Bill Sowders

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1888-1890)

Bill Sowders was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1890 for the Boston Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 3 seasons. Across 71 career appearances, he went 29-30 with a 3.34 ERA and 205 strikeouts. He also batted .186 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 3049.0.

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 29–30
ERA 3.34
WHIP 1.33
SO 205
Pitcher PIV 3049.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 155 lb
Born
11/29/1864 in Louisville, KY, USA
Died
2/2/1951 in Indianapolis, IN, USA
MLB Debut
1888-04-24
Last Game
1890-06-19

Full name: William Jefferson Sowders

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Bill Sowders — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
29 30 71 61 55 2 3 517.2 542 192 8 149 205 3.34 3049.0

Career ERA 3.34 vs. league average 3.62 across their career seasons — 7.9% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Sowders — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1888 BSN NL 19 15 36 35 34 2 0 317.0 278 73 73 132 2.07 2.95 (+30%) 2520.9
1889 BSN NL 1 2 7 4 3 0 3 42.0 53 24 23 10 5.14 3.93 (-31%) -1376.7
1889 PIT NL 6 5 13 11 9 0 0 52.2 94 43 29 33 7.35 3.93 (-87%) 71.4
1890 PIT NL 3 8 15 11 9 0 0 106.0 117 52 24 30 4.42 3.88 (-14%) 1833.5
Career · 4 seasons 29 30 71 61 55 2 3 517.2 542 192 149 205 3.34 — 3,049

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 Sowders — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
75 237 23 44 3 0 0 15 2 9 43 .186 .215 .198 .414 -1,181

Career AVG .186 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 27.2% below league average.

Career OBP .215 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 33.3% below league average.

Career SLG .198 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 42.4% below league average.

Career OPS .414 vs. league average .667 across their career seasons — 38.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Sowders — 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
1888 BSN NL 36 122 14 18 2 0 0 6 1 3 24 .148 .238 (-38%) .290 (-42%) .319 (-49%) .610 (-46%) -760.0
1889 BSN NL 7 17 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .235 — — — — 0.0
1889 PIT NL 15 48 4 13 1 0 0 5 0 3 10 .271 — — — — 0.0
1890 PIT NL 17 50 3 9 0 0 0 4 1 2 7 .180 .260 (-31%) .336 (-37%) .351 (-49%) .687 (-43%) -331.9
Career · 4 seasons 75 237 23 44 3 0 0 15 2 9 43 .186 — — — — -1,092

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

Bill Sowders — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 4 0 7 0 0 0
P 71 0 41 108 14 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Sowders — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1888 BSN P 36 0 23 69 8 1
1889 BSN P 7 0 3 11 0 0
1889 PIT OF 2 0 2 0 0 0
1889 PIT P 13 0 8 19 3 0
1890 PIT OF 2 0 5 0 0 0
1890 PIT P 15 0 7 9 3 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Sowders — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 71
Center Field 2
Right Field 2

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bill Sowders (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Arlie Pond
    35-19, 3.45 ERA
  2. 84
    George Davies
    18-24, 3.32 ERA
  3. 81
    Paul Carter
    20-26, 3.32 ERA
  4. 80
    Bud Tinning
    22-15, 3.19 ERA
  5. 79
    Clarence Currie
    15-23, 3.39 ERA
  6. 78
    Pop Williams
    16-25, 3.17 ERA

Bill Sowders: the record in brief

Bill Sowders's major league career runs from a debut on April 24, 1888 to a final game on June 19, 1890. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Beaneaters (1888 through 1889) and the Pittsburg Alleghenys (1889 to 1890). Sowders, a pitcher by primary position, batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6-foot-0 and 155 pounds. The birth record reads November 29, 1864, in Louisville, KY, USA. The bio records the death on February 2, 1951, in Indianapolis, IN, USA. Bill Sowders was the playing name; the full given name is William Jefferson.

The pitching table credits Sowders with a 29-30 record and a 3.34 ERA in 71 games. The totals include 205 strikeouts and 55 complete games. That 3.34 ERA compares with a 3.62 league average across the same seasons, 7.9% better. Sowders won 19 games in 1888, the most of any season listed. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.07 in 1888, when the league's was 2.95.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Sowders

What years did Bill Sowders play?
Bill Sowders played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1890.
Was Bill Sowders a pitcher?
Yes. Bill Sowders pitched in the major leagues, recording 29 wins and 205 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bill Sowders hit?
Bill Sowders hit 0 career home runs with 44 hits.
What teams did Bill Sowders play for?
Bill Sowders played for 2 teams: the Boston Beaneaters (1888–1889) and the Pittsburg Alleghenys (1889–1890).
What were Bill Sowders's career stats?
In 71 games, Bill Sowders went 29-30 with a 3.34 ERA, 205 strikeouts, 517.2 innings pitched, and 3 saves. At the plate he had 44 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Bill Sowders play?
Bill Sowders played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Sowders and how much did he weigh?
Bill Sowders was listed at 6 feet and 155 pounds.
What was Bill Sowders's career ERA?
Bill Sowders finished with a 3.34 career ERA, going 29-30 with 205 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bill Sowders have?
Bill Sowders recorded 205 career strikeouts.
Is Bill Sowders in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Sowders has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.