Larry McWilliams
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1978-1990)
Larry McWilliams was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1990 for 5 teams, including the Atlanta Braves, a span of 13 seasons. Across 370 career appearances, he went 78-90 with a 3.99 ERA and 940 strikeouts. He also batted .135 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 1832.3.
- 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
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'5" / 180 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1978-07-17
- Last Game
- 1990-05-12
Full name: Larry Dean McWilliams
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | ATL | NL | 9 | 3 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 99.1 | 84 | 31 | 35 | 42 | 2.81 | 3.69 (+24%) | -1513.1 |
| 1979 | ATL | NL | 3 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66.1 | 69 | 41 | 22 | 32 | 5.56 | 4.00 (-39%) | 462.1 |
| 1980 | ATL | NL | 9 | 14 | 30 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 163.2 | 188 | 90 | 39 | 77 | 4.95 | 3.84 (-29%) | -3917.3 |
| 1981 | ATL | NL | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 37.2 | 31 | 13 | 8 | 23 | 3.11 | 3.58 (+13%) | 832.3 |
| 1982 | ATL | NL | 2 | 3 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37.2 | 52 | 26 | 20 | 24 | 6.21 | 3.86 (-61%) | -345.5 |
| 1982 | PIT | NL | 6 | 5 | 19 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 121.2 | 106 | 42 | 24 | 94 | 3.11 | 3.86 (+20%) | 3241.0 |
| 1983 | PIT | NL | 15 | 8 | 35 | 35 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 238.0 | 205 | 86 | 87 | 199 | 3.25 | 3.87 (+16%) | 3852.9 |
| 1984 | PIT | NL | 12 | 11 | 34 | 32 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 227.1 | 226 | 74 | 78 | 149 | 2.93 | 3.81 (+23%) | 1597.9 |
| 1985 | PIT | NL | 7 | 9 | 30 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 126.1 | 139 | 66 | 62 | 52 | 4.70 | 3.89 (-21%) | -1681.1 |
| 1986 | PIT | NL | 3 | 11 | 49 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 122.1 | 129 | 70 | 49 | 80 | 5.15 | 3.97 (-30%) | -1725.5 |
| 1987 | ATL | NL | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.1 | 25 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 5.75 | 4.29 (-34%) | 48.3 |
| 1988 | SLN | NL | 6 | 9 | 42 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 136.0 | 130 | 59 | 45 | 70 | 3.90 | 3.73 (-5%) | -145.2 |
| 1989 | PHI | NL | 2 | 11 | 40 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 120.2 | 123 | 55 | 49 | 54 | 4.10 | 3.71 (-11%) | 623.3 |
| 1989 | KCA | AL | 2 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32.2 | 31 | 15 | 8 | 24 | 4.13 | 3.71 (-11%) | 502.1 |
| 1990 | KCA | AL | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9.72 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 78 | 90 | 370 | 224 | 34 | 13 | 3 | 1,558.1 | 1,548 | 690 | 542 | 940 | 3.99 | — | 1,832 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 380 | 446 | 26 | 60 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 12 | 193 | .135 | .161 | .157 | .317 | -1,908 |
Career AVG .135 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 48.1% below league average.
Career OBP .161 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 50.5% below league average.
Career SLG .157 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 59.5% below league average.
Career OPS .317 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — 55.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | ATL | NL | 15 | 32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | .062 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | ATL | NL | 13 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | .208 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1980 | ATL | NL | 30 | 51 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 24 | .157 | .264 (-41%) | .326 (-29%) | .387 (-60%) | .714 (-46%) | -351.9 |
| 1981 | ATL | NL | 6 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .100 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | ATL | NL | 27 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | PIT | NL | 20 | 32 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .188 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | PIT | NL | 35 | 79 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 32 | .114 | .260 (-56%) | .324 (-62%) | .389 (-67%) | .714 (-65%) | -803.7 |
| 1984 | PIT | NL | 36 | 74 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22 | .122 | .259 (-53%) | .322 (-62%) | .384 (-68%) | .707 (-66%) | -752.4 |
| 1985 | PIT | NL | 32 | 40 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 19 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | PIT | NL | 50 | 29 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | .138 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | ATL | NL | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | SLN | NL | 45 | 37 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .162 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | PHI | NL | 41 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | KCA | AL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1990 | KCA | AL | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 380 | 446 | 26 | 60 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 12 | 193 | .135 | — | — | — | — | -1,908 | ||
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 (750 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 185 | 208 | 15 | 25 | 0 | 8 | .120 |
| Away | 195 | 238 | 11 | 35 | 0 | 7 | .147 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 181 | 797.1 | 798 | 341 | 262 | 487 | 3.85 |
