Pop Williams

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1898-1903)

Pop Williams was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1903 for 4 teams, including the Washington Nationals, a span of 6 seasons. Across 47 career appearances, he went 16-25 with a 3.17 ERA and 132 strikeouts.

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 16–25
ERA 3.17
WHIP 1.40
SO 132
Pitcher PIV -57.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / L
Height / Weight
5'11" / 190 lb
Born
5/19/1874 in Bowdoinham, ME, USA
Died
8/4/1959 in Topsham, ME, USA
MLB Debut
1898-09-14
Last Game
1903-09-15

Full name: Walter Merrill Williams

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Career Pitching Statistics

Pop Williams — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
16 25 47 47 41 2 0 386.1 426 136 4 113 132 3.17 -57.5

Career ERA 3.17 vs. league average 3.27 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Pop Williams — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1898 WAS NL 0 2 2 2 2 0 0 17.0 32 16 7 3 8.47 3.59 (-136%) -20.6
1902 CHN NL 11 16 32 32 27 1 0 263.1 267 73 63 99 2.49 3.17 (+21%) 2619.3
1903 CHN NL 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 5.0 9 3 0 2 5.40 — 0.0
1903 PHI NL 1 1 2 2 2 0 0 18.0 21 6 6 8 3.00 3.10 (+3%) 34.4
1903 BSN NL 4 5 10 10 9 1 0 83.0 97 38 37 20 4.12 3.10 (-33%) -2690.6
Career · 5 seasons 16 25 47 47 41 2 0 386.1 426 136 113 132 3.17 — -57

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

Pop Williams — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
59 179 21 40 3 2 0 18 0 11 14 .223 .287 .263 .550 -283

Career AVG .223 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 16.0% below league average.

Career OBP .287 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 11.2% below league average.

Career SLG .263 vs. league average .345 across their career seasons — 24.0% below league average.

Career OPS .550 vs. league average .669 across their career seasons — 17.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Pop 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
1898 WAS NL 2 8 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .375 — — — — 0.0
1902 CHN NL 39 120 14 25 2 2 0 13 0 11 13 .208 .266 (-22%) .321 (-10%) .343 (-25%) .665 (-17%) -283.2
1903 CHN NL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1903 PHI NL 2 7 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .286 — — — — 0.0
1903 BSN NL 14 42 4 10 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 .238 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 59 179 21 40 3 2 0 18 0 11 14 .223 — — — — -283

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 (106 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Pop Williams — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home341051331012.295
Away25738905.123

Pitching — Home / Away

Pop Williams — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home26215.02414763651.97
Away21171.11854250682.21

Last 10 Games — Batting

Pop Williams — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1903-09-15 BSNPITL 311000000
1903-09-13 BSNCINL 400000001
1903-09-07 BSNPHIL 300000000
1903-09-04 BSNPHIL 100000000
1903-09-03 BSNPHIW 401000100
1903-08-31 BSNBROL 200000000
1903-08-26 BSNNY1W 412000000
1903-08-21 BSNCINL 401000000
1903-08-15 BSNPITL 402000000
1903-08-12 BSNCHCW 110000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Pop Williams — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1903-09-15 BSNPIT L 8.0970421
1903-09-07 BSNPHI L 9.01480520
1903-09-03 BSNPHI W 9.0600610
1903-08-31 BSNBRO L 8.019140410
1903-08-26 BSNNY1 W 9.0650130
1903-08-21 BSNCIN L 9.01270241
1903-08-15 BSNPIT L 9.01150200
1903-08-12 BSNCHC — 4.09100421
1903-08-07 BSNBRO W 9.0830510
1903-07-31 BSNNY1 W 9.0310440

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Pop Williams — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 8 0 12 1 1 0
P 47 0 21 108 8 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Pop Williams — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1898 WAS P 2 0 0 2 1 0
1902 CHN OF 6 0 8 0 1 0
1902 CHN P 32 0 14 78 4 1
1903 CHN P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1903 PHI P 2 0 3 8 1 0
1903 BSN OF 2 0 4 1 0 0
1903 BSN P 10 0 4 19 2 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Pop Williams — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 47
Left Field 2
Right Field 6

College History

Pop Williams — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Bowdoin College Brunswick ME 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Clarence Currie
    15-23, 3.39 ERA
  2. 96
    Paul Carter
    20-26, 3.32 ERA
  3. 91
    Bud Tinning
    22-15, 3.19 ERA
  4. 90
    Jack Katoll
    17-22, 3.32 ERA
  5. 88
    Bill Sowders
    29-30, 3.34 ERA
  6. 84
    Arlie Pond
    35-19, 3.45 ERA

Pop Williams: the record in brief

September 14, 1898 and September 15, 1903 bracket Pop Williams's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Williams played for the Washington Senators (1898), the Chicago Orphans (1902), the Chicago Cubs (1903), the Philadelphia Phillies (1903), and the Boston Beaneaters (1903). Born on May 19, 1874, in Bowdoinham, ME, USA, Williams is listed as a pitcher and threw left-handed and batted right-handed. Size on record: 5 feet, 11 inches and 190 pounds. Williams's death is recorded on August 4, 1959, in Topsham, ME, USA. The bio lists the given name Walter Merrill.

Williams went 16-25 with a 3.17 ERA in 47 games, 47 of them starts. Also on Williams's record: 132 strikeouts and 41 complete games. Williams's 3.17 ERA was close to the 3.27 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 11, in 1902. 1902 was Williams's sharpest full season, a 2.49 ERA against the league's 3.17.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pop Williams

What years did Pop Williams play?
Pop Williams played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1903.
Was Pop Williams a pitcher?
Yes. Pop Williams pitched in the major leagues, recording 16 wins and 132 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Pop Williams hit?
Pop Williams hit 0 career home runs with 40 hits.
What teams did Pop Williams play for?
Pop Williams played for 4 teams: the Washington Senators (1898), the Chicago Cubs (1902–1903), the Philadelphia Phillies (1903), and the Boston Beaneaters (1903).
What were Pop Williams's career stats?
In 47 games, Pop Williams went 16-25 with a 3.17 ERA, 132 strikeouts, and 386.1 innings pitched.
What position did Pop Williams play?
Pop Williams played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Pop Williams and how much did he weigh?
Pop Williams was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 190 pounds.
What was Pop Williams's career ERA?
Pop Williams finished with a 3.17 career ERA, going 16-25 with 132 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Pop Williams have?
Pop Williams recorded 132 career strikeouts.
Is Pop Williams in the Hall of Fame?
No. Pop Williams has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.