Matt Kilroy
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1886-1898)
Matt Kilroy was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1886 to 1898 for 6 teams, including the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 13 seasons. Across 303 career appearances, he went 141-133 with a 3.47 ERA and 1,170 strikeouts. He also batted .222 with 1 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 21202.4.
- 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
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 175 lb
- Died
- 3/2/1940 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1886-04-17
- Last Game
- 1898-08-17
Full name: Matthew Aloysius Kilroy
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | BL2 | AA | 29 | 34 | 68 | 68 | 66 | 5 | 0 | 583.0 | 476 | 218 | 182 | 513 | 3.37 | 3.37 (avg) | 12805.0 |
| 1887 | BL2 | AA | 46 | 19 | 69 | 69 | 66 | 6 | 0 | 589.1 | 585 | 201 | 157 | 217 | 3.07 | 4.17 (+26%) | 8947.7 |
| 1888 | BL2 | AA | 17 | 21 | 40 | 40 | 35 | 2 | 0 | 321.0 | 347 | 144 | 79 | 135 | 4.04 | 2.95 (-37%) | 409.2 |
| 1889 | BL2 | AA | 29 | 25 | 59 | 56 | 55 | 5 | 0 | 480.2 | 476 | 152 | 142 | 217 | 2.85 | 3.93 (+28%) | 7482.3 |
| 1890 | BSP | PL | 9 | 15 | 30 | 27 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 217.2 | 268 | 103 | 87 | 48 | 4.26 | 3.88 (-10%) | -4536.3 |
| 1891 | CN3 | AA | 1 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 45.1 | 51 | 15 | 19 | 6 | 2.98 | 3.52 (+15%) | -919.3 |
| 1892 | WAS | NL | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 26.1 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 1 | 2.39 | 3.28 (+27%) | -665.8 |
| 1893 | LS3 | NL | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 35.0 | 57 | 35 | 23 | 4 | 9.00 | 4.66 (-93%) | -1235.4 |
| 1894 | LS3 | NL | 0 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 37.0 | 46 | 16 | 20 | 11 | 3.89 | 5.33 (+27%) | -351.9 |
| 1898 | CHN | NL | 6 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 100.1 | 119 | 48 | 30 | 18 | 4.31 | 3.59 (-20%) | -733.2 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 141 | 133 | 303 | 292 | 264 | 19 | 1 | 2,435.2 | 2,445 | 939 | 754 | 1,170 | 3.47 | — | 21,202 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 330 | 1,062 | 163 | 236 | 24 | 17 | 1 | 103 | 67 | 118 | 88 | .222 | .304 | .280 | .584 | -1,705 |
Career AVG .222 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 15.3% below league average.
Career OBP .304 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 7.9% below league average.
Career SLG .280 vs. league average .355 across their career seasons — 21.1% below league average.
Career OPS .584 vs. league average .685 across their career seasons — 14.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | BL2 | AA | 68 | 218 | 33 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 20 | 21 | 0 | .174 | .246 (-29%) | .302 (-16%) | .331 (-41%) | .634 (-29%) | -826.1 |
| 1887 | BL2 | AA | 72 | 239 | 46 | 59 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 25 | 12 | 31 | 19 | .247 | .270 (-9%) | .331 (+1%) | .373 (-15%) | .705 (-7%) | -210.6 |
| 1888 | BL2 | AA | 43 | 145 | 13 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 10 | 11 | 16 | .179 | .238 (-25%) | .290 (-17%) | .319 (-25%) | .610 (-21%) | -407.0 |
| 1889 | BL2 | AA | 65 | 208 | 32 | 57 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 26 | 13 | 23 | 26 | .274 | .263 (+4%) | .334 (+5%) | .357 (+1%) | .691 (+3%) | 129.6 |
| 1890 | BSP | PL | 31 | 93 | 11 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 9 | .215 | .260 (-17%) | .336 (-10%) | .351 (-30%) | .687 (-20%) | -263.1 |
| 1891 | CN3 | AA | 8 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | .150 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1892 | WAS | NL | 4 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1893 | LS3 | NL | 5 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .438 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1894 | LS3 | NL | 8 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | .118 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1898 | CHN | NL | 26 | 96 | 20 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 7 | .229 | .270 (-15%) | .333 (-4%) | .347 (-16%) | .680 (-10%) | -127.7 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 330 | 1,062 | 163 | 236 | 24 | 17 | 1 | 103 | 67 | 118 | 88 | .222 | — | — | — | — | -1,705 | ||
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 (39 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 11 | 42 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 4 | .262 |
| Away | 15 | 53 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 6 | .208 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 7 | 59.2 | 70 | 28 | 24 | 8 | 4.22 |
