Bill Lee, baseball player, 1934-1947

Bill Lee

Born: 10/21/1909 in Plaquemine, LA, USA

Died: 6/15/1977 in Plaquemine, LA, USA

MLB Debut: 1934-04-29 | Final Game: 1947-06-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: William Crutcher Lee

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Biography

Bill Lee, born in 1909, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1934 until 1947. Known for his durability and competitive spirit, Lee compiled a career record of 169 wins and 157 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.54. Over his career, he struck out 998 batters and recorded 13 saves, showcasing his ability to both start games and come in for critical relief appearances. His contributions to the game were recognized with two All-Star selections, marking him as one of the top performers of his era. Lee's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, which saw the transition from the deadball era to a focus on power hitting and increased offensive production. His pitching style was characterized by a blend of control and guile, making him a difficult opponent for hitters of the time. Despite not being among the most celebrated stars of his era, Lee's consistent performance and competitive nature left a lasting impact on the teams he played for, and he remains a respected figure in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
169 157 462 378 182 29 13 2864.0 2953 1127 138 893 998 3.54 0

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
1934 CHC NL 13 14 35 29 16 4 1 214.3 218 81 74 104 3.40 -
1935 CHC NL 20 6 39 32 18 3 1 252.0 241 83 84 100 2.96 -
1936 CHC NL 18 11 43 33 20 4 1 258.7 238 95 93 102 3.31 -
1937 CHC NL 14 15 42 33 17 2 3 272.3 289 107 73 108 3.54 -
1938 CHC NL 22 9 44 37 19 9 2 291.0 281 86 74 121 2.66 -
1939 CHC NL 19 15 37 36 20 1 0 282.3 295 108 85 105 3.44 -
1940 CHC NL 9 17 37 30 9 1 0 211.3 246 118 70 70 5.03 -
1941 CHC NL 8 14 28 22 12 0 1 167.3 179 70 43 62 3.76 -
1942 CHC NL 13 13 32 30 18 1 0 219.7 221 94 67 75 3.85 -
1943 CHC NL 3 7 13 12 4 0 0 78.3 83 31 27 18 3.56 -
1943 PHI NL 1 5 13 7 2 0 3 60.7 70 31 21 17 4.60 -709.3
1944 PHI NL 10 11 31 28 11 3 1 208.3 199 73 57 50 3.15 193.6
1945 BSN NL 6 3 16 13 6 1 0 106.3 112 33 36 12 2.79 -1305.3
1945 PHI NL 3 6 13 13 2 0 0 77.3 107 40 30 13 4.66 424.5
1946 BSN NL 10 9 25 21 8 0 0 140.0 148 65 45 32 4.18 -381.2
1947 CHC NL 0 2 14 2 0 0 0 24.0 26 12 14 9 4.50 -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
467 980 59 165 15 2 5 71 1 42 177 0.168 0.204 0.203 0.407 -6306.6

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG PIV
1934 CHC NL 40 76 6 10 3 0 0 7 0 4 11 0.132 -717.0
1935 CHC NL 39 102 8 24 3 0 0 11 0 2 15 0.235 -543.9
1936 CHC NL 43 87 5 12 0 1 1 3 0 2 14 0.138 -824.7
1937 CHC NL 42 87 4 15 2 0 1 4 0 3 23 0.172 -657.4
1938 CHC NL 44 101 10 20 3 1 0 13 1 4 20 0.198 -652.9
1939 CHC NL 37 103 3 13 0 0 1 3 0 4 16 0.126 -1042.3
1940 CHC NL 37 76 4 10 2 0 0 3 0 2 20 0.132 -728.6
1941 CHC NL 28 59 8 11 0 0 2 5 0 1 9 0.186 -318.3
1942 CHC NL 32 69 2 11 2 0 0 7 0 7 13 0.159 -400.3
1943 CHC NL 13 26 3 7 0 0 0 1 0 2 4 0.269 0.0
1943 PHI NL 13 17 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.059 0.0
1944 PHI NL 31 72 5 14 0 0 0 4 0 4 12 0.194 -421.1
1945 BSN NL 16 31 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 4 5 0.129 0.0
1945 PHI NL 13 24 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 5 0.167 0.0
1946 BSN NL 25 47 0 8 0 0 0 7 0 2 5 0.170 0.0
1947 CHC NL 14 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1938 WS CHN 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1935 WS CHN 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 2 4 3 1 21.3 26 8 6 13 3.38

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1938 WS CHN 0 2 2 2 0 11.0 15 3 1 8 2.45
1935 WS CHN 0 0 2 1 1 10.3 11 5 5 5 4.35

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 462 0 163 662 58 37

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1934 CHN P 35 0 15 48 4 2
1935 CHN P 39 0 12 52 7 4
1936 CHN P 43 0 12 61 7 5
1937 CHN P 42 0 20 70 5 5
1938 CHN P 44 0 18 61 5 3
1939 CHN P 37 0 15 80 5 3
1940 CHN P 37 0 10 42 6 3
1941 CHN P 28 0 10 39 6 3
1942 CHN P 32 0 10 55 2 2
1943 CHN P 13 0 4 12 1 0
1943 PHI P 13 0 5 9 2 1
1944 PHI P 31 0 17 47 4 2
1945 BSN P 16 0 4 27 0 1
1945 PHI P 13 0 1 19 1 1
1946 BSN P 25 0 6 35 1 2
1947 CHN P 14 0 4 5 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 462

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1938 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1939 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 8.0 336 0
1938 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 166.0 336 5
1935 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 1.0 80 0