Mike Willis
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1977-1981)
Mike Willis was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1981 for the Toronto Blue Jays, a span of 5 seasons. Across 144 career appearances, he went 7-21 with a 4.59 ERA and 149 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
- 6'2" / 205 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1977-04-13
- Last Game
- 1981-06-11
Full name: Michael Henry 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | TOR | AL | 2 | 6 | 43 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 107.1 | 105 | 47 | 38 | 59 | 3.94 | 4.00 (+1%) | -1392.7 |
| 1978 | TOR | AL | 3 | 7 | 44 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 100.2 | 104 | 51 | 39 | 52 | 4.56 | 3.69 (-24%) | -1126.3 |
| 1979 | TOR | AL | 0 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26.2 | 35 | 25 | 16 | 8 | 8.44 | 4.00 (-111%) | -353.4 |
| 1980 | TOR | AL | 2 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 26.1 | 25 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 1.71 | 3.84 (+56%) | -457.8 |
| 1981 | TOR | AL | 0 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35.0 | 43 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 5.91 | 3.58 (-65%) | -1864.6 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 7 | 21 | 144 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 296.0 | 312 | 151 | 124 | 149 | 4.59 | — | -5,195 | ||
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | TOR | AL | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | TOR | AL | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | TOR | AL | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1980 | TOR | AL | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1981 | TOR | AL | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 144 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 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 (288 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Away | 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 75 | 184.1 | 182 | 85 | 72 | 99 | 4.15 |
| Away | 69 | 111.2 | 130 | 65 | 52 | 50 | 5.24 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-06-11 | TOR | KCR | L | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-06-08 | TOR | CHW | — | 5.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1981-06-07 | TOR | TEX | — | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-06-05 | TOR | TEX | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-06-03 | TOR | LAA | — | 1.1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1981-05-24 | TOR | OAK | — | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-05-23 | TOR | OAK | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-05-20 | TOR | CHW | — | 0.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1981-05-18 | TOR | CHW | — | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1981-05-17 | TOR | CLE | — | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 144 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | TN | 1970, 1971, 1972 |
Mike Willis: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 13, 1977 and the final game on June 11, 1981, Mike Willis built the record summarized on this page. Willis's only club in the season tables is the Toronto Blue Jays. Born on December 26, 1950, in Oklahoma City, OK, USA, Willis is listed as a pitcher and threw and hit left-handed. Willis's listed size is 6 feet, 2 inches and 205 pounds. On the record, Mike Willis was born Michael Henry Willis.
Willis pitched in 144 games, starting 6, and finished with a 7-21 record and 4.59 ERA. The same table counts 149 strikeouts and 15 saves. The league ERA over Willis's seasons was 3.84, so the 4.59 figure ran 19.6% worse than average. 1977 produced Willis's most strikeouts, 59. 1977 was Willis's sharpest full season, a 3.94 ERA against the league's 4.00.
The position breakdown shows 144 games, all at pitcher. Fielding on the mound produced 19 putouts and 49 assists against 2 errors.
Before the majors, Willis played college baseball at Vanderbilt University (1970, 1971, and 1972). The game-log section draws on 288 games of Retrosheet box scores for Willis.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mike Willis
- What years did Mike Willis play?
- Mike Willis played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1981.
- Was Mike Willis a pitcher?
- Yes. Mike Willis pitched in the major leagues, recording 7 wins and 149 strikeouts.
- What teams did Mike Willis play for?
- Mike Willis played for one team, the Toronto Blue Jays (1977–1981).
- What were Mike Willis's career stats?
- In 144 games, Mike Willis went 7-21 with a 4.59 ERA, 149 strikeouts, 296.0 innings pitched, and 15 saves.
- What position did Mike Willis play?
- Mike Willis played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Mike Willis and how much did he weigh?
- Mike Willis was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 205 pounds.
- What was Mike Willis's career ERA?
- Mike Willis finished with a 4.59 career ERA, going 7-21 with 149 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Mike Willis have?
- Mike Willis recorded 149 career strikeouts.
- Is Mike Willis in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Mike Willis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.