Bill Stearns

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1871-1875)

Bill Stearns was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1875 for 5 teams, including the Washington Olympics, a span of 5 seasons. Across 84 career appearances, he went 13-64 with a 4.28 ERA and 24 strikeouts. He also batted .191 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 13–64
ERA 4.28
WHIP 1.73
SO 24
Pitcher PIV -3087.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
— / R
Born
3/20/1853 in Washington, DC, USA
Died
12/30/1898 in Washington, DC, USA
MLB Debut
1871-06-26
Last Game
1875-06-12

Full name: William Eckloof Stearns

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bill Stearns — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
13 64 84 79 73 0 0 699.2 1,167 333 13 46 24 4.28 -3087.5

Career ERA 4.28 vs. league average 2.91 across their career seasons — 47.4% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Stearns — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1871 WS3 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 18.0 10 5 8 0 2.50 4.22 (+41%) -312.0
1872 WS4 0 11 11 11 11 0 0 99.0 193 68 3 2 6.18 3.66 (-69%) -217.6
1873 WS5 7 25 32 32 32 0 0 283.0 481 145 16 5 4.61 3.40 (-36%) -1457.9
1874 HR1 3 14 22 18 14 0 0 158.2 237 52 15 14 2.95 2.19 (-35%) 72.3
1875 WS6 1 14 17 16 14 0 0 141.0 246 63 4 3 4.02 2.23 (-81%) -1172.3
Career · 5 seasons 13 64 84 79 73 0 0 699.2 1,167 333 46 24 4.28 — -3,087

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 Stearns — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
99 397 56 76 2 0 0 31 1 14 25 .191 .219 .196 .415 -1,512

Career AVG .191 vs. league average .274 across their career seasons — 30.2% below league average.

Career OBP .219 vs. league average .286 across their career seasons — 23.5% below league average.

Career SLG .196 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 42.1% below league average.

Career OPS .415 vs. league average .626 across their career seasons — 33.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Stearns — 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
1871 WS3 2 9 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1872 WS4 11 45 8 11 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 .244 — — — — 0.0
1873 WS5 32 133 22 24 0 0 0 8 1 4 9 .180 .290 (-38%) .304 (-33%) .357 (-49%) .661 (-42%) -775.0
1874 HR1 33 132 16 21 1 0 0 11 0 7 10 .159 .273 (-42%) .282 (-29%) .333 (-50%) .615 (-40%) -674.0
1875 WS6 21 78 9 20 0 0 0 7 0 1 4 .256 .253 (+1%) .260 (+2%) .309 (-17%) .570 (-8%) -63.0
Career · 5 seasons 99 397 56 76 2 0 0 31 1 14 25 .191 — — — — -1,512

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 Stearns — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 26 14 27 1 12 1
P 84 30 47 83 61 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Stearns — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1871 WS3 P 2 2 0 5 1 0
1872 WS4 P 11 10 3 12 7 0
1873 WS5 P 32 0 17 27 17 1
1874 HR1 OF 19 14 17 0 7 0
1874 HR1 P 22 18 14 20 20 1
1875 WS6 OF 7 0 10 1 5 1
1875 WS6 P 17 0 13 19 16 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Stearns — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 83
Left Field 2
Center Field 9
Right Field 15

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Asa Brainard
    24-53, 4.40 ERA
  2. 75
    Jim Britt
    26-64, 4.26 ERA
  3. 30
    Bill Hubbell
    40-63, 4.68 ERA
  4. 30
    Tim McNamara
    14-29, 4.78 ERA
  5. 30
    Rynie Wolters
    19-23, 3.90 ERA
  6. 30
    Luther McDonald
    36-26, 4.28 ERA

Bill Stearns: the record in brief

Bill Stearns played a first major league game on June 26, 1871 and a last one on June 12, 1875. Stearns played for the Washington Olympics (1871), the Washington Nationals (1872 to 1875), the Washington Blue Legs (1873), and the Hartford Dark Blues (1874). The bio lists Stearns's primary position as pitcher. The birth record reads March 20, 1853, in Washington, DC, USA. Stearns's death is recorded on December 30, 1898, in Washington, DC, USA. Stearns's full given name, per the bio, is William Eckloof Stearns.

The pitching table credits Stearns with a 13-64 record and a 4.28 ERA in 84 games. Stearns had 24 strikeouts and 73 complete games. The league ERA over Stearns's seasons was 2.91, so the 4.28 figure ran 47.4% worse than average. Stearns won 7 games in 1873, the most of any season listed. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 4.61 in 1873, when the league's was 3.40.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Stearns

What years did Bill Stearns play?
Bill Stearns played in Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1875.
Was Bill Stearns a pitcher?
Yes. Bill Stearns pitched in the major leagues, recording 13 wins and 24 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bill Stearns hit?
Bill Stearns hit 0 career home runs with 76 hits.
What teams did Bill Stearns play for?
Bill Stearns played for 5 teams: the Washington Olympics (1871), the Washington Nationals (1872), the Washington Blue Legs (1873), the Hartford Dark Blues (1874), and the Washington Nationals (1875).
What were Bill Stearns's career stats?
In 84 games, Bill Stearns went 13-64 with a 4.28 ERA, 24 strikeouts, and 699.2 innings pitched. At the plate he had 76 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Bill Stearns play?
Bill Stearns played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
What was Bill Stearns's career ERA?
Bill Stearns finished with a 4.28 career ERA, going 13-64 with 24 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bill Stearns have?
Bill Stearns recorded 24 career strikeouts.
Is Bill Stearns in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Stearns has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.