (-8%) -892.8
1892 BRO NL 9 12 28 23 16 2 1 195.0 188 71 96 65 3.28 3.28 (avg) -1308.9
1895 PIT NL 14 17 36 29 24 0 1 261.2 293 138 135 85 4.75 4.77 (+1%) -507.5
1896 SLN NL 12 29 42 41 37 0 0 336.0 411 191 141 65 5.12 4.36 (-17%) -3072.6
1897 SLN NL 9 27 39 38 31 0 0 294.2 395 205 148 67 6.26 4.30 (-46%) -4927.2
1898 PIT NL 5 9 16 15 13 1 1 125.0 141 67 44 19 4.82 3.59 (-34%) -1568.9
1901 CLE AL 7 11 20 19 16 0 0 157.2 180 66 57 48 3.77 3.49 (-8%) -1390.3
Career · 8 seasons 66 120 206 190 162 5 3 1,582.0 1,819 817 704 431 4.65 — -16,268

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 Hart — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
229 748 59 155 14 15 4 67 18 17 74 .207 .227 .282 .509 -3,355

Career AVG .207 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — 23.7% below league average.

Career OBP .227 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 32.0% below league average.

Career SLG .282 vs. league average .363 across their career seasons — 22.2% below league average.

Career OPS .509 vs. league average .696 across their career seasons — 26.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Hart — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1886 PH4 AA 22 73 3 10 1 1 0 1 1 3 0 .137 .246 (-44%) .302 (-43%) .331 (-46%) .634 (-45%) -471.2
1887 PH4 AA 3 13 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .077 — — — — 0.0
1892 BRO NL 37 125 14 24 3 4 2 17 4 7 22 .192 .244 (-22%) .316 (-24%) .327 (avg) .644 (-12%) -272.2
1895 PIT NL 36 106 8 25 5 2 0 11 1 1 12 .236 .296 (-20%) .361 (-33%) .399 (-20%) .761 (-26%) -499.0
1896 SLN NL 49 161 9 30 4 5 0 15 7 3 15 .186 .290 (-36%) .354 (-42%) .387 (-29%) .741 (-35%) -995.0
1897 SLN NL 46 156 14 39 1 2 2 14 4 1 13 .250 .291 (-14%) .354 (-28%) .387 (-17%) .741 (-22%) -608.2
1898 PIT NL 16 50 4 12 0 1 0 3 1 1 2 .240 .270 (-11%) .333 (-24%) .347 (-19%) .680 (-21%) -175.6
1901 CLE AL 20 64 7 14 0 0 0 6 0 1 8 .219 .271 (-20%) .326 (-29%) .359 (-39%) .686 (-35%) -333.6
Career · 8 seasons 229 748 59 155 14 15 4 67 18 17 74 .207 — — — — -3,355

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 (73 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Hart — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home17494903.184
Away206671706.258

Pitching — Home / Away

Bill Hart — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home17135.21404851333.18
Away19147.01818149344.96

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Hart — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1901-07-30 CLEPHAL 000000000
1901-07-26 CLEBLAL 300000001
1901-07-22 CLEMINW 401000101
1901-07-18 CLEBOSW 422000100
1901-07-09 CLEDETL 100000001
1901-07-04 CLECHWW 401000001
1901-07-01 CLEMLAW 300000000
1901-06-28 CLECHWL 300000001
1901-06-22 CLEBOSL 301000000
1901-06-19 CLEPHAL 400000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bill Hart — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1901-07-30 CLEPHA — 3.0311020
1901-07-26 CLEBLA L 9.01064570
1901-07-22 CLEMIN W 9.0933170
1901-07-18 CLEBOS W 9.01055221
1901-07-09 CLEDET L 3.2985300
1901-07-04 CLECHW W 9.0821310
1901-07-01 CLEMLA W 6.0855121
1901-06-28 CLECHW — 6.01165230
1901-06-22 CLEBOS L 8.0785211
1901-06-19 CLEPHA L 8.0741160

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Hart — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
OF 26 0 36 1 5 0
P 206 0 90 461 46 18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Hart — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1886 PH4 P 22 0 7 40 5 1
1887 PH4 P 3 0 0 8 5 0
1892 BRO OF 12 0 18 1 3 0
1892 BRO P 28 0 13 58 6 1
1895 PIT P 36 0 12 84 5 4
1896 SLN OF 8 0 9 0 0 0
1896 SLN P 42 0 29 106 8 3
1897 SLN 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1897 SLN OF 6 0 9 0 2 0
1897 SLN P 39 0 21 76 8 4
1898 PIT P 16 0 3 34 6 3
1901 CLE P 20 0 5 55 3 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Hart — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 206
First Base 1
Left Field 6
Center Field 15
Right Field 5

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    George Hemming
    91-82, 4.53 ERA
  2. 95
    Duke Esper
    101-100, 4.39 ERA
  3. 82
    George Caster
    76-100, 4.54 ERA
  4. 78
    Phil Knell
    79-90, 4.05 ERA
  5. 78
    Elon Hogsett
    63-87, 5.02 ERA
  6. 76
    George Haddock
    95-87, 4.07 ERA

Bill Hart: the record in brief

The profile opens with Bill Hart's first major league game on July 26, 1886; the last one listed came on July 30, 1901. The team column moves through the Philadelphia Athletics (1886 through 1887), the Brooklyn Grooms (1892), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1895 to 1898), the St. Louis Browns (1896 to 1897), and the Cleveland Blues (1901). Hart is listed as a pitcher at 5-foot-10 and 163 pounds. The recorded birth is July 19, 1865, in Louisville, KY, USA. Hart's death is recorded on September 19, 1936, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Hart's full given name, per the bio, is William Franklin Hart.

Hart pitched in 206 games, starting 190, and finished with a 66-120 record and 4.65 ERA. Also on Hart's record: 431 strikeouts, 162 complete games, and 5 shutouts. Against a 3.87 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.65 mark was 20.0% worse. No season topped the 14 wins of 1895. 1895 was Hart's sharpest full season, a 4.75 ERA against the league's 4.77.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Hart

What years did Bill Hart play?
Bill Hart played in Major League Baseball from 1886 to 1901.
Was Bill Hart a pitcher?
Yes. Bill Hart pitched in the major leagues, recording 66 wins and 431 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bill Hart hit?
Bill Hart hit 4 career home runs with 155 hits.
What teams did Bill Hart play for?
Bill Hart played for 5 teams: the Philadelphia Athletics (1886–1887), the Brooklyn Grooms (1892), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1895, 1898), the St. Louis Browns (1896–1897), and the Cleveland Blues (1901).
What were Bill Hart's career stats?
In 206 games, Bill Hart went 66-120 with a 4.65 ERA, 431 strikeouts, 1,582.0 innings pitched, and 3 saves. At the plate he had 155 hits and 4 home runs.
What position did Bill Hart play?
Bill Hart played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Hart and how much did he weigh?
Bill Hart was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 163 pounds.
What was Bill Hart's career ERA?
Bill Hart finished with a 4.65 career ERA, going 66-120 with 431 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bill Hart have?
Bill Hart recorded 431 career strikeouts.
Is Bill Hart in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Hart has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.