Billy Sunday
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1883-1890)
Billy Sunday was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1883 to 1890 for the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 8 seasons. In 499 career games, he hit .248 with 498 hits, 12 home runs, and 170 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 160 lb
- Died
- 11/6/1935 in Chicago, IL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1883-05-22
- Last Game
- 1890-10-04
Full name: William Ashley Sunday
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 499 | 2,007 | 339 | 498 | 55 | 24 | 12 | 170 | 246 | 134 | 229 | .248 | .300 | .317 | .617 | -1,595 |
Career AVG .248 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .300 vs. league average .308 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .317 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 7.1% below league average.
Career OPS .617 vs. league average .649 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1883 | CHN | NL | 14 | 54 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 18 | .241 | .257 (-6%) | .285 (-11%) | .345 (-9%) | .631 (-10%) | -76.8 |
| 1884 | CHN | NL | 43 | 176 | 25 | 39 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 28 | 0 | 4 | 36 | .222 | .243 (-9%) | .278 (-14%) | .327 (-1%) | .606 (-7%) | -190.4 |
| 1885 | CHN | NL | 46 | 172 | 36 | 44 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 12 | 33 | .256 | .244 (+5%) | .287 (+6%) | .325 (+5%) | .613 (+6%) | 156.2 |
| 1886 | CHN | NL | 28 | 103 | 16 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 26 | .243 | .246 (-2%) | .302 (-4%) | .331 (-9%) | .634 (-7%) | -98.4 |
| 1887 | CHN | NL | 50 | 199 | 41 | 58 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 32 | 34 | 21 | 20 | .291 | .270 (+8%) | .331 (+9%) | .373 (+14%) | .705 (+12%) | 414.6 |
| 1888 | PIT | NL | 120 | 505 | 69 | 119 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 71 | 12 | 36 | .236 | .238 (-1%) | .290 (-12%) | .319 (-14%) | .610 (-13%) | -947.1 |
| 1889 | PIT | NL | 81 | 321 | 62 | 77 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 25 | 47 | 27 | 33 | .240 | .263 (-9%) | .334 (-8%) | .357 (-9%) | .691 (-8%) | -437.5 |
| 1890 | PIT | NL | 86 | 358 | 58 | 92 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 56 | 32 | 20 | .257 | .260 (-1%) | .336 (-3%) | .351 (-14%) | .687 (-9%) | -431.2 |
| 1890 | PHI | NL | 31 | 119 | 26 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 28 | 18 | 7 | .261 | .260 (avg) | .336 (+9%) | .351 (-14%) | .687 (-3%) | -431.2 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 499 | 2,007 | 339 | 498 | 55 | 24 | 12 | 170 | 246 | 134 | 229 | .248 | — | — | — | — | -2,042 | ||
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.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | PIT | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 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.
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 499 | 0 | 933 | 96 | 136 | 23 |
| P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1883 | CHN | OF | 14 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 1884 | CHN | OF | 43 | 0 | 45 | 8 | 27 | 1 |
| 1885 | CHN | OF | 46 | 0 | 46 | 6 | 11 | 2 |
| 1886 | CHN | OF | 28 | 0 | 50 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 1887 | CHN | OF | 50 | 0 | 78 | 4 | 25 | 2 |
| 1888 | PIT | OF | 120 | 0 | 297 | 27 | 21 | 5 |
| 1889 | PIT | OF | 81 | 0 | 157 | 17 | 10 | 2 |
| 1890 | PIT | OF | 86 | 0 | 181 | 23 | 27 | 9 |
| 1890 | PIT | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1890 | PHI | OF | 31 | 0 | 69 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 1 |
| Left Field | 7 |
| Center Field | 235 |
| Right Field | 260 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Billy Sunday (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Billy Sunday: the record in brief
The profile opens with Billy Sunday's first major league game on May 22, 1883; the last one listed came on October 4, 1890. The season rows list, in order, the Chicago White Stockings (1883 to 1887), the Pittsburg Alleghenys (1888 through 1890), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1890). Sunday, an outfielder by primary position, threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Height and weight on file: 5 feet, 10 inches and 160 pounds. Sunday was born on November 19, 1862, in Ames, IA, USA. The bio records the death on November 6, 1935, in Chicago, IL, USA. Sunday's full given name, per the bio, is William Ashley Sunday.
Sunday collected 498 hits in 2,007 at bats across 499 games, good for a .248 batting average, plus 12 homers, 170 RBI, and 246 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .300 and the slugging percentage .317, for an OPS of .617. Sunday hit .248 while the league hit .253 over the same span, a figure close to average. No season topped the 119 hits of 1888. Sunday drove in a season-high 33 runs in 1890.
Frequently Asked Questions about Billy Sunday
- What years did Billy Sunday play?
- Billy Sunday played in Major League Baseball from 1883 to 1890.
- Was Billy Sunday a pitcher?
- No. Billy Sunday was a position player (Outfielder), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
- How many home runs did Billy Sunday hit?
- Billy Sunday hit 12 career home runs with 498 hits.
- What teams did Billy Sunday play for?
- Billy Sunday played for 3 teams: the Chicago White Stockings (1883–1887), the Pittsburg Alleghenys (1888–1890), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1890).
- What were Billy Sunday's career stats?
- In 499 games, Billy Sunday had 498 hits, 12 home runs, 170 RBI, 339 runs, and 246 stolen bases, with a .248 batting average.
- What position did Billy Sunday play?
- Billy Sunday played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Billy Sunday and how much did he weigh?
- Billy Sunday was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 160 pounds.
- How many home runs did Billy Sunday hit each season?
- Billy Sunday's home runs by season: 0 in 1883, 4 in 1884, 2 in 1885, 0 in 1886, 3 in 1887, 0 in 1888, 2 in 1889, and 1 in 1890. His most in one season was 4, in 1884.
- What was Billy Sunday's career batting average?
- Billy Sunday batted .248 over his career, with 498 hits in 2,007 at bats.
- How many RBI did Billy Sunday have?
- Billy Sunday drove in 170 runs in his career.
- Is Billy Sunday in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Billy Sunday has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.