Billy Serad

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1884-1888)

Billy Serad was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1888 for the Buffalo Bisons and the Cincinnati Red Stockings, a span of 5 seasons. Across 95 career appearances, he went 35-55 with a 4.13 ERA and 278 strikeouts. He also batted .166 with 0 home runs.

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 35–55
ERA 4.13
WHIP 1.56
SO 278
Pitcher PIV -15658.8
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'7" / 156 lb
Born
1862 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
Died
11/1/1925 in Chester, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1884-05-05
Last Game
1888-07-07

Full name: William I. Serad

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Career Pitching Statistics

Billy Serad — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
35 55 95 92 86 4 1 787.1 935 361 34 290 278 4.13 -15658.8

Career ERA 4.13 vs. league average 3.30 across their career seasons — 25.1% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Billy Serad — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1884 BFN NL 16 20 37 37 34 2 0 308.0 373 146 111 150 4.27 3.11 (-37%) -8924.5
1885 BFN NL 7 21 30 29 27 0 0 241.1 299 110 80 90 4.10 3.03 (-35%) -2212.7
1887 CN2 AA 10 11 22 21 20 2 1 187.1 201 85 80 34 4.08 4.17 (+2%) -2980.1
1888 CN2 AA 2 3 6 5 5 0 0 50.2 62 20 19 4 3.55 2.95 (-21%) -1541.5
Career · 4 seasons 35 55 95 92 86 4 1 787.1 935 361 290 278 4.13 — -15,659

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

Billy Serad — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
95 343 33 57 7 3 0 21 0 8 65 .166 .185 .204 .389 -1,722

Career AVG .166 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 33.2% below league average.

Career OBP .185 vs. league average .296 across their career seasons — 37.4% below league average.

Career SLG .204 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 39.2% below league average.

Career OPS .389 vs. league average .632 across their career seasons — 38.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Billy Serad — 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
1884 BFN NL 37 137 12 24 2 1 0 9 0 3 33 .175 .243 (-28%) .278 (-31%) .327 (-38%) .606 (-34%) -629.7
1885 BFN NL 30 104 8 16 3 0 0 3 0 1 19 .154 .244 (-37%) .287 (-44%) .325 (-44%) .613 (-44%) -624.9
1887 CN2 AA 22 79 9 14 1 2 0 5 0 3 10 .177 .270 (-35%) .331 (-37%) .373 (-36%) .705 (-37%) -467.2
1888 CN2 AA 6 23 4 3 1 0 0 4 0 1 3 .130 — — — — 0.0
Career · 4 seasons 95 343 33 57 7 3 0 21 0 8 65 .166 — — — — -1,722

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.

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Billy Serad — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 4 0 0 0 0 0
P 95 0 22 142 32 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Billy Serad — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1884 BFN OF 3 0 0 0 0 0
1884 BFN P 37 0 4 57 14 1
1885 BFN P 30 0 9 38 9 2
1887 CN2 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1887 CN2 P 22 0 7 37 6 1
1888 CN2 P 6 0 2 10 3 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Billy Serad — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 95
Left Field 3
Center Field 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Billy Serad (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bill Hill
    36-69, 4.16 ERA
  2. 97
    Tom Sheehan
    17-39, 4.00 ERA
  3. 97
    George Pechiney
    23-34, 4.23 ERA
  4. 96
    Art Herring
    34-38, 4.32 ERA
  5. 95
    Zeke Wilson
    52-44, 4.03 ERA
  6. 95
    John Kirby
    18-50, 4.09 ERA

Billy Serad: the record in brief

Billy Serad's major league career runs from a debut on May 5, 1884 to a final game on July 7, 1888. The season rows list, in order, the Buffalo Bisons (1884 through 1885) and the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1887 to 1888). Serad, a pitcher by primary position, batted and threw right-handed. Serad is listed at 5-foot-7 and 156 pounds. Serad was born in 1862, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Serad died on November 1, 1925, in Chester, PA, USA. The given name on file is William I. Serad.

Serad went 35-55 with a 4.13 ERA in 95 games, 92 of them starts. Also on Serad's record: 278 strikeouts and 86 complete games. Against a 3.30 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.13 mark was 25.1% worse. The best win total was 16, in 1884. 1887 was Serad's sharpest full season, a 4.08 ERA against the league's 4.17.

Frequently Asked Questions about Billy Serad

What years did Billy Serad play?
Billy Serad played in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1888.
Was Billy Serad a pitcher?
Yes. Billy Serad pitched in the major leagues, recording 35 wins and 278 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Billy Serad hit?
Billy Serad hit 0 career home runs with 57 hits.
What teams did Billy Serad play for?
Billy Serad played for 2 teams: the Buffalo Bisons (1884–1885) and the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1887–1888).
What were Billy Serad's career stats?
In 95 games, Billy Serad went 35-55 with a 4.13 ERA, 278 strikeouts, 787.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 57 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Billy Serad play?
Billy Serad played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Billy Serad and how much did he weigh?
Billy Serad was listed at 5 feet 7 inches and 156 pounds.
What was Billy Serad's career ERA?
Billy Serad finished with a 4.13 career ERA, going 35-55 with 278 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Billy Serad have?
Billy Serad recorded 278 career strikeouts.
Is Billy Serad in the Hall of Fame?
No. Billy Serad has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.