Bill Hill

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1896-1899)

Bill Hill was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1896 to 1899 for 5 teams, including the Louisville Colonels, a span of 4 seasons. Across 124 career appearances, he went 36-69 with a 4.16 ERA and 280 strikeouts. He also batted .167 with 0 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 36–69
ERA 4.16
WHIP 1.51
SO 280
Pitcher PIV -6492.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
B / L
Height / Weight
6'1" / 201 lb
Born
8/2/1874 in Chattanooga, TN, USA
Died
1/28/1938 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1896-04-18
Last Game
1899-09-13

Full name: William Cicero Hill

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Bill Hill — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
36 69 124 115 92 3 3 925.0 994 428 24 406 280 4.16 -6492.7

Career ERA 4.16 vs. league average 4.00 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Hill — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1896 LS3 NL 9 28 43 39 32 0 2 319.2 353 153 155 104 4.31 4.36 (+1%) -3807.8
1897 LS3 NL 7 17 27 26 20 1 0 199.0 209 80 69 55 3.62 4.30 (+16%) -738.4
1898 CIN NL 13 14 33 32 26 2 0 262.0 261 116 119 75 3.98 3.59 (-11%) -1962.7
1899 CL4 NL 3 6 11 10 7 0 0 72.1 96 56 39 26 6.97 3.85 (-81%) -278.1
1899 BLN NL 3 4 8 7 6 0 0 61.0 64 22 18 17 3.25 3.85 (+16%) 343.8
1899 BRO NL 1 0 2 1 1 0 1 11.0 11 1 6 3 0.82 3.85 (+79%) -49.5
Career · 6 seasons 36 69 124 115 92 3 3 925.0 994 428 406 280 4.16 — -6,493

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 Hill — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
124 348 31 58 1 2 0 18 2 17 65 .167 .210 .181 .391 -2,298

Career AVG .167 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 41.2% below league average.

Career OBP .210 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — 39.4% below league average.

Career SLG .181 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 51.2% below league average.

Career OPS .391 vs. league average .717 across their career seasons — 45.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Hill — 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
1896 LS3 NL 43 116 11 24 0 0 0 5 1 5 23 .207 .290 (-29%) .354 (-32%) .387 (-47%) .741 (-40%) -749.0
1897 LS3 NL 27 74 5 7 0 1 0 4 1 4 16 .095 .291 (-68%) .354 (-60%) .387 (-69%) .741 (-65%) -794.2
1898 CIN NL 33 98 10 13 1 0 0 3 0 5 15 .133 .270 (-51%) .333 (-43%) .347 (-59%) .680 (-51%) -755.1
1899 CL4 NL 11 31 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 .129 — — — — 0.0
1899 BLN NL 8 24 2 7 0 0 0 4 0 2 2 .292 — — — — 0.0
1899 BRO NL 2 5 1 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 .600 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 124 348 31 58 1 2 0 18 2 17 65 .167 — — — — -2,298

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 (109 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Hill — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2992121608.174
Away266631101.167

Pitching — Home / Away

Bill Hill — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home29247.02409295693.35
Away25160.119210887536.06

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Hill — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1899-09-13 BROPITW 312000100
1899-08-17 BROCL4W 201010100
1899-07-31 BLNPITL 300000001
1899-07-27 BLNCL4W 401000200
1899-07-23 BLNCHCL 300000010
1899-07-18 BLNCINL 302000100
1899-07-14 BLNCL4W 422000110
1899-07-08 BLNWSNW 401000000
1899-06-23 BLNCINL 201000001
1899-06-21 BLNLS3L 100000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bill Hill — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1899-09-13 BROPIT W 8.0933530
1899-08-17 BROCL4 SV 3.0200100
1899-07-31 BLNPIT L 8.01174330
1899-07-27 BLNCL4 W 9.0841310
1899-07-23 BLNCHC L 8.01087141
1899-07-18 BLNCIN L 9.01275510
1899-07-14 BLNCL4 W 9.0310130
1899-07-08 BLNWSN W 9.0711320
1899-06-23 BLNCIN — 5.0622120
1899-06-21 BLNLS3 L 4.0754110

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Hill — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 124 0 37 255 34 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Hill — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1896 LS3 P 43 0 13 95 13 5
1897 LS3 P 27 0 14 53 12 1
1898 CIN P 33 0 6 67 1 7
1899 CL4 P 11 0 1 19 4 1
1899 BLN P 8 0 3 18 3 1
1899 BRO P 2 0 0 3 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Hill — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 124

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Billy Serad
    35-55, 4.13 ERA
  2. 95
    Pete Dowling
    39-64, 3.84 ERA
  3. 95
    Sarge Connally
    49-60, 4.30 ERA
  4. 93
    Roy Henshaw
    33-40, 4.16 ERA
  5. 93
    John Kirby
    18-50, 4.09 ERA
  6. 90
    Art Herring
    34-38, 4.32 ERA

Bill Hill: the record in brief

According to the bio, Bill Hill debuted on April 18, 1896 and played a final game on September 13, 1899. By club, Hill's seasons break down as the Louisville Colonels (1896 through 1897), the Cincinnati Reds (1898), the Cleveland Spiders (1899), the Baltimore Orioles (1899), and the Brooklyn Superbas (1899). At 6'1" and 201 pounds, Hill is listed as a pitcher. Hill batted from both sides and threw left-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is August 2, 1874, in Chattanooga, TN, USA. Hill's death is recorded on January 28, 1938, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. The given name on file is William Cicero Hill.

Hill went 36-69 with a 4.16 ERA in 124 games, 115 of them starts. Hill had 280 strikeouts and 92 complete games. Hill's 4.16 ERA was close to the 4.00 league figure for those seasons. Hill won 13 games in 1898, the most of any season listed. 1896 produced Hill's most strikeouts, 104. 1897 was Hill's sharpest full season, a 3.62 ERA against the league's 4.30.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Hill

What years did Bill Hill play?
Bill Hill played in Major League Baseball from 1896 to 1899.
Was Bill Hill a pitcher?
Yes. Bill Hill pitched in the major leagues, recording 36 wins and 280 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bill Hill hit?
Bill Hill hit 0 career home runs with 58 hits.
What teams did Bill Hill play for?
Bill Hill played for 5 teams: the Louisville Colonels (1896–1897), the Cincinnati Reds (1898), the Cleveland Spiders (1899), the Baltimore Orioles (1899), and the Brooklyn Superbas (1899).
What were Bill Hill's career stats?
In 124 games, Bill Hill went 36-69 with a 4.16 ERA, 280 strikeouts, 925.0 innings pitched, and 3 saves. At the plate he had 58 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Bill Hill play?
Bill Hill played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Hill and how much did he weigh?
Bill Hill was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 201 pounds.
What was Bill Hill's career ERA?
Bill Hill finished with a 4.16 career ERA, going 36-69 with 280 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bill Hill have?
Bill Hill recorded 280 career strikeouts.
Is Bill Hill in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Hill has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.