What years did Frank Killen play?

Frank Killen played in Major League Baseball from 1891 to 1900.

Was Frank Killen a pitcher?

Yes. Frank Killen pitched in the major leagues, recording 164 wins and 725 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Frank Killen hit?

Frank Killen hit 11 career home runs with 241 hits.

What was Frank Killen's career batting average?

Frank Killen batted .241 over his career, with 241 hits in 998 at bats.

How many RBI did Frank Killen have?

Frank Killen drove in 127 runs in his career.

What was Frank Killen's career ERA?

Frank Killen finished with a 3.78 career ERA, going 164-131 with 725 strikeouts.

Frank Killen

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1891-1900)

Frank Killen was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1891 to 1900 for 5 teams, including the Milwaukee Brewers, a span of 10 seasons. Across 321 career appearances, he went 164-131 with a 3.78 ERA and 725 strikeouts. He also batted .241 with 11 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 19405.0.

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 12, 2026

W–L 164–131

ERA 3.78

WHIP 1.41

SO 725

Pitcher PIV 19405.0

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: L / L
Height / Weight: 6'1" / 200 lb
Born: 11/30/1870 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Died: 12/3/1939 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA
MLB Debut: 1891-08-27
Last Game: 1900-06-27

Full name: Frank Bissell Killen

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Career Pitching Statistics

Frank Killen — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
164	131	321	300	253	13	0	2511.1	2,730	1,054	55	822	725	3.78	19405.0

Career ERA 3.78 vs. league average 4.10 across their career seasons — 7.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Frank Killen Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1891	ML3	AA	7	4	11	11	11	2	96.2	73	18	51	38	1.68	3.52 (+52%)	-64.0
1892	WAS	NL	29	26	60	52	46	2	459.2	448	169	182	147	3.31	3.28 (-1%)	-2913.3
1893	PIT	NL	36	14	55	48	38	2	415.0	401	168	140	99	3.64	4.66 (+22%)	4531.0
1894	PIT	NL	14	11	28	28	20	1	204.0	261	102	86	62	4.50	5.33 (+16%)	3154.5
1895	PIT	NL	5	5	13	11	6	0	95.0	113	58	57	25	5.49	4.77 (-15%)	-920.9
1896	PIT	NL	30	18	52	50	44	5	432.1	476	164	119	134	3.41	4.36 (+22%)	6583.5
1897	PIT	NL	17	23	42	41	38	1	337.1	417	167	76	99	4.46	4.30 (-4%)	6131.8
1898	PIT	NL	10	11	23	23	17	0	177.2	201	74	41	48	3.75	3.59 (-4%)	1281.1
1898	WAS	NL	6	9	17	16	15	0	128.1	149	51	29	43	3.58	3.59 (avg)	1237.2
1899	WAS	NL	0	2	2	2	1	0	12.0	18	8	4	3	6.00	3.85 (-56%)	48.4
1899	BSN	NL	7	5	12	12	11	0	99.1	108	47	26	23	4.26	3.85 (-11%)	267.8
1900	CHN	NL	3	3	6	6	6	0	54.0	65	28	11	4	4.67	3.68 (-27%)	67.7
Career · 12 seasons			164	131	321	300	253	13	2,511.1	2,730	1,054	822	725	3.78	—	19,405

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

Frank Killen — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
335	998	151	241	28	17	11	127	9	131	216	.241	.335	.337	.672	-460

Career AVG .241 vs. league average .278 across their career seasons — 13.3% below league average.

Career OBP .335 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .337 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 9.6% below league average.

Career OPS .672 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — 6.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Frank Killen Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1891	ML3	AA	11	35	8	8	3	0	0	5	0	8	7	.229	—	—	—	—	0.0
1892	WAS	NL	65	186	27	37	4	4	4	23	2	26	61	.199	.244 (-19%)	.316 (-2%)	.327 (avg)	.644 (-1%)	6.6
1893	PIT	NL	55	171	35	47	6	6	4	30	1	22	28	.275	.279 (-2%)	.356 (avg)	.379 (+19%)	.735 (+10%)	261.0
1894	PIT	NL	28	80	13	21	3	1	0	13	0	6	23	.263	.309 (-15%)	.379 (-15%)	.435 (-25%)	.814 (-21%)	-292.9
1895	PIT	NL	14	38	7	13	0	1	0	5	2	6	7	.342	—	—	—	—	0.0
1896	PIT	NL	55	173	29	40	4	5	2	25	1	26	31	.231	.290 (-20%)	.354 (-4%)	.387 (-10%)	.741 (-8%)	-193.9
1897	PIT	NL	42	129	16	32	4	0	1	7	2	17	29	.248	.291 (-15%)	.354 (-4%)	.387 (-22%)	.741 (-13%)	-238.9
1898	PIT	NL	24	65	6	17	1	0	0	4	0	6	10	.262	.270 (-3%)	.333 (-3%)	.347 (-20%)	.680 (-12%)	-101.9
1898	WAS	NL	21	55	7	15	2	0	0	7	1	12	7	.273	.270 (+1%)	.333 (+21%)	.347 (-11%)	.680 (+5%)	-101.9
1899	WAS	NL	2	5	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
1899	BSN	NL	12	41	3	7	1	0	0	5	0	1	9	.171	—	—	—	—	0.0
1900	CHN	NL	6	20	0	3	0	0	0	2	0	1	3	.150	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 12 seasons			335	998	151	241	28	17	11	127	9	131	216	.241	—	—	—	—	-662

