Bill Swift
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1932-1943)
Bill Swift was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1943 for 4 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 12 seasons. Across 336 career appearances, he went 95-82 with a 3.58 ERA, 636 strikeouts, and 20 saves. He also batted .227 with 3 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 15354.1.
- 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 192 lb
- Died
- 2/23/1969 in Bartow, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1932-04-12
- Last Game
- 1943-09-29
Full name: William Vincent Swift
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | PIT | NL | 14 | 10 | 39 | 23 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 214.1 | 205 | 86 | 26 | 64 | 3.61 | 4.13 (+12%) | 1654.7 |
| 1933 | PIT | NL | 14 | 10 | 37 | 29 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 218.1 | 214 | 76 | 36 | 64 | 3.13 | 3.86 (+19%) | 1867.1 |
| 1934 | PIT | NL | 11 | 13 | 37 | 24 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 212.2 | 244 | 94 | 46 | 81 | 3.98 | 4.29 (+7%) | 856.1 |
| 1935 | PIT | NL | 15 | 8 | 39 | 21 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 203.2 | 193 | 61 | 37 | 74 | 2.70 | 4.35 (+38%) | 5001.3 |
| 1936 | PIT | NL | 16 | 16 | 45 | 31 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 262.1 | 275 | 117 | 63 | 92 | 4.01 | 4.59 (+12%) | 1808.1 |
| 1937 | PIT | NL | 9 | 10 | 36 | 17 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 164.0 | 160 | 72 | 34 | 84 | 3.95 | 4.34 (+9%) | 1586.5 |
| 1938 | PIT | NL | 7 | 5 | 36 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 150.0 | 155 | 54 | 40 | 77 | 3.24 | 4.35 (+25%) | 2405.6 |
| 1939 | PIT | NL | 5 | 7 | 36 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 129.2 | 150 | 56 | 28 | 56 | 3.89 | 4.28 (+9%) | 2534.7 |
| 1940 | BSN | NL | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9.1 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 2.89 | 4.21 (+31%) | 0.0 |
| 1941 | BRO | NL | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22.0 | 26 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 3.27 | 3.94 (+17%) | -752.7 |
| 1943 | CHA | AL | 0 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51.1 | 48 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 4.21 | 3.50 (-20%) | -1607.3 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 95 | 82 | 336 | 163 | 78 | 7 | 20 | 1,637.2 | 1,682 | 651 | 351 | 636 | 3.58 | — | 15,354 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 336 | 591 | 43 | 134 | 27 | 3 | 3 | 54 | 0 | 19 | 113 | .227 | .253 | .298 | .551 | -2,173 |
Career AVG .227 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — 16.7% below league average.
Career OBP .253 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 25.0% below league average.
Career SLG .298 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 23.0% below league average.
Career OPS .551 vs. league average .725 across their career seasons — 24.0% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | PIT | NL | 39 | 78 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .192 | .275 (-30%) | .335 (-40%) | .391 (-48%) | .726 (-44%) | -547.1 |
| 1933 | PIT | NL | 37 | 82 | 10 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .244 | .270 (-10%) | .329 (-23%) | .377 (-22%) | .707 (-23%) | -303.6 |
| 1934 | PIT | NL | 37 | 84 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 23 | .214 | .278 (-23%) | .340 (-34%) | .392 (-18%) | .733 (-26%) | -387.1 |
| 1935 | PIT | NL | 39 | 78 | 11 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .244 | .279 (-13%) | .342 (-21%) | .399 (-23%) | .742 (-22%) | -289.7 |
| 1936 | PIT | NL | 45 | 105 | 6 | 31 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .295 | .283 (+4%) | .349 (-10%) | .404 (+11%) | .753 (+1%) | -18.4 |
| 1937 | PIT | NL | 36 | 54 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 15 | .167 | .276 (-40%) | .342 (-39%) | .398 (-53%) | .740 (-47%) | -409.5 |
| 1938 | PIT | NL | 36 | 50 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 10 | .200 | .272 (-27%) | .341 (-32%) | .392 (-19%) | .734 (-25%) | -217.5 |
| 1939 | PIT | NL | 36 | 42 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | .238 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | BSN | NL | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1941 | BRO | NL | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1943 | CHA | AL | 18 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .100 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 336 | 591 | 43 | 134 | 27 | 3 | 3 | 54 | 0 | 19 | 113 | .227 | — | — | — | — | -2,173 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (672 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 165 | 275 | 18 | 69 | 1 | 30 | .251 |
| Away | 171 | 315 | 25 | 65 | 2 | 24 | .206 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 165 | 815.2 | 818 | 316 | 154 | 315 | 3.49 |
| Away | 171 | 821.1 | 865 | 333 | 200 | 323 | 3.65 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943-09-29 | CHW | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-09-26 | CHW | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-09-10 | CHW | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1943-08-18 | CHW | MIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-08-15 | CHW | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-08-12 | CHW | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-07-30 | CHW | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-07-18 | CHW | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-07-10 | CHW | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-07-05 | CHW | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943-09-29 | CHW | NYY | — | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1943-09-26 | CHW | MIN | — | 5.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-09-10 | CHW | SLA | — | 3.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1943-08-18 | CHW | MIN | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1943-08-15 | CHW | NYY | — | 4.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1943-08-12 | CHW | BOS | — | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-07-30 | CHW | MIN | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-07-18 | CHW | DET | — | 6.0 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| 1943-07-10 | CHW | NYY | — | 2.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-07-05 | CHW | BOS | — | 5.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | PIT | P | 39 | 0 | 8 | 27 | 2 | 1 |
| 1933 | PIT | P | 37 | 0 | 11 | 39 | 2 | 1 |
| 1934 | PIT | P | 37 | 0 | 8 | 38 | 2 | 0 |
| 1935 | PIT | P | 39 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| 1936 | PIT | P | 45 | 0 | 4 | 36 | 2 | 3 |
| 1937 | PIT | P | 36 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| 1938 | PIT | P | 36 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 2 | 1 |
| 1939 | PIT | P | 36 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | BSN | P | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941 | BRO | P | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | CHA | P | 18 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 336 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bill Swift (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Bill Swift
Bill Swift: the record in brief
The profile opens with Bill Swift's first major league game on April 12, 1932; the last one listed came on September 29, 1943. By club, Swift's seasons break down as the Pittsburgh Pirates (1932 to 1939), the Boston Bees (1940), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1941), and the Chicago White Sox (1943). The bio lists Swift as a pitcher who threw and hit right-handed. Swift is listed at 192 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Swift was born on June 19, 1908, in Glen Lyon, PA, USA. Swift died on February 23, 1969, in Bartow, FL, USA. On the record, Bill Swift was born William Vincent Swift.
Across 336 games (163 starts), Swift recorded 95 wins against 82 losses with a 3.58 ERA. Swift had 636 strikeouts, 78 complete games, 7 shutouts, and 20 saves. That 3.58 ERA compares with a 4.16 league average across the same seasons, 14.0% better. 1936 brought Swift a season-high 16 wins. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.70 in 1935, when the league's was 4.35.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Swift
- What years did Bill Swift play?
- Bill Swift played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1943.
- Was Bill Swift a pitcher?
- Yes. Bill Swift pitched in the major leagues, recording 95 wins and 636 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bill Swift hit?
- Bill Swift hit 3 career home runs with 134 hits.
- What was Bill Swift's career batting average?
- Bill Swift batted .227 over his career, with 134 hits in 591 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Swift have?
- Bill Swift drove in 54 runs in his career.
- What was Bill Swift's career ERA?
- Bill Swift finished with a 3.58 career ERA, going 95-82 with 636 strikeouts.