What years did Bill Kennedy play?

Bill Kennedy played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1957.

Was Bill Kennedy a pitcher?

Yes. Bill Kennedy pitched in the major leagues, recording 15 wins and 256 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Bill Kennedy hit?

Bill Kennedy hit 0 career home runs with 25 hits.

What teams did Bill Kennedy play for?

Bill Kennedy played for 5 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1948), the St. Louis Browns (1948–1951), the Chicago White Sox (1952), the Boston Red Sox (1953), and the Cincinnati Redlegs (1956–1957).

What were Bill Kennedy's career stats?

In 172 games, Bill Kennedy went 15-28 with a 4.73 ERA, 256 strikeouts, 464.2 innings pitched, and 11 saves.

What position did Bill Kennedy play?

Bill Kennedy played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Bill Kennedy and how much did he weigh?

Bill Kennedy was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 195 pounds.

What was Bill Kennedy's career ERA?

Bill Kennedy finished with a 4.73 career ERA, going 15-28 with 256 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Bill Kennedy have?

Bill Kennedy recorded 256 career strikeouts.

Is Bill Kennedy in the Hall of Fame?

No. Bill Kennedy has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bill Kennedy

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1948-1957)

Bill Kennedy was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1957 for 5 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 10 seasons. Across 172 career appearances, he went 15-28 with a 4.73 ERA and 256 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 October 15, 2026

W–L 15–28

ERA 4.73

WHIP 1.69

SO 256

Pitcher PIV -3575.9

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: L / L
Height / Weight: 6'2" / 195 lb
Born: 3/14/1921 in Carnesville, GA, USA
Died: 4/9/1983 in Seattle, WA, USA
MLB Debut: 1948-04-26
Last Game: 1957-09-29

Full name: William Aulton Kennedy

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bill Kennedy — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
15	28	172	45	6	0	11	464.2	497	244	34	289	256	4.73	-3575.9

Career ERA 4.73 vs. league average 4.03 across their career seasons — 17.2% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Kennedy (b. 1921) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1948	CLE	AL	1	0	6	3	0	0	11.1	16	14	13	12	11.12	4.10 (-171%)	1.8
1948	SLA	AL	7	8	26	20	3	0	132.0	132	69	104	77	4.70	4.10 (-15%)	-3187.0
1949	SLA	AL	4	11	48	16	2	1	153.2	172	80	73	69	4.69	4.12 (-14%)	24.0
1950	SLA	AL	0	0	1	0	0	0	2.0	1	0	2	1	0.00	—	0.0
1951	SLA	AL	1	5	19	5	1	0	56.0	76	36	37	29	5.79	4.04 (-43%)	-515.2
1952	CHA	AL	2	2	47	1	0	5	70.2	54	22	38	46	2.80	3.70 (+24%)	398.9
1953	BOS	AL	0	0	16	0	0	2	24.1	24	10	17	14	3.70	4.14 (+11%)	-359.4
1956	CIN	NL	0	0	1	0	0	0	2.0	6	4	0	0	18.00	—	0.0
1957	CIN	NL	0	2	8	0	0	3	12.2	16	9	5	8	6.39	3.83 (-67%)	61.0
Career · 9 seasons			15	28	172	45	6	11	464.2	497	244	289	256	4.73	—	-3,576

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 Kennedy — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
172	120	9	25	1	0	0	6	0	8	31	.208	.258	.217	.474	0

Career AVG .208 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 20.1% below league average.

Career OBP .258 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 23.2% below league average.

Career SLG .217 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 44.2% below league average.

Career OPS .474 vs. league average .724 across their career seasons — 34.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Kennedy (b. 1921) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1948	CLE	AL	6	3	1	2	0	0	1	0	.667	—	—	—	—	0.0
1948	SLA	AL	26	44	5	11	1	4	3	4	.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1949	SLA	AL	48	40	3	6	0	1	3	12	.150	—	—	—	—	0.0
1950	SLA	AL	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1951	SLA	AL	19	16	0	2	0	1	0	8	.125	—	—	—	—	0.0
1952	CHA	AL	47	13	0	3	0	0	0	5	.231	—	—	—	—	0.0
1953	BOS	AL	16	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	.500	—	—	—	—	0.0
1956	CIN	NL	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1957	CIN	NL	8	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 9 seasons			172	120	9	25	1	6	8	31	.208	—	—	—	—	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 (344 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Kennedy — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	92	63	5	13	0	5	.206
Away	80	57	4	12	0	1	.211

