Vic Willis
Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1898-1910)
Vic Willis was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1910 for the Boston Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 13 seasons. Across 513 career appearances, he went 249-205 with a 2.63 ERA and 1,651 strikeouts. He also batted .166 with 1 home runs. Vic Willis was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 6892.6.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 185 lb
- Died
- 8/3/1947 in Elkton, MD, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1898-04-20
- Last Game
- 1910-09-05
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1995 (Veterans)
Full name: Victor Gazaway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | BSN | NL | 25 | 13 | 41 | 38 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 311.0 | 264 | 98 | 148 | 160 | 2.84 | 3.59 (+21%) | -416.1 |
| 1899 | BSN | NL | 27 | 8 | 41 | 38 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 342.2 | 277 | 95 | 117 | 120 | 2.50 | 3.85 (+35%) | 894.4 |
| 1900 | BSN | NL | 10 | 17 | 32 | 29 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 236.0 | 258 | 110 | 106 | 53 | 4.19 | 3.68 (-14%) | -4675.5 |
| 1901 | BSN | NL | 20 | 17 | 38 | 35 | 33 | 6 | 0 | 305.1 | 262 | 80 | 78 | 133 | 2.36 | 3.49 (+32%) | 2471.8 |
| 1902 | BSN | NL | 27 | 20 | 51 | 46 | 45 | 4 | 3 | 410.0 | 372 | 100 | 101 | 225 | 2.20 | 3.17 (+31%) | 6405.7 |
| 1903 | BSN | NL | 12 | 18 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 278.0 | 256 | 92 | 88 | 125 | 2.98 | 3.10 (+4%) | 410.1 |
| 1904 | BSN | NL | 18 | 25 | 43 | 43 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 350.0 | 357 | 111 | 109 | 196 | 2.85 | 2.66 (-7%) | 441.3 |
| 1905 | BSN | NL | 12 | 29 | 41 | 41 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 342.0 | 340 | 122 | 107 | 149 | 3.21 | 2.82 (-14%) | -1307.8 |
| 1906 | PIT | NL | 23 | 13 | 41 | 36 | 32 | 6 | 1 | 322.0 | 295 | 62 | 76 | 124 | 1.73 | 2.68 (+35%) | 2733.2 |
| 1907 | PIT | NL | 21 | 11 | 39 | 37 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 292.2 | 234 | 76 | 69 | 107 | 2.34 | 2.50 (+6%) | 740.0 |
| 1908 | PIT | NL | 23 | 11 | 41 | 38 | 25 | 7 | 0 | 304.2 | 239 | 70 | 69 | 97 | 2.07 | 2.40 (+14%) | 671.8 |
| 1909 | PIT | NL | 22 | 11 | 39 | 35 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 289.2 | 243 | 72 | 83 | 95 | 2.24 | 2.55 (+12%) | -540.1 |
| 1910 | SLN | NL | 9 | 12 | 33 | 23 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 212.0 | 224 | 79 | 61 | 67 | 3.35 | 2.79 (-20%) | -936.3 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 249 | 205 | 513 | 471 | 388 | 50 | 11 | 3,996.0 | 3,621 | 1,167 | 1,212 | 1,651 | 2.63 | — | 6,893 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 531 | 1,493 | 107 | 248 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 84 | 3 | 81 | 199 | .166 | .213 | .186 | .399 | -8,366 |
Career AVG .166 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 35.2% below league average.
Career OBP .213 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 32.4% below league average.
Career SLG .186 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 43.8% below league average.
Career OPS .399 vs. league average .647 across their career seasons — 38.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | BSN | NL | 41 | 117 | 9 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 23 | .145 | .270 (-46%) | .333 (-31%) | .347 (-58%) | .680 (-45%) | -768.6 |
| 1899 | BSN | NL | 41 | 134 | 14 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 9 | .216 | .282 (-23%) | .343 (-29%) | .366 (-35%) | .710 (-32%) | -680.3 |
| 1900 | BSN | NL | 32 | 88 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 10 | .136 | .279 (-51%) | .338 (-49%) | .366 (-50%) | .705 (-50%) | -696.3 |
| 1901 | BSN | NL | 38 | 107 | 8 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 17 | .187 | .271 (-31%) | .326 (-25%) | .359 (-32%) | .686 (-29%) | -471.7 |
| 1902 | BSN | NL | 52 | 150 | 10 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 18 | .153 | .266 (-43%) | .321 (-36%) | .343 (-55%) | .665 (-46%) | -999.4 |
| 1903 | BSN | NL | 39 | 128 | 9 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 22 | .188 | .261 (-28%) | .316 (-31%) | .345 (-39%) | .662 (-35%) | -664.6 |
| 1904 | BSN | NL | 52 | 148 | 9 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 24 | .182 | .246 (-26%) | .300 (-14%) | .321 (-37%) | .622 (-26%) | -490.2 |
| 1905 | BSN | NL | 43 | 131 | 12 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 22 | .153 | .248 (-38%) | .307 (-44%) | .322 (-43%) | .629 (-44%) | -823.0 |
| 1906 | PIT | NL | 41 | 115 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 12 | .174 | .247 (-30%) | .307 (-28%) | .315 (-42%) | .622 (-35%) | -554.5 |
| 1907 | PIT | NL | 39 | 103 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 15 | .136 | .245 (-45%) | .304 (-37%) | .308 (-56%) | .613 (-47%) | -650.9 |
| 1908 | PIT | NL | 41 | 103 | 9 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .165 | .240 (-31%) | .298 (-37%) | .306 (-43%) | .605 (-40%) | -562.8 |
| 1909 | PIT | NL | 39 | 103 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 11 | .136 | .244 (-44%) | .306 (-38%) | .312 (-47%) | .618 (-42%) | -612.6 |
| 1910 | SLN | NL | 33 | 66 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | .167 | .249 (-33%) | .317 (-40%) | .326 (-40%) | .644 (-40%) | -391.6 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 531 | 1,493 | 107 | 248 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 84 | 3 | 81 | 199 | .166 | — | — | — | — | -8,366 | ||
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 (1044 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 257 | 689 | 53 | 132 | 0 | 42 | .192 |
| Away | 274 | 804 | 51 | 116 | 1 | 39 | .144 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 252 | 1978.1 | 1749 | 291 | 593 | 898 | 1.32 |
| Away | 261 | 2016.0 | 1865 | 334 | 628 | 772 | 1.49 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910-09-05 | STL | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1910-08-29 | STL | BRO | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1910-08-28 | STL | BSN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1910-08-25 | STL | BSN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1910-08-21 | STL | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1910-08-16 | STL | BSN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1910-08-13 | STL | PHI | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1910-08-11 | STL | PHI | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1910-08-05 | STL | BRO | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1910-08-02 | STL | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910-09-05 | STL | PIT | — | 6.2 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1910-08-29 | STL | BRO | W | 9.0 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 1910-08-28 | STL | BSN | SV | 1.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1910-08-25 | STL | BSN | L | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1910-08-21 | STL | PHI | — | 5.0 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1910-08-16 | STL | BSN | L | 7.0 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 1910-08-13 | STL | PHI | W | 8.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1910-08-11 | STL | PHI | L | 8.0