Bill Sayles

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1939-1943)

Bill Sayles was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1943 for the Boston Red Sox, the New York Giants, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 5 seasons. Across 28 career appearances, he went 1-3 with a 5.61 ERA and 52 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 313.2.

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

W–L 1–3
ERA 5.61
WHIP 1.69
SO 52
Pitcher PIV 313.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 175 lb
Born
7/27/1917 in Portland, OR, USA
Died
11/20/1996 in Lincoln City, OR, USA
MLB Debut
1939-07-17
Last Game
1943-08-28

Full name: William Nisbeth Sayles

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bill Sayles — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
1 3 28 3 1 0 0 78.2 87 49 2 46 52 5.61 313.2

Career ERA 5.61 vs. league average 3.88 across their career seasons — 44.4% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Sayles — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1939 BOS AL 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 14.0 14 11 13 9 7.07 4.28 (-65%) -424.6
1943 NY1 NL 1 3 18 3 1 0 0 53.0 60 28 23 38 4.75 3.50 (-36%) 989.4
1943 BRO NL 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 11.2 13 10 10 5 7.71 3.50 (-120%) -251.7
Career · 3 seasons 1 3 28 3 1 0 0 78.2 87 49 46 52 5.61 — 313

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 Sayles — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
30 22 2 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 .273 .273 .318 .591 0

Career AVG .273 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .273 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 18.2% below league average.

Career SLG .318 vs. league average .369 across their career seasons — 13.8% below league average.

Career OPS .591 vs. league average .703 across their career seasons — 15.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Sayles — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1939 BOS AL 5 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 .143 — — — — 0.0
1943 NY1 NL 19 13 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .308 — — — — 0.0
1943 BRO NL 6 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500 — — — — 0.0
Career · 3 seasons 30 22 2 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 .273 — — — — 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 (58 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Sayles — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1780100.125
Away13142500.357

Pitching — Home / Away

Bill Sayles — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1639.1372226275.03
Away1239.1502519275.72

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Sayles — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1943-08-28 BROPHIW 000000000
1943-08-21 BROCHCL 201000001
1943-08-18 BROCHCL 000000000
1943-08-18 BROCHCL 000000000
1943-08-14 BROCINL 000000000
1943-08-14 BROCINL 000000000
1943-07-27 NY1PITL 000000000
1943-07-21 NY1STLL 211100000
1943-07-17 NY1PHIW 000000000
1943-07-04 NY1CINL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bill Sayles — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1943-08-28 BROPHI — 1.1000210
1943-08-21 BROCHC — 5.1787610
1943-08-18 BROCHC — 1.0000010
1943-08-18 BROCHC — 2.0111120
1943-08-14 BROCIN — 2.0550100
1943-07-27 NY1PIT — 2.0311110
1943-07-21 NY1STL — 3.1544220
1943-07-17 NY1PHI — 1.0000130
1943-07-04 NY1CIN — 2.0200120
1943-06-30 NY1STL — 2.0111231

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Sayles — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 28 0 3 13 2 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Sayles — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1939 BOS P 5 0 0 3 0 0
1943 NY1 P 18 0 3 9 2 0
1943 BRO P 5 0 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Sayles — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 28

College History

Bill Sayles — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Oregon Eugene OR 1937

Bill Sayles: the record in brief

July 17, 1939 and August 28, 1943 bracket Bill Sayles's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Red Sox (1939), the New York Giants (1943), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1943). At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Sayles is listed as a pitcher. The bio says Sayles both batted and threw right-handed. Sayles was born on July 27, 1917, in Portland, OR, USA. The bio records the death on November 20, 1996, in Lincoln City, OR, USA. Sayles's full given name, per the bio, is William Nisbeth Sayles.

Sayles pitched in 28 games, starting 3, and finished with a 1-3 record and 5.61 ERA. The totals include 52 strikeouts. The league ERA over Sayles's seasons was 3.88, so the 5.61 figure ran 44.4% worse than average. In 1943, one of the busiest seasons, Sayles posted a 4.75 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.50. Sayles's career Pitcher PIV, which scores run prevention against each season's league, is 313.2.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Sayles

What years did Bill Sayles play?
Bill Sayles played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1943.
Was Bill Sayles a pitcher?
Yes. Bill Sayles pitched in the major leagues, recording 1 wins and 52 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bill Sayles hit?
Bill Sayles hit 0 career home runs with 6 hits.
What teams did Bill Sayles play for?
Bill Sayles played for 3 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1939), the New York Giants (1943), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1943).
What were Bill Sayles's career stats?
In 28 games, Bill Sayles went 1-3 with a 5.61 ERA, 52 strikeouts, and 78.2 innings pitched.
What position did Bill Sayles play?
Bill Sayles played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Sayles and how much did he weigh?
Bill Sayles was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 175 pounds.
What was Bill Sayles's career ERA?
Bill Sayles finished with a 5.61 career ERA, going 1-3 with 52 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bill Sayles have?
Bill Sayles recorded 52 career strikeouts.
Is Bill Sayles in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Sayles has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.