Bill Karns
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1901)
Bill Karns was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball in 1901 for the Baltimore Orioles. Across 3 career appearances, he went 1-0 with a 6.35 ERA and 5 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
- Died
- 11/15/1941 in Seattle, WA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1901-08-01
- Last Game
- 1901-09-26
Full name: William Arthur Karns
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | BLA | AL | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 | 30 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 6.35 | 3.49 (-82%) | -186.7 |
| Career · 1 season | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 | 30 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 6.35 | — | -187 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .143 | .143 | .143 | .286 | 0 |
Career AVG .143 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — 47.4% below league average.
Career OBP .143 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 56.3% below league average.
Career SLG .143 vs. league average .360 across their career seasons — 60.3% below league average.
Career OPS .286 vs. league average .686 across their career seasons — 58.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | BLA | AL | 5 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 5 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 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
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| Away | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 9.0 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5.00 |
| Away | 2 | 8.0 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 7.88 |
Last 5 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901-09-26 | BLA | CLE | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901-08-31 | BLA | CHW | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1901-08-15 | BLA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901-08-14 | BLA | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901-08-01 | BLA | MIN | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 3 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901-09-26 | BLA | CLE | W | 9.0 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1901-08-31 | BLA | CHW | — | 6.0 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1901-08-14 | BLA | MIN | — | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 3 |
Bill Karns: the record in brief
The profile opens with Bill Karns's first major league game on August 1, 1901; the last one listed came on September 26, 1901. Karns spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Baltimore Orioles. Karns, a pitcher by primary position, threw and hit left-handed. The birth record reads December 28, 1875, in Richmond, IA, USA. Karns died on November 15, 1941, in Seattle, WA, USA. The given name on file is William Arthur Karns.
Karns pitched in 3 games, starting 1, and finished with a 1-0 record and 6.35 ERA. Karns had 5 strikeouts. The league ERA over Karns's seasons was 3.49, so the 6.35 figure ran 82.2% worse than average. Karns's only pitching season is 1901: 3 games, 5 strikeouts.
Every defensive appearance on record for Karns, 3 games, came at pitcher.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Karns
- Was Bill Karns a pitcher?
- Yes. Bill Karns pitched in the major leagues, recording 1 wins and 5 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bill Karns hit?
- Bill Karns hit 0 career home runs with 1 hit.
- What teams did Bill Karns play for?
- Bill Karns played for one team, the Baltimore Orioles (1901).
- What were Bill Karns's career stats?
- In 3 games, Bill Karns went 1-0 with a 6.35 ERA, 5 strikeouts, and 17.0 innings pitched.
- What position did Bill Karns play?
- Bill Karns played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- What was Bill Karns's career ERA?
- Bill Karns finished with a 6.35 career ERA, going 1-0 with 5 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Bill Karns have?
- Bill Karns recorded 5 career strikeouts.
- Is Bill Karns in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Karns has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.