Gene Lillard
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1936-1940)
Gene Lillard was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1940 for the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 5 seasons. Across 22 career appearances, he went 3-6 with a 7.09 ERA and 33 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 178 lb
- Died
- 4/12/1991 in Goleta, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1936-05-08
- Last Game
- 1940-05-20
Full name: Robert Eugene Lillard
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | CHN | NL | 3 | 5 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 55.0 | 68 | 40 | 36 | 31 | 6.55 | 4.28 (-53%) | -353.6 |
| 1940 | SLN | NL | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 13.50 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 3 | 6 | 22 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 59.2 | 76 | 47 | 40 | 33 | 7.09 | — | -354 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 44 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 11 | .182 | .321 | .205 | .525 | 0 |
Career AVG .182 vs. league average .275 across their career seasons — 33.9% below league average.
Career OBP .321 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 6.3% below league average.
Career SLG .205 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — 48.2% below league average.
Career OPS .525 vs. league average .737 across their career seasons — 28.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | CHN | NL | 19 | 34 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .206 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | CHN | NL | 23 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | .100 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | SLN | NL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 44 | 44 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 11 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 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 (66 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 24 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | .133 |
| Away | 20 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .286 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 13 | 30.0 | 36 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 4.20 |
| Away | 9 | 29.2 | 40 | 33 | 21 | 13 | 10.01 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940-05-20 | STL | NY1 | — | 3.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1940-05-15 | STL | PHI | L | 1.2 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1939-09-17 | CHC | BRO | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-15 | CHC | PHI | — | 0.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-08 | CHC | STL | — | 2.0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-08-09 | CHC | CIN | — | 0.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1939-08-06 | CHC | BSN | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1939-07-09 | CHC | CIN | L | 0.1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-07-05 | CHC | PIT | — | 2.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-07-04 | CHC | STL | W | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 22 |
| Third Base | 3 |
| Shortstop | 4 |
Gene Lillard: the record in brief
Gene Lillard's major league career runs from a debut on May 8, 1936 to a final game on May 20, 1940. Lillard played for the Chicago Cubs (1936 through 1939) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1940). Lillard is listed as a pitcher at 5 feet, 10 inches and 178 pounds. The bio says Lillard threw and hit right-handed. The recorded birth is November 12, 1913, in Santa Barbara, CA, USA. Lillard's death is recorded on April 12, 1991, in Goleta, CA, USA. Lillard's full given name, per the bio, is Robert Eugene Lillard.
Lillard's career pitching line is 3 wins, 6 losses and a 7.09 ERA over 22 appearances. Lillard had 33 strikeouts. Against a 4.25 league ERA for the same seasons, the 7.09 mark was 66.9% worse. In 1939, one of the busiest seasons, Lillard posted a 6.55 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.28.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gene Lillard
- What years did Gene Lillard play?
- Gene Lillard played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1940.
- Was Gene Lillard a pitcher?
- Yes. Gene Lillard pitched in the major leagues, recording 3 wins and 33 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Gene Lillard hit?
- Gene Lillard hit 0 career home runs with 8 hits.
- What teams did Gene Lillard play for?
- Gene Lillard played for 2 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1936, 1939) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1940).
- What were Gene Lillard's career stats?
- In 22 games, Gene Lillard went 3-6 with a 7.09 ERA, 33 strikeouts, and 59.2 innings pitched.
- What position did Gene Lillard play?
- Gene Lillard played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Gene Lillard and how much did he weigh?
- Gene Lillard was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 178 pounds.
- What was Gene Lillard's career ERA?
- Gene Lillard finished with a 7.09 career ERA, going 3-6 with 33 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Gene Lillard have?
- Gene Lillard recorded 33 career strikeouts.
- Is Gene Lillard in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Gene Lillard has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.