Lee Viau

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1888-1892)

Lee Viau was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1892 for 5 teams, including the Cincinnati Red Stockings, a span of 5 seasons. Across 178 career appearances, he went 83-77 with a 3.33 ERA and 554 strikeouts. He also batted .139 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 1441.7.

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 83–77
ERA 3.33
WHIP 1.36
SO 554
Pitcher PIV 1441.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'4" / 160 lb
Born
7/5/1866 in Corinth, VT, USA
Died
12/17/1947 in Hopewell, NJ, USA
MLB Debut
1888-04-22
Last Game
1892-08-27

Full name: Leon A. Viau

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Career Pitching Statistics

Lee Viau — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
83 77 178 162 146 5 1 1442.0 1,441 533 37 526 554 3.33 1441.7

Career ERA 3.33 vs. league average 3.55 across their career seasons — 6.3% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lee Viau Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1888 CN2 AA 27 14 42 42 42 1 0 387.2 331 114 110 164 2.65 2.95 (+10%) -316.5
1889 CN2 AA 22 20 47 42 38 1 1 373.0 379 157 136 152 3.79 3.93 (+4%) 2933.1
1890 CIN NL 7 5 13 10 7 1 0 90.0 97 45 39 41 4.50 3.88 (-16%) -1373.6
1890 CL4 NL 4 9 13 13 13 1 0 107.0 101 40 42 30 3.36 3.88 (+13%) -737.5
1891 CL4 NL 18 17 45 38 31 0 0 343.2 367 115 138 130 3.01 3.52 (+14%) 2836.2
1892 CL4 NL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1.0 5 4 1 0 36.00 — 0.0
1892 LS3 NL 4 11 16 15 14 1 0 130.2 156 58 56 36 3.99 3.28 (-22%) -1900.1
1892 BSN NL 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 5 0 4 1 0.00 3.28 (+100%) 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 83 77 178 162 146 5 1 1,442.0 1,441 533 526 554 3.33 — 1,442

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

Lee Viau — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
184 588 58 82 9 5 0 31 17 48 154 .139 .207 .172 .379 -3,143

Career AVG .139 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 44.9% below league average.

Career OBP .207 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 36.1% below league average.

Career SLG .172 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — 49.7% below league average.

Career OPS .379 vs. league average .665 across their career seasons — 43.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lee Viau — 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 CN2 AA 43 149 16 13 1 2 0 8 5 11 46 .087 .238 (-63%) .290 (-48%) .319 (-62%) .610 (-56%) -1127.6
1889 CN2 AA 47 147 14 21 2 1 0 9 4 11 47 .143 .263 (-46%) .334 (-38%) .357 (-52%) .691 (-45%) -1032.0
1890 CIN NL 13 36 2 5 0 0 0 1 2 3 7 .139 — — — — 0.0
1890 CL4 NL 13 43 6 7 1 0 0 2 2 4 8 .163 — — — — 0.0
1891 CL4 NL 45 144 15 23 3 2 0 6 2 12 28 .160 .254 (-37%) .331 (-32%) .343 (-39%) .675 (-36%) -803.3
1892 CL4 NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1892 LS3 NL 21 66 5 13 2 0 0 5 2 7 16 .197 .244 (-20%) .316 (-10%) .327 (-31%) .644 (-21%) 0.0
1892 BSN NL 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 184 588 58 82 9 5 0 31 17 48 154 .139 — — — — -2,963

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

Lee Viau — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 8 0 5 2 0 1
P 178 0 55 300 35 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Lee Viau — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1888 CN2 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1888 CN2 P 42 0 18 78 9 0
1889 CN2 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1889 CN2 P 47 0 9 60 4 2
1890 CIN P 13 0 5 23 1 0
1890 CL4 P 13 0 1 19 3 0
1891 CL4 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1891 CL4 P 45 0 12 79 14 2
1892 CL4 P 1 0 1 1 1 1
1892 LS3 OF 5 0 5 2 0 1
1892 LS3 P 16 0 8 39 3 3
1892 BSN P 1 0 1 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Lee Viau — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 178
Center Field 1
Right Field 7

College History

Lee Viau — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Dartmouth College Hanover NH 1886

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Lee Viau (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Wiley Piatt
    86-79, 3.60 ERA
  2. 92
    Ted Lewis
    94-64, 3.53 ERA
  3. 87
    James McJames
    79-80, 3.43 ERA
  4. 86
    Doc Newton
    54-72, 3.22 ERA
  5. 82
    Dan Casey
    96-90, 3.18 ERA
  6. 74
    Jesse Duryea
    59-67, 3.45 ERA

Lee Viau: the record in brief

The profile opens with Lee Viau's first major league game on April 22, 1888; the last one listed came on August 27, 1892. Club by club, the record runs the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1888 through 1889), the Cincinnati Reds (1890), the Cleveland Spiders (1890 to 1892), the Louisville Colonels (1892), and the Boston Beaneaters (1892). Born on July 5, 1866, in Corinth, VT, USA, Viau is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 5-foot-4 and 160 pounds. Viau died on December 17, 1947, in Hopewell, NJ, USA. On the record, Lee Viau was born Leon A. Viau.

The pitching table credits Viau with a 83-77 record and a 3.33 ERA in 178 games. The totals include 554 strikeouts, 146 complete games, and 5 shutouts. The leagues Viau pitched in allowed 3.55 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 6.3% better than average. The best win total was 27, in 1888.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lee Viau

What years did Lee Viau play?
Lee Viau played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1892.
Was Lee Viau a pitcher?
Yes. Lee Viau pitched in the major leagues, recording 83 wins and 554 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Lee Viau hit?
Lee Viau hit 0 career home runs with 82 hits.
What teams did Lee Viau play for?
Lee Viau played for 4 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1888–1890), the Cleveland Spiders (1890–1892), the Louisville Colonels (1892), and the Boston Beaneaters (1892).
What were Lee Viau's career stats?
In 178 games, Lee Viau went 83-77 with a 3.33 ERA, 554 strikeouts, 1,442.0 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 82 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Lee Viau play?
Lee Viau played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Lee Viau and how much did he weigh?
Lee Viau was listed at 5 feet 4 inches and 160 pounds.
What was Lee Viau's career ERA?
Lee Viau finished with a 3.33 career ERA, going 83-77 with 554 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Lee Viau have?
Lee Viau recorded 554 career strikeouts.
Is Lee Viau in the Hall of Fame?
No. Lee Viau has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.