John Hiller
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1965-1980)
John Hiller was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1980 for the Detroit Tigers, a span of 16 seasons. Across 545 career appearances, he went 87-76 with a 2.83 ERA, 1,036 strikeouts, and 125 saves. John Hiller was an All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 7498.3.
- 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
- R / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 185 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1965-09-06
- Last Game
- 1980-05-27
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: John Frederick Hiller
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1966 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1967 | DET | AL | 4 | 3 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 65.0 | 57 | 19 | 9 | 49 | 2.63 | 3.30 (+20%) | 1740.1 |
| 1968 | DET | AL | 9 | 6 | 39 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 128.0 | 92 | 34 | 51 | 78 | 2.39 | 2.98 (+20%) | -939.8 |
| 1969 | DET | AL | 4 | 4 | 40 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 99.1 | 97 | 44 | 44 | 74 | 3.99 | 3.61 (-10%) | -1157.8 |
| 1970 | DET | AL | 6 | 6 | 47 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 104.0 | 82 | 35 | 46 | 89 | 3.03 | 3.89 (+22%) | 197.6 |
| 1972 | DET | AL | 1 | 2 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 44.1 | 39 | 10 | 13 | 26 | 2.03 | 3.26 (+38%) | -241.3 |
| 1973 | DET | AL | 10 | 5 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 125.1 | 89 | 20 | 39 | 124 | 1.44 | 3.75 (+62%) | 4819.6 |
| 1974 | DET | AL | 17 | 14 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 150.0 | 127 | 44 | 62 | 134 | 2.64 | 3.63 (+27%) | 2586.6 |
| 1975 | DET | AL | 2 | 3 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 70.2 | 52 | 17 | 36 | 87 | 2.17 | 3.71 (+42%) | 1709.5 |
| 1976 | DET | AL | 12 | 8 | 56 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 121.0 | 93 | 32 | 67 | 117 | 2.38 | 3.51 (+32%) | 1093.4 |
| 1977 | DET | AL | 8 | 14 | 45 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 124.0 | 120 | 49 | 61 | 115 | 3.56 | 4.00 (+11%) | 135.8 |
| 1978 | DET | AL | 9 | 4 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 92.1 | 64 | 24 | 35 | 74 | 2.34 | 3.69 (+37%) | 1700.8 |
| 1979 | DET | AL | 4 | 7 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 79.1 | 83 | 46 | 55 | 46 | 5.22 | 4.00 (-30%) | -3856.5 |
| 1980 | DET | AL | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30.2 | 38 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 4.40 | 3.84 (-15%) | -289.8 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 87 | 76 | 545 | 43 | 13 | 6 | 125 | 1,242.0 | 1,040 | 391 | 535 | 1,036 | 2.83 | — | 7,498 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 546 | 101 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 34 | .109 | .135 | .119 | .253 | 0 |
Career AVG .109 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 57.1% below league average.
Career OBP .135 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 57.9% below league average.
Career SLG .119 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 68.3% below league average.
Career OPS .253 vs. league average .695 across their career seasons — 63.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | DET | AL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1966 | DET | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1967 | DET | AL | 23 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .133 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1968 | DET | AL | 39 | 37 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .081 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1969 | DET | AL | 41 | 21 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1970 | DET | AL | 47 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | DET | AL | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | DET | AL | 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | DET | AL | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | DET | AL | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1976 | DET | AL | 56 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | DET | AL | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | DET | AL | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | DET | AL | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1980 | DET | AL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 546 | 101 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 34 | .109 | — | — | — | — | 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 (1091 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 271 | 50 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | .060 |
| Away | 275 | 51 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | .157 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 270 | 613.1 | 512 | 209 | 243 | 536 | 3.07 |
| Away | 275 | 628.2 | 528 | 182 | 292 | 500 | 2.61 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-05-27 | DET | NYY | — | 4.0 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1980-05-24 | DET | BAL | — | 3.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1980-05-22 | DET | BAL | — | 0.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-05-20 | DET | NYY | W | 2.2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1980-05-14 | DET | OAK | — | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 1980-05-07 | DET | SEA | — | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-04-29 | DET | TEX | — | 4.2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1980-04-26 | DET | BOS | — | 0.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980-04-18 | DET | KCR | — | 2.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1980-04-16 | DET | BOS | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | DET | P | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966 | DET | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967 | DET | P | 23 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 1968 | DET | P | 39 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 1 |
| 1969 | DET | P | 40 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 1970 | DET | P | 47 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | DET | P | 24 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 |
| 1973 | DET | P | 65 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 1974 | DET | P | 59 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975 | DET | P | 36 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | DET | P | 56 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977 | DET | P | 45 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| 1978 | DET | P | 51 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | DET | P | 43 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | DET | P | 11 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 545 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Hutch Award | |
| 1973 | TSN Comeback Player of the Year | |
| 1973 | TSN Fireman of the Year |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Cy Young Award | AL | 7th | 1.0 | 120 | 0 |
| 1974 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 20th | 11.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1973 | Cy Young Award | AL | 4th | 6.0 | 120 | 0 |
| 1973 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 4th | 83.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Hiller (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
John Hiller: the record in brief
John Hiller's major league career runs from a debut on September 6, 1965 to a final game on May 27, 1980. Hiller's only club in the season tables is the Detroit Tigers. Hiller played primarily as a pitcher and threw left-handed and batted right-handed. Born on April 8, 1943, in Toronto, ON, CAN, Hiller was listed at 185 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. On the record, John Hiller was born John Frederick Hiller.
Across 545 games (43 starts), Hiller recorded 87 wins against 76 losses with a 2.83 ERA. The totals include 1,036 strikeouts, 13 complete games, 6 shutouts, and 125 saves. The leagues Hiller pitched in allowed 3.63 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 22.0% better than average. Hiller won 17 games in 1974, the most of any season listed. The most saves in one season was 38, in 1973. 1973 was Hiller's sharpest full season, a 1.44 ERA against the league's 3.75.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Hiller
- What years did John Hiller play?
- John Hiller played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1980.
- Was John Hiller a pitcher?
- Yes. John Hiller pitched in the major leagues, recording 87 wins and 1036 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did John Hiller hit?
- John Hiller hit 0 career home runs with 11 hits.
- What teams did John Hiller play for?
- John Hiller played for one team, the Detroit Tigers (1965–1970, 1972–1980).
- Did John Hiller win a Cy Young Award?
- No. John Hiller did not win the Cy Young Award.
- What awards did John Hiller win?
- John Hiller was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were John Hiller's career stats?
- In 545 games, John Hiller went 87-76 with a 2.83 ERA, 1,036 strikeouts, 1,242.0 innings pitched, and 125 saves.
- What position did John Hiller play?
- John Hiller played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was John Hiller and how much did he weigh?
- John Hiller was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds.
- What was John Hiller's career ERA?
- John Hiller finished with a 2.83 career ERA, going 87-76 with 1,036 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did John Hiller have?
- John Hiller recorded 1,036 career strikeouts.
- Is John Hiller in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Hiller has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did John Hiller make?
- John Hiller was selected to 1 All-Star Game.