| Away | 189 | 761.0 | 750 | 349 | 280 | 453 | 4.13 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-05-12 | KCR | CHW | — | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-05-09 | KCR | TEX | — | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990-05-08 | KCR | TEX | — | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1990-05-05 | KCR | CHW | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-05-01 | KCR | MIL | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1990-04-29 | KCR | TEX | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1990-04-28 | KCR | TEX | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-04-23 | KCR | BAL | — | 0.1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-04-20 | KCR | TOR | — | 0.1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990-04-16 | KCR | CLE | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 370 | 224 | 85 | 275 | 13 | 22 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | ATL | P | 15 | 15 | 10 | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| 1979 | ATL | P | 13 | 13 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 2 |
| 1980 | ATL | P | 30 | 30 | 11 | 24 | 3 | 1 |
| 1981 | ATL | P | 6 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 2 |
| 1982 | ATL | P | 27 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 1982 | PIT | P | 19 | 18 | 6 | 26 | 0 | 1 |
| 1983 | PIT | P | 35 | 35 | 10 | 40 | 5 | 5 |
| 1984 | PIT | P | 34 | 32 | 15 | 32 | 0 | 4 |
| 1985 | PIT | P | 30 | 19 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | PIT | P | 49 | 15 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 2 |
| 1987 | ATL | P | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1988 | SLN | P | 42 | 17 | 5 | 24 | 2 | 0 |
| 1989 | PHI | P | 40 | 16 | 6 | 22 | 2 | 2 |
| 1989 | KCA | P | 8 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | KCA | P | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 370 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | TSN All-Star | LHP |
| 1980 | Player of the Week | Week of 1980-07-18 |
Salary History
Larry McWilliams's recorded salaries total $2,244,667 over 4 seasons, 1985 to 1990. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and McWilliams's career ran from 1978 to 1990. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1987 and 1988.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | KCA | AL | $300,000 |
| 1989 | PHI | NL | $68,000 |
| 1986 | PIT | NL | $1,080,000 |
| 1985 | PIT | NL | $796,667 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $2,244,667 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Junior College | Paris | TX | 1973, 1974 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Cy Young Award | NL | 5th | 7.0 | 120 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Larry McWilliams (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Larry McWilliams: the record in brief
According to the bio, Larry McWilliams debuted on July 17, 1978 and played a final game on May 12, 1990. McWilliams played for the Atlanta Braves (1978 through 1987), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1982 to 1986), the St. Louis Cardinals (1988), the Philadelphia Phillies (1989), and the Kansas City Royals (1989 to 1990). Born on February 10, 1954, in Wichita, KS, USA, McWilliams is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. Size on record: 6 feet, 5 inches and 180 pounds. McWilliams's full given name, per the bio, is Larry Dean McWilliams.
Across 370 games (224 starts), McWilliams recorded 78 wins against 90 losses with a 3.99 ERA. McWilliams had 940 strikeouts, 34 complete games, and 13 shutouts. McWilliams's 3.99 ERA was close to the 3.86 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 15 wins of 1983. 1984 was McWilliams's sharpest full season, a 2.93 ERA against the league's 3.81. McWilliams's career Pitcher PIV, which scores run prevention against each season's league, is 1,832.3.
Frequently Asked Questions about Larry McWilliams
- What years did Larry McWilliams play?
- Larry McWilliams played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1990.
- Was Larry McWilliams a pitcher?
- Yes. Larry McWilliams pitched in the major leagues, recording 78 wins and 940 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Larry McWilliams hit?
- Larry McWilliams hit 0 career home runs with 60 hits.
- What teams did Larry McWilliams play for?
- Larry McWilliams played for 5 teams: the Atlanta Braves (1978–1982, 1987), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1982–1986), the St. Louis Cardinals (1988), the Philadelphia Phillies (1989), and the Kansas City Royals (1989–1990).
- What were Larry McWilliams's career stats?
- In 370 games, Larry McWilliams went 78-90 with a 3.99 ERA, 940 strikeouts, 1,558.1 innings pitched, and 3 saves. At the plate he had 60 hits and 0 home runs.
- How much did Larry McWilliams earn in his career?
- Larry McWilliams's recorded salaries total $2,244,667 over 4 seasons, 1985 to 1990. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and McWilliams's career ran from 1978 to 1990. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1987 and 1988.
- What was Larry McWilliams's salary?
- Larry McWilliams's last recorded salary was $300,000, in 1990. His highest recorded salary was $1,080,000, in 1986, and his lowest was $68,000, in 1989. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1990.
- What position did Larry McWilliams play?
- Larry McWilliams played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Larry McWilliams and how much did he weigh?
- Larry McWilliams was listed at 6 feet 5 inches and 180 pounds.
- What was Larry McWilliams's career ERA?
- Larry McWilliams finished with a 3.99 career ERA, going 78-90 with 940 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Larry McWilliams have?
- Larry McWilliams recorded 940 career strikeouts.
- Is Larry McWilliams in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Larry McWilliams has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.