Pitching — Home / Away

Bill Kennedy — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	92	243.0	245	121	157	145	4.48
Away	80	221.2	252	125	131	111	5.08

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Kennedy — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	BB	SO
1957-09-29	CIN	ATL	L	0	0	0
1957-09-22	CIN	STL	L	0	0	0
1957-09-20	CIN	STL	L	0	0	0
1957-09-17	CIN	PIT	W	0	1	0
1957-09-15	CIN	BRO	W	0	0	0
1957-09-13	CIN	PHI	W	0	0	0
1957-09-06	CIN	STL	W	2	0	1
1957-09-03	CIN	STL	L	0	0	0
1956-04-20	CIN	CHC	L	0	0	0
1953-06-09	BOS	SLA	W	0	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bill Kennedy — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1957-09-29	CIN	ATL	L	0.2	4	2	2	0	1	0
1957-09-22	CIN	STL	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0
1957-09-20	CIN	STL	L	1.0	1	2	2	1	1	1
1957-09-17	CIN	PIT	SV	3.0	3	0	0	0	1	0
1957-09-15	CIN	BRO	SV	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0
1957-09-13	CIN	PHI	—	0.1	1	0	0	1	0	0
1957-09-06	CIN	STL	SV	4.0	3	0	0	0	2	0
1957-09-03	CIN	STL	—	2.0	4	5	5	3	1	0
1956-04-20	CIN	CHC	—	2.0	6	4	4	0	0	1
1953-06-09	BOS	SLA	—	0.0	3	2	2	2	0	1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Kennedy — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	172	0	17	72	8	4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Kennedy — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1948	CLE	P	6	0	2	0	0
1948	SLA	P	26	3	19	0	0
1949	SLA	P	48	4	23	3	0
1950	SLA	P	1	0	0	1	0
1951	SLA	P	19	3	14	1	2
1952	CHA	P	47	5	8	1	1
1953	BOS	P	16	2	3	2	0
1956	CIN	P	1	0	0	0	0
1957	CIN	P	8	0	3	0	1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Kennedy (b. 1921) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	172

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

Bill Kennedy: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 26, 1948 and the final game on September 29, 1957, Bill Kennedy built the record summarized on this page. By club, Kennedy's seasons break down as the Cleveland Indians (1948), the St. Louis Browns (1948 through 1951), the Chicago White Sox (1952), the Boston Red Sox (1953), and the Cincinnati Redlegs (1956 to 1957). Kennedy played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. Born on March 14, 1921, in Carnesville, GA, USA, Kennedy was listed at 6'2" and 195 pounds. Kennedy's death is recorded on April 9, 1983, in Seattle, WA, USA. Kennedy's full given name, per the bio, is William Aulton Kennedy.

Kennedy's career pitching line is 15 wins, 28 losses and a 4.73 ERA over 172 appearances. Also on Kennedy's record: 256 strikeouts and 11 saves. The league ERA over Kennedy's seasons was 4.03, so the 4.73 figure ran 17.2% worse than average. 1948 brought Kennedy a season-high 7 wins. In 1949, one of the busiest seasons, Kennedy posted a 4.69 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.12.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Kennedy

What years did Bill Kennedy play?: Bill Kennedy played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1957.
Was Bill Kennedy a pitcher?: Yes. Bill Kennedy pitched in the major leagues, recording 15 wins and 256 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bill Kennedy hit?: Bill Kennedy hit 0 career home runs with 25 hits.
What teams did Bill Kennedy play for?: Bill Kennedy played for 5 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1948), the St. Louis Browns (1948–1951), the Chicago White Sox (1952), the Boston Red Sox (1953), and the Cincinnati Redlegs (1956–1957).
What were Bill Kennedy's career stats?: In 172 games, Bill Kennedy went 15-28 with a 4.73 ERA, 256 strikeouts, 464.2 innings pitched, and 11 saves.
What position did Bill Kennedy play?: Bill Kennedy played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Kennedy and how much did he weigh?: Bill Kennedy was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 195 pounds.
What was Bill Kennedy's career ERA?: Bill Kennedy finished with a 4.73 career ERA, going 15-28 with 256 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bill Kennedy have?: Bill Kennedy recorded 256 career strikeouts.
Is Bill Kennedy in the Hall of Fame?: No. Bill Kennedy has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.