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.
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 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.