| Away | 6 | 40.2 | 49 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 4.43 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898-08-17 | CHC | BSN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-08-08 | CHC | PHI | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-07-31 | CHC | WSN | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898-07-22 | CHC | PHI | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-07-21 | CHC | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-07-18 | CHC | BLN | L | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1898-07-12 | CHC | WSN | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1898-06-26 | CHC | BRO | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-06-14 | CHC | STL | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898-06-09 | CHC | NY1 | W | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898-08-17 | CHC | BSN | L | 7.0 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1898-08-08 | CHC | PHI | L | 9.0 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898-07-31 | CHC | WSN | W | 9.0 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-07-22 | CHC | PHI | L | 8.0 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898-07-18 | CHC | BLN | L | 5.2 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898-07-12 | CHC | WSN | W | 9.0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-06-26 | CHC | BRO | W | 9.0 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898-06-14 | CHC | STL | W | 9.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898-06-09 | CHC | NY1 | W | 3.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1898-05-31 | CHC | BSN | L | 8.0 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| OF | 36 | 0 | 27 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| P | 303 | 0 | 156 | 599 | 91 | 12 |
| SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | BL2 | OF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1886 | BL2 | P | 68 | 0 | 32 | 116 | 28 | 1 |
| 1887 | BL2 | OF | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1887 | BL2 | P | 69 | 0 | 37 | 157 | 20 | 2 |
| 1887 | BL2 | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1888 | BL2 | OF | 7 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1888 | BL2 | P | 40 | 0 | 17 | 60 | 6 | 2 |
| 1889 | BL2 | OF | 8 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1889 | BL2 | P | 59 | 0 | 25 | 129 | 17 | 4 |
| 1890 | BSP | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1890 | BSP | OF | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1890 | BSP | P | 30 | 0 | 25 | 55 | 8 | 2 |
| 1890 | BSP | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1891 | CN3 | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1891 | CN3 | P | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| 1892 | WAS | P | 4 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| 1893 | LS3 | P | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 1894 | LS3 | P | 8 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 0 |
| 1898 | CHN | OF | 12 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1898 | CHN | P | 13 | 0 | 7 | 29 | 3 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 303 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Shortstop | 2 |
| Left Field | 12 |
| Center Field | 4 |
| Right Field | 20 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Matt Kilroy (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Matt Kilroy: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 17, 1886 and the final game on August 17, 1898, Matt Kilroy built the record summarized on this page. Kilroy played for the Baltimore Orioles (1886 to 1889), the Boston Reds (1890), the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers (1891), the Washington Senators (1892), the Louisville Colonels (1893 to 1894), and the Chicago Orphans (1898). Kilroy played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit left-handed. Born on June 21, 1866, in Philadelphia, PA, USA, Kilroy was listed at 175 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. Kilroy died on March 2, 1940, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The given name on file is Matthew Aloysius Kilroy.
Kilroy went 141-133 with a 3.47 ERA in 303 games, 292 of them starts. Also on Kilroy's record: 1,170 strikeouts, 264 complete games, and 19 shutouts. That 3.47 ERA compares with a 3.82 league average across the same seasons, 9.1% better. No season topped the 46 wins of 1887. The strikeout high was 513 in 1886.
Frequently Asked Questions about Matt Kilroy
- What years did Matt Kilroy play?
- Matt Kilroy played in Major League Baseball from 1886 to 1898.
- Was Matt Kilroy a pitcher?
- Yes. Matt Kilroy pitched in the major leagues, recording 141 wins and 1170 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Matt Kilroy hit?
- Matt Kilroy hit 1 career home run with 236 hits.
- What teams did Matt Kilroy play for?
- Matt Kilroy played for 6 teams: the Baltimore Orioles (1886–1889), the Boston Reds (1890), the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers (1891), the Washington Senators (1892), the Louisville Colonels (1893–1894), and the Chicago Orphans (1898).
- What were Matt Kilroy's career stats?
- In 303 games, Matt Kilroy went 141-133 with a 3.47 ERA, 1,170 strikeouts, 2,435.2 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 236 hits and 1 home runs.
- What position did Matt Kilroy play?
- Matt Kilroy played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Matt Kilroy and how much did he weigh?
- Matt Kilroy was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 175 pounds.
- What was Matt Kilroy's career ERA?
- Matt Kilroy finished with a 3.47 career ERA, going 141-133 with 1,170 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Matt Kilroy have?
- Matt Kilroy recorded 1,170 career strikeouts.
- Is Matt Kilroy in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Matt Kilroy has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.