Bill Kunkel
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1961-1963)
Bill Kunkel was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1963 for the Kansas City Athletics and the New York Yankees, a span of 3 seasons. Across 89 career appearances, he went 6-6 with a 4.29 ERA and 83 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 286.5.
- 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 / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 187 lb
- Died
- 5/4/1985 in Red Bank, NJ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1961-04-15
- Last Game
- 1963-09-21
Full name: William Gustave James Kunkel
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | KC1 | AL | 3 | 4 | 58 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 88.2 | 103 | 51 | 32 | 46 | 5.18 | 4.03 (-29%) | -455.6 |
| 1962 | KC1 | AL | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3.52 | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | NYA | AL | 3 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46.1 | 42 | 14 | 13 | 31 | 2.72 | 3.46 (+21%) | 742.1 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 6 | 6 | 89 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 142.2 | 153 | 68 | 49 | 83 | 4.29 | — | 287 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 89 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | .214 | .312 | .214 | .527 | 0 |
Career AVG .214 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 15.6% below league average.
Career OBP .312 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .214 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 44.7% below league average.
Career OPS .527 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — 25.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | KC1 | AL | 58 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1962 | KC1 | AL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | NYA | AL | 22 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 89 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | .214 | — | — | — | — | 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 (178 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 42 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .200 |
| Away | 47 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .222 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 42 | 66.1 | 73 | 31 | 23 | 39 | 4.21 |
| Away | 47 | 76.1 | 80 | 37 | 26 | 44 | 4.36 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-09-21 | NYY | KC1 | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1963-09-03 | NYY | DET | L | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963-08-22 | NYY | CLE | — | 1.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1963-08-16 | NYY | CHW | W | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963-08-06 | NYY | TEX | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963-07-28 | NYY | MIN | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-07-25 | NYY | LAA | — | 3.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1963-07-18 | NYY | MIN | — | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-07-15 | NYY | KC1 | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963-07-07 | NYY | CLE | — | 1.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 89 |
Bill Kunkel: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 15, 1961 and the final game on September 21, 1963, Bill Kunkel built the record summarized on this page. Kunkel played for the Kansas City Athletics (1961 to 1962) and the New York Yankees (1963). Kunkel played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on July 7, 1936, in Hoboken, NJ, USA, Kunkel was listed at 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds. Kunkel died on May 4, 1985, in Red Bank, NJ, USA. Kunkel's full given name, per the bio, is William Gustave James Kunkel.
Kunkel's career pitching line is 6 wins, 6 losses and a 4.29 ERA over 89 appearances. Kunkel had 83 strikeouts. The league ERA over Kunkel's seasons was 3.80, so the 4.29 figure ran 12.8% worse than average. In 1961, one of the busiest seasons, Kunkel posted a 5.18 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.03. Kunkel's career Pitcher PIV, which scores run prevention against each season's league, is 286.5.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Kunkel
- What years did Bill Kunkel play?
- Bill Kunkel played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1963.
- Was Bill Kunkel a pitcher?
- Yes. Bill Kunkel pitched in the major leagues, recording 6 wins and 83 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bill Kunkel hit?
- Bill Kunkel hit 0 career home runs with 3 hits.
- What teams did Bill Kunkel play for?
- Bill Kunkel played for 2 teams: the Kansas City Athletics (1961–1962) and the New York Yankees (1963).
- What were Bill Kunkel's career stats?
- In 89 games, Bill Kunkel went 6-6 with a 4.29 ERA, 83 strikeouts, 142.2 innings pitched, and 4 saves.
- What position did Bill Kunkel play?
- Bill Kunkel played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bill Kunkel and how much did he weigh?
- Bill Kunkel was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 187 pounds.
- What was Bill Kunkel's career ERA?
- Bill Kunkel finished with a 4.29 career ERA, going 6-6 with 83 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Bill Kunkel have?
- Bill Kunkel recorded 83 career strikeouts.
- Is Bill Kunkel in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Kunkel has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.