Bill Macdonald
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1950-1953)
Bill Macdonald was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1953 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 4 seasons. Across 36 career appearances, he went 8-11 with a 4.66 ERA and 64 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" / 170 lb
- Died
- 5/4/1991 in Shasta Lake, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1950-05-06
- Last Game
- 1953-05-24
Full name: William Paul Macdonald
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | PIT | NL | 8 | 10 | 32 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 153.0 | 138 | 73 | 88 | 60 | 4.29 | 4.36 (+1%) | -2411.8 |
| 1953 | PIT | NL | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 12.27 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 8 | 11 | 36 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 160.1 | 150 | 83 | 96 | 64 | 4.66 | — | -2,412 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 49 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 18 | .122 | .189 | .143 | .332 | -454 |
Career AVG .122 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 53.8% below league average.
Career OBP .189 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — 44.7% below league average.
Career SLG .143 vs. league average .400 across their career seasons — 64.2% below league average.
Career OPS .332 vs. league average .741 across their career seasons — 55.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | PIT | NL | 32 | 49 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 18 | .122 | — | — | — | — | -453.9 |
| 1953 | PIT | NL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 36 | 49 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 18 | .122 | — | — | — | — | -454 | ||
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 (72 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 20 | 27 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .111 |
| Away | 16 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .136 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 20 | 95.0 | 96 | 51 | 58 | 35 | 4.83 |
| Away | 16 | 65.1 | 54 | 32 | 38 | 26 | 4.41 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-05-24 | PIT | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-20 | PIT | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-17 | PIT | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-04-26 | PIT | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1950-09-24 | PIT | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1950-09-20 | PIT | BRO | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1950-09-14 | PIT | NY1 | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1950-09-10 | PIT | STL | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1950-09-04 | PIT | CHC | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1950-08-31 | PIT | NY1 | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-05-24 | PIT | NY1 | — | 2.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1953-05-20 | PIT | STL | — | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1953-05-17 | PIT | CHC | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-04-26 | PIT | PHI | L | 2.2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1950-09-24 | PIT | CIN | L | 5.0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1950-09-20 | PIT | BRO | L | 6.0 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| 1950-09-14 | PIT | NY1 | L | 7.0 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1950-09-10 | PIT | STL | W | 9.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 1950-09-04 | PIT | CHC | W | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1950-08-31 | PIT | NY1 | L | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 36 |
Bill Macdonald: the record in brief
Bill Macdonald's major league career runs from a debut on May 6, 1950 to a final game on May 24, 1953. Macdonald's only club in the season tables is the Pittsburgh Pirates. Born on March 28, 1929, in Alameda, CA, USA, Macdonald is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 170 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. Macdonald's death is recorded on May 4, 1991, in Shasta Lake, CA, USA. Bill Macdonald was the playing name; the full given name is William Paul.
The pitching table credits Macdonald with a 8-11 record and a 4.66 ERA in 36 games. Macdonald had 64 strikeouts. The league ERA over Macdonald's seasons was 4.25, so the 4.66 figure ran 9.7% worse than average. 1950 brought Macdonald a season-high 8 wins. In 1950, one of the busiest seasons, Macdonald posted a 4.29 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.36.
Every defensive appearance on record for Macdonald, 36 games, came at pitcher. Fielding on the mound produced 5 putouts and 16 assists against 1 errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Macdonald
- What years did Bill Macdonald play?
- Bill Macdonald played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1953.
- Was Bill Macdonald a pitcher?
- Yes. Bill Macdonald pitched in the major leagues, recording 8 wins and 64 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bill Macdonald hit?
- Bill Macdonald hit 0 career home runs with 6 hits.
- What was Bill Macdonald's career batting average?
- Bill Macdonald batted .122 over his career, with 6 hits in 49 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Macdonald have?
- Bill Macdonald drove in 1 runs in his career.
- What was Bill Macdonald's career ERA?
- Bill Macdonald finished with a 4.66 career ERA, going 8-11 with 64 strikeouts.