Les Willis
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1947)
Les Willis was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball in 1947 for the Cleveland Guardians. Across 22 career appearances, he went 0-2 with a 3.48 ERA and 10 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 195 lb
- Died
- 1/22/1982 in Jasper, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1947-04-28
- Last Game
- 1947-08-23
Full name: Lester Evans Willis
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | CLE | AL | 0 | 2 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 44.0 | 58 | 17 | 24 | 10 | 3.48 | 3.97 (+12%) | -871.8 |
| Career · 1 season | 0 | 2 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 44.0 | 58 | 17 | 24 | 10 | 3.48 | — | -872 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .091 | .091 | .091 | .182 | 0 |
Career AVG .091 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 65.4% below league average.
Career OBP .091 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 73.0% below league average.
Career SLG .091 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 75.8% below league average.
Career OPS .182 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 74.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | CLE | AL | 22 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .091 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 22 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .091 | — | — | — | — | 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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (44 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 15 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .143 |
| Away | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 15 | 30.2 | 45 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 4.40 |
| Away | 7 | 13.1 | 13 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 1.35 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-08-23 | CLE | NYY | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-21 | CLE | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-20 | CLE | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-17 | CLE | SLA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-11 | CLE | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-10 | CLE | SLA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-06 | CLE | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-07-16 | CLE | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-07-15 | CLE | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-07-12 | CLE | PHA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-08-23 | CLE | NYY | — | 6.2 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1947-08-21 | CLE | NYY | — | 2.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-20 | CLE | MIN | — | 2.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-17 | CLE | SLA | — | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-08-11 | CLE | DET | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-08-10 | CLE | SLA | — | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1947-08-06 | CLE | DET | — | 0.2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-07-16 | CLE | NYY | — | 2.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-07-15 | CLE | NYY | — | 2.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947-07-12 | CLE | PHA | — | 4.2 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 22 |
Les Willis: the record in brief
Les Willis's major league career runs from a debut on April 28, 1947 to a final game on August 23, 1947. Willis's only club in the season tables is the Cleveland Indians. Willis played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit left-handed. Born on January 17, 1908, in Nacogdoches, TX, USA, Willis was listed at 5'9" and 195 pounds. Willis's death is recorded on January 22, 1982, in Jasper, TX, USA. Willis's full given name, per the bio, is Lester Evans Willis.
Willis went 0-2 with a 3.48 ERA in 22 games, 2 of them starts. The totals include 10 strikeouts. That 3.48 ERA compares with a 3.97 league average across the same seasons, 12.5% better. All of that pitching came in 1947, with 22 games and 10 strikeouts.
Willis appears at one position only: pitcher, in 22 games. The fielding table credits Willis with 2 putouts, 4 assists and 0 errors on the mound.
The game-log section draws on 44 games of Retrosheet box scores for Willis.
Frequently Asked Questions about Les Willis
- Was Les Willis a pitcher?
- Yes. Les Willis pitched in the major leagues, recording 0 wins and 10 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Les Willis hit?
- Les Willis hit 0 career home runs with 1 hit.
- What teams did Les Willis play for?
- Les Willis played for one team, the Cleveland Indians (1947).
- What were Les Willis's career stats?
- In 22 games, Les Willis went 0-2 with a 3.48 ERA, 10 strikeouts, 44.0 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
- What position did Les Willis play?
- Les Willis played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Les Willis and how much did he weigh?
- Les Willis was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 195 pounds.
- What was Les Willis's career ERA?
- Les Willis finished with a 3.48 career ERA, going 0-2 with 10 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Les Willis have?
- Les Willis recorded 10 career strikeouts.
- Is Les Willis in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Les Willis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.