What years did Bill Long play?

Bill Long played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1991.

Was Bill Long a pitcher?

Yes. Bill Long pitched in the major leagues, recording 27 wins and 247 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Bill Long hit?

Bill Long hit 0 career home runs.

What teams did Bill Long play for?

Bill Long played for 3 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1985, 1987–1990), the Chicago Cubs (1990), and the Montreal Expos (1991).

What were Bill Long's career stats?

In 159 games, Bill Long went 27-27 with a 4.37 ERA, 247 strikeouts, 518.2 innings pitched, and 9 saves.

What was Bill Long's salary?

Bill Long's last recorded salary was $394,500, in 1991. His highest recorded salary was $394,500, in 1991, and his lowest was $102,500, in 1988. The Salary History table lists each season from 1988 to 1991.

What position did Bill Long play?

Bill Long played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Bill Long and how much did he weigh?

Bill Long was listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds.

What was Bill Long's career ERA?

Bill Long finished with a 4.37 career ERA, going 27-27 with 247 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Bill Long have?

Bill Long recorded 247 career strikeouts.

Is Bill Long in the Hall of Fame?

No. Bill Long has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bill Long

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1985-1991)

Bill Long was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1991 for the Chicago White Sox, the Chicago Cubs, and the Montreal Expos, a span of 7 seasons. Across 159 career appearances, he went 27-27 with a 4.37 ERA and 247 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 October 23, 2026

W–L 27–27

ERA 4.37

WHIP 1.37

SO 247

Pitcher PIV -4065.8

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'0" / 185 lb
Born: 2/29/1960 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
MLB Debut: 1985-07-21
Last Game: 1991-04-14

Full name: William Douglas Long

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bill Long — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
27	27	159	52	8	2	9	518.2	568	252	63	140	247	4.37	-4065.8

Career ERA 4.37 vs. league average 3.90 across their career seasons — 12.1% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Long — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1985	CHA	AL	0	1	4	3	0	0	0	14.0	25	16	5	13	10.29	3.89 (-164%)	-601.8
1987	CHA	AL	8	8	29	23	5	2	1	169.0	179	82	28	72	4.37	4.29 (-2%)	812.2
1988	CHA	AL	8	11	47	18	3	0	2	174.0	187	78	43	77	4.03	3.73 (-8%)	-2303.8
1989	CHA	AL	5	5	30	8	0	0	1	98.2	101	43	37	51	3.92	3.71 (-6%)	-787.9
1990	CHA	AL	0	1	4	0	0	0	0	5.2	6	4	2	2	6.35	—	0.0
1990	CHN	NL	6	1	42	0	0	0	5	55.2	66	27	21	32	4.37	3.86 (-13%)	-1184.6
1991	MON	NL	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	1.2	4	2	4	0	10.80	—	0.0
Career · 7 seasons			27	27	159	52	8	2	9	518.2	568	252	140	247	4.37	—	-4,066

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

Bill Long — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
159	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	.000	.167	.000	.167	0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .167 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 48.5% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS .167 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — 76.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Long — Season-by-Season Batting
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1985	CHA	AL	4	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1987	CHA	AL	29	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1988	CHA	AL	47	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1989	CHA	AL	30	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1990	CHA	AL	4	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1990	CHN	NL	42	5	1	4	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1991	MON	NL	3	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 7 seasons			159	5	1	4	.000	—	—	—	—	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 (318 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Long — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	77	2	0	0	0	0	.000
Away	82	3	0	0	0	0	.000

Pitching — Home / Away

Bill Long — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	77	232.0	275	125	64	105	4.85
Away	82	286.2	293	127	76	142	3.99

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bill Long — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1991-04-14	WSN	NYN	—	0.0	0	0	0	3	0	0
1991-04-11	WSN	NYN	—	1.0	0	0	0	1	0	0
1991-04-09	WSN	PIT	—	0.2	4	2	2	0	0	0
1990-09-28	CHC	NYN	—	1.0	3	2	2	1	2	0
1990-09-25	CHC	PIT	—	0.0	0	1	1	1	0	0
1990-09-22	CHC	NYN	—	1.0	2	1	1	0	0	0
1990-09-20	CHC	PIT	—	1.0	3	2	2	1	1	1
1990-09-19	CHC	PIT	—	2.0	6	2	2	0	2	1
1990-09-14	CHC	STL	—	2.0	1	0	0	0	1	0
1990-09-10	CHC	WSN	L	2.0	4	3	3	3	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Long — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	159	52	38	79	4	2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Long — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1985	CHA	P	4	3	2	3	0	0
1987	CHA	P	29	23	14	25	3	2
1988	CHA	P	47	18	7	25	0	0
1989	CHA	P	30	8	9	15	0	0
1990	CHA	P	4	0	1	2	0	0
1990	CHN	P	42	0	5	9	1	0
1991	MON	P	3	0	0	0	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Long — Career Games by Position
Position	Games
Pitcher	159

Salary History

Bill Long's recorded salaries total $1,112,000 over 4 seasons, 1988 to 1991. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Long's career ran from 1985 to 1991. No salary is recorded for 1985 and 1987.

Bill Long — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
1991	MON	NL	$394,500
1990	CHA	AL	$257,500
1989	CHA	AL	$357,500
1988	CHA	AL	$102,500
Total recorded salary (partial)			$1,112,000

College History

Bill Long — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
Miami University of Ohio	Oxford	OH	1979, 1980, 1981

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bill Long (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Bill Long: the record in brief

According to the bio, Bill Long debuted on July 21, 1985 and played a final game on April 14, 1991. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago White Sox (1985 through 1990), the Chicago Cubs (1990), and the Montreal Expos (1991). Born on February 29, 1960, in Cincinnati, OH, USA, Long is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 6'0" and 185 pounds. The bio lists the given name William Douglas.

Across 159 games (52 starts), Long recorded 27 wins against 27 losses with a 4.37 ERA. Also on Long's record: 247 strikeouts. Against a 3.90 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.37 mark was 12.1% worse. 1987 brought Long a season-high 8 wins. The strikeout high was 77 in 1988. 1988 was Long's sharpest full season, a 4.03 ERA against the league's 3.73.

The position breakdown shows 159 games, all at pitcher. On the mound, the fielding record shows 4 errors alongside 38 putouts and 79 assists.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Long

What years did Bill Long play?: Bill Long played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1991.
Was Bill Long a pitcher?: Yes. Bill Long pitched in the major leagues, recording 27 wins and 247 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bill Long hit?: Bill Long hit 0 career home runs.
What teams did Bill Long play for?: Bill Long played for 3 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1985, 1987–1990), the Chicago Cubs (1990), and the Montreal Expos (1991).
What were Bill Long's career stats?: In 159 games, Bill Long went 27-27 with a 4.37 ERA, 247 strikeouts, 518.2 innings pitched, and 9 saves.
How much did Bill Long earn in his career?: Bill Long's recorded salaries total $1,112,000 over 4 seasons, 1988 to 1991. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Long's career ran from 1985 to 1991. No salary is recorded for 1985 and 1987.
What was Bill Long's salary?: Bill Long's last recorded salary was $394,500, in 1991. His highest recorded salary was $394,500, in 1991, and his lowest was $102,500, in 1988. The Salary History table lists each season from 1988 to 1991.
What position did Bill Long play?: Bill Long played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Long and how much did he weigh?: Bill Long was listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds.
What was Bill Long's career ERA?: Bill Long finished with a 4.37 career ERA, going 27-27 with 247 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bill Long have?: Bill Long recorded 247 career strikeouts.
Is Bill Long in the Hall of Fame?: No. Bill Long has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.