Lefty Williams

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1913-1920)

Lefty Williams was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1920 for the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 8 seasons. Across 189 career appearances, he went 82-48 with a 3.13 ERA and 515 strikeouts. He also batted .159 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 2567.0.

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 82–48
ERA 3.13
WHIP 1.24
SO 515
Pitcher PIV 2567.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / L
Height / Weight
5'9" / 160 lb
Born
3/9/1893 in Aurora, MO, USA
Died
11/4/1959 in Laguna Beach, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1913-09-17
Last Game
1920-09-25

Full name: Claude Preston Williams

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Career Pitching Statistics

Lefty Williams — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
82 48 189 152 80 10 5 1186.0 1,121 413 30 347 515 3.13 2567.0

Career ERA 3.13 vs. league average 2.98 across their career seasons — 5.2% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lefty Williams (b. 1893) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1913 DET AL 1 3 5 4 3 0 1 29.0 34 16 4 9 4.97 3.07 (-62%) 422.7
1914 DET AL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1.0 3 0 2 0 0.00 — 0.0
1916 CHA AL 13 7 43 26 10 2 1 224.1 220 72 65 138 2.89 2.78 (-4%) 2184.1
1917 CHA AL 17 8 45 29 8 1 1 230.0 221 76 81 85 2.97 2.69 (-11%) -1124.3
1918 CHA AL 6 4 15 14 7 2 1 105.2 76 32 47 30 2.73 2.83 (+4%) -983.9
1919 CHA AL 23 11 41 40 27 5 1 297.0 265 87 58 125 2.64 3.09 (+15%) 3320.9
1920 CHA AL 22 14 39 38 25 0 0 299.0 302 130 90 128 3.91 3.45 (-14%) -1252.5
Career · 7 seasons 82 48 189 152 80 10 5 1,186.0 1,121 413 347 515 3.13 — 2,567

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

Lefty Williams — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
190 384 30 61 6 5 0 29 0 33 112 .159 .227 .201 .428 -1,619

Career AVG .159 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 38.3% below league average.

Career OBP .227 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 29.3% below league average.

Career SLG .201 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 40.9% below league average.

Career OPS .428 vs. league average .661 across their career seasons — 35.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lefty Williams — 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
1913 DET AL 5 10 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 .100 — — — — 0.0
1914 DET AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1916 CHA AL 43 74 5 10 2 1 0 4 0 7 30 .135 .248 (-46%) .314 (-30%) .326 (-42%) .640 (-36%) -383.8
1917 CHA AL 45 67 5 6 0 1 0 2 0 8 19 .090 .248 (-64%) .312 (-40%) .323 (-63%) .635 (-52%) -489.4
1918 CHA AL 15 38 4 5 0 0 0 2 0 1 14 .132 — — — — 0.0
1919 CHA AL 41 94 10 17 2 2 0 10 0 9 28 .181 .262 (-31%) .322 (-22%) .347 (-30%) .670 (-26%) -367.7
1920 CHA AL 39 101 5 22 2 1 0 11 0 7 16 .218 .271 (-20%) .331 (-19%) .363 (-29%) .694 (-24%) -377.8
Career · 7 seasons 190 384 30 61 6 5 0 29 0 33 112 .159 — — — — -1,619

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Lefty Williams — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .200

Playoff Batting by Year

Lefty Williams — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1919 WS CHA 3 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .200
1917 WS CHA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Lefty Williams — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 3 4 3 0 17.1 14 13 8 7 6.75

Playoff Pitching by Year

Lefty Williams — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1919 WS CHA 0 3 3 3 0 16.1 12 12 8 4 6.61
1917 WS CHA 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 2 1 0 3 9.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (379 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Lefty Williams — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home94171102406.140
Away962121937024.175

Pitching — Home / Away

Lefty Williams — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home94585.05551911732682.94
Away95598.25682241772493.37

Last 10 Games — Batting

Lefty Williams — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1920-09-25 CHWCLEW 402100100
1920-09-19 CHWPHAW 000000000
1920-09-12 CHWMINL 100000000
1920-09-08 CHWSLAW 300000000
1920-09-04 CHWSLAW 301000000
1920-08-30 CHWBOSL 200000001
1920-08-22 CHWMINW 400000000
1920-08-18 CHWPHAL 200000000
1920-08-09 CHWMINW 211010100
1920-08-06 CHWBOSW 201000010

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Lefty Williams — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1920-09-25 CHWCLE W 9.0511020
1920-09-19 CHWPHA — 3.0330110
1920-09-12 CHWMIN L 6.0844410
1920-09-08 CHWSLA W 9.01232220
1920-09-04 CHWSLA W 9.0922270
1920-08-30 CHWBOS L 7.0733120
1920-08-22 CHWMIN W 9.01044220
1920-08-18 CHWPHA L 7.0611220
1920-08-09 CHWMIN W 9.0844161
1920-08-06 CHWBOS — 8.0533200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Lefty Williams — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 189 0 36 217 12 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Lefty Williams — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1913 DET P 5 0 0 3 0 0
1914 DET P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1916 CHA P 43 0 9 37 0 0
1917 CHA P 45 0 8 46 4 2
1918 CHA P 15 0 3 20 2 0
1919 CHA P 41 0 8 54 3 1
1920 CHA P 39 0 8 57 3 5

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Lefty Williams — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 189

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Lefty Williams (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Dizzy Dismukes
    75-65, 3.31 ERA
  2. 96
    Red Ryan
    84-57, 3.33 ERA
  3. 89
    Chet Brewer
    69-60, 3.44 ERA
  4. 88
    Dave Dravecky
    64-57, 3.13 ERA
  5. 85
    Frank Corridon
    70-67, 2.80 ERA
  6. 82
    Jesse Flores
    44-59, 3.18 ERA

Lefty Williams: the record in brief

September 17, 1913 and September 25, 1920 bracket Lefty Williams's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Detroit Tigers (1913 through 1914) and the Chicago White Sox (1916 to 1920). Williams, born on March 9, 1893, in Aurora, MO, USA, is listed as a pitcher and threw left-handed and batted right-handed. The bio gives 5'9" and 160 pounds. The bio records the death on November 4, 1959, in Laguna Beach, CA, USA. Lefty Williams was the playing name; the full given name is Claude Preston.

Williams's career pitching line is 82 wins, 48 losses and a 3.13 ERA over 189 appearances. The same table counts 515 strikeouts, 80 complete games, and 10 shutouts. The league ERA over Williams's seasons was 2.98, so the 3.13 figure ran 5.2% worse than average. No season topped the 23 wins of 1919. 1916 produced Williams's most strikeouts, 138.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lefty Williams

What years did Lefty Williams play?
Lefty Williams played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1920.
Was Lefty Williams a pitcher?
Yes. Lefty Williams pitched in the major leagues, recording 82 wins and 515 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Lefty Williams hit?
Lefty Williams hit 0 career home runs with 61 hits.
What was Lefty Williams's career batting average?
Lefty Williams batted .159 over his career, with 61 hits in 384 at bats.
How many RBI did Lefty Williams have?
Lefty Williams drove in 29 runs in his career.
What was Lefty Williams's career ERA?
Lefty Williams finished with a 3.13 career ERA, going 82-48 with 515 strikeouts.