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 (125 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Frank Killen — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	31	84	9	21	0	8	.250
Away	34	102	6	22	0	13	.216

Pitching — Home / Away

Frank Killen — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	30	234.0	267	106	55	70	4.08
Away	30	237.1	274	117	56	51	4.44

Last 10 Games — Batting

Frank Killen — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	H	RBI	BB	SO
1900-06-27	CHC	PIT	L	3	1	0	0	0
1900-06-20	CHC	PIT	L	4	1	0	0	1
1900-06-16	CHC	PIT	W	4	1	1	0	1
1900-06-05	CHC	BRO	L	3	0	1	0	1
1900-05-20	CHC	PIT	W	3	0	0	0	0
1900-05-08	CHC	PIT	W	3	0	0	1	0
1899-07-18	BSN	STL	L	3	0	0	0	0
1899-07-12	BSN	CHC	W	2	0	0	0	0
1899-07-05	BSN	BLN	W	4	0	0	0	2
1899-07-03	BSN	WSN	L	0	0	0	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Frank Killen — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1900-06-27	CHC	PIT	L	8.0	15	9	9	3	0	0
1900-06-20	CHC	PIT	L	9.0	12	8	7	3	1	1
1900-06-16	CHC	PIT	W	9.0	12	5	4	1	0	0
1900-06-05	CHC	BRO	L	9.0	9	5	5	1	0	0
1900-05-20	CHC	PIT	W	9.0	10	3	3	1	1	0
1900-05-08	CHC	PIT	W	10.0	7	1	1	2	2	0
1899-07-18	BSN	STL	L	9.0	11	9	5	2	3	1
1899-07-12	BSN	CHC	W	9.0	5	1	1	3	1	0
1899-07-05	BSN	BLN	W	9.0	8	4	2	3	4	0
1899-07-03	BSN	WSN	L	2.1	10	9	8	1	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Frank Killen — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	6	0	4	0	0	0
P	321	0	96	612	82	14

Season-by-Season Fielding

Frank Killen — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1891	ML3	P	11	3	22	3	1
1892	WAS	OF	2	1	0	0	0
1892	WAS	P	60	20	121	22	2
1893	PIT	P	55	16	103	14	2
1894	PIT	P	28	6	44	5	2
1895	PIT	P	13	1	26	0	1
1896	PIT	P	52	15	115	10	1
1897	PIT	P	42	17	73	13	2
1898	PIT	P	23	10	41	5	1
1898	WAS	OF	4	3	0	0	0
1898	WAS	P	17	2	28	3	2
1899	WAS	P	2	0	0	1	0
1899	BSN	P	12	6	24	4	0
1900	CHN	P	6	0	15	2	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Frank Killen Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	321
Left Field	3
Right Field	3

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Frank Killen (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Frank Killen: the record in brief

According to the bio, Frank Killen debuted on August 27, 1891 and played a final game on June 27, 1900. Club by club, the record runs the Milwaukee Brewers (1891), the Washington Senators (1892 to 1899), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1893 through 1898), the Boston Beaneaters (1899), and the Chicago Orphans (1900). Killen, born on November 30, 1870, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. Killen's listed size is 6'1" and 200 pounds. Killen died on December 3, 1939, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Frank Killen was the playing name; the full given name is Frank Bissell.

Killen's career pitching line is 164 wins, 131 losses and a 3.78 ERA over 321 appearances. The totals include 725 strikeouts, 253 complete games, and 13 shutouts. Against a 4.10 league ERA for the same years, Killen was 7.8% better. 1893 brought Killen a season-high 36 wins. Killen struck out 147 batters in 1892, a career high.

Frequently Asked Questions about Frank Killen

What years did Frank Killen play?: Frank Killen played in Major League Baseball from 1891 to 1900.
Was Frank Killen a pitcher?: Yes. Frank Killen pitched in the major leagues, recording 164 wins and 725 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Frank Killen hit?: Frank Killen hit 11 career home runs with 241 hits.
What was Frank Killen's career batting average?: Frank Killen batted .241 over his career, with 241 hits in 998 at bats.
How many RBI did Frank Killen have?: Frank Killen drove in 127 runs in his career.
What was Frank Killen's career ERA?: Frank Killen finished with a 3.78 career ERA, going 164-131 with 725 strikeouts.