Billy Pierce
Born: 4/2/1927 in Detroit, MI, USA
Died: 7/31/2015 in Palos Heights, IL, USA
MLB Debut: 1945-06-01 | Final Game: 1964-10-03
Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 160 lbs
Full name: Walter William Pierce
Biography
Billy Pierce was a prominent American pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball from 1945 until his retirement in 1964. Born in 1927, Pierce's career was marked by his exceptional left-handed pitching, which garnered him a record of 211 wins and 169 losses, along with an impressive earned run average of 3.27. Over the course of his career, he recorded 1,999 strikeouts and notched 32 saves, showcasing his versatility and effectiveness on the mound. Pierce was selected as an All-Star seven times, highlighting his status as one of the leading pitchers of his era.
Pierce played primarily during the post-World War II era, a time of transition in baseball that saw the integration of the game and the rise of powerful hitters. His pitching style was characterized by a smooth delivery and a keen ability to control the game, making him a valuable asset to every team he played for, including the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. His contributions to the sport extended beyond statistics, as he was respected by teammates and opponents alike for his competitive spirit and sportsmanship. Billy Pierce’s legacy in baseball remains significant, as he is remembered not only for his impressive numbers but also for his role in shaping the game during a pivotal time in its history.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 211 | 169 | 585 | 432 | 193 | 38 | 32 | 3306.7 | 2989 | 1201 | 284 | 1178 | 1999 | 3.27 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 1.80 | -390.0 |
| 1948 | DET | AL | 3 | 0 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55.3 | 47 | 39 | 51 | 36 | 6.34 | -1723.3 |
| 1949 | CHW | AL | 7 | 15 | 32 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 171.7 | 145 | 74 | 112 | 95 | 3.88 | - |
| 1950 | CHW | AL | 12 | 16 | 33 | 29 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 219.3 | 189 | 97 | 137 | 118 | 3.98 | - |
| 1951 | CHW | AL | 15 | 14 | 37 | 28 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 240.3 | 237 | 81 | 73 | 113 | 3.03 | - |
| 1952 | CHW | AL | 15 | 12 | 33 | 32 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 255.3 | 214 | 73 | 79 | 144 | 2.57 | - |
| 1953 | CHW | AL | 18 | 12 | 40 | 33 | 19 | 7 | 3 | 271.3 | 216 | 82 | 102 | 186 | 2.72 | - |
| 1954 | CHW | AL | 9 | 10 | 36 | 26 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 188.7 | 179 | 73 | 86 | 148 | 3.48 | - |
| 1955 | CHW | AL | 15 | 10 | 33 | 26 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 205.7 | 162 | 45 | 64 | 157 | 1.97 | - |
| 1956 | CHW | AL | 20 | 9 | 35 | 33 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 276.3 | 261 | 102 | 100 | 192 | 3.32 | - |
| 1957 | CHW | AL | 20 | 12 | 37 | 34 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 257.0 | 228 | 93 | 71 | 171 | 3.26 | - |
| 1958 | CHW | AL | 17 | 11 | 35 | 32 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 245.0 | 204 | 73 | 66 | 144 | 2.68 | - |
| 1959 | CHW | AL | 14 | 15 | 34 | 33 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 224.0 | 217 | 90 | 62 | 114 | 3.62 | - |
| 1960 | CHW | AL | 14 | 7 | 32 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 196.3 | 201 | 79 | 46 | 108 | 3.62 | - |
| 1961 | CHW | AL | 10 | 9 | 39 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 180.0 | 190 | 76 | 54 | 106 | 3.80 | - |
| 1962 | SFG | NL | 16 | 6 | 30 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 162.3 | 147 | 63 | 35 | 76 | 3.49 | - |
| 1963 | SFG | NL | 3 | 11 | 38 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 99.0 | 106 | 47 | 20 | 52 | 4.27 | - |
| 1964 | SFG | NL | 3 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 49.0 | 40 | 12 | 10 | 29 | 2.20 | - |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 616 | 1102 | 94 | 203 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 69 | 1 | 65 | 232 | 0.184 | 0.232 | 0.203 | 0.435 | -7106.5 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | DET | AL | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1948 | DET | AL | 22 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.294 | 0.0 |
| 1949 | CHW | AL | 39 | 51 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 0.176 | -359.5 |
| 1950 | CHW | AL | 40 | 77 | 10 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 0.260 | -224.2 |
| 1951 | CHW | AL | 39 | 79 | 10 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 17 | 0.203 | -400.0 |
| 1952 | CHW | AL | 35 | 91 | 11 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 20 | 0.187 | -559.6 |
| 1953 | CHW | AL | 42 | 87 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0.126 | -894.5 |
| 1954 | CHW | AL | 38 | 57 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 0.193 | -389.9 |
| 1955 | CHW | AL | 34 | 70 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 0.171 | -529.9 |
| 1956 | CHW | AL | 39 | 102 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 0.157 | -916.3 |
| 1957 | CHW | AL | 41 | 99 | 7 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 0.172 | -808.6 |
| 1958 | CHW | AL | 35 | 83 | 10 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 0.205 | -439.1 |
| 1959 | CHW | AL | 34 | 68 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 0.191 | -296.9 |
| 1960 | CHW | AL | 32 | 67 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 0.179 | -411.6 |
| 1961 | CHW | AL | 39 | 56 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0.143 | -559.9 |
| 1962 | SFG | NL | 30 | 56 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0.214 | -316.5 |
| 1963 | SFG | NL | 38 | 31 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0.129 | 0.0 |
| 1964 | SFG | NL | 34 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.333 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | WS | SFN | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1959 | WS | CHA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 19.0 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 1.89 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | WS | SFN | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15.0 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2.40 |
| 1959 | WS | CHA | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0.00 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 585 | 280 | 123 | 487 | 28 | 32 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | DET | P | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948 | DET | P | 22 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949 | CHA | P | 32 | 0 | 12 | 33 | 4 | 2 |
| 1950 | CHA | P | 33 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 1 |
| 1951 | CHA | P | 37 | 0 | 11 | 38 | 2 | 4 |
| 1952 | CHA | P | 33 | 0 | 13 | 43 | 1 | 3 |
| 1953 | CHA | P | 40 | 0 | 10 | 33 | 4 | 1 |
| 1953 | CHA | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | CHA | P | 36 | 26 | 7 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
| 1955 | CHA | P | 33 | 26 | 7 | 25 | 0 | 1 |
| 1956 | CHA | P | 35 | 33 | 4 | 33 | 3 | 2 |
| 1957 | CHA | P | 37 | 34 | 8 | 45 | 2 | 2 |
| 1958 | CHA | P | 35 | 32 | 11 | 26 | 1 | 3 |
| 1959 | CHA | P | 34 | 33 | 11 | 40 | 2 | 4 |
| 1960 | CHA | P | 32 | 31 | 7 | 29 | 2 | 2 |
| 1961 | CHA | P | 39 | 28 | 7 | 31 | 3 | 1 |
| 1962 | SFN | P | 30 | 23 | 4 | 24 | 1 | 3 |
| 1963 | SFN | P | 38 | 13 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 2 |
| 1964 | SFN | P | 34 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 585 |
| First Base | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | TSN All-Star | P |
| 1957 | TSN Pitcher of the Year | |
| 1956 | TSN All-Star | P |
| 1956 | TSN Pitcher of the Year |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Cy Young Award | ML | 3rd | 1.0 | 20 | 1 |
| 1957 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 11th | 35.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1956 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 5th | 75.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1955 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 18th | 8.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1953 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 55.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1952 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 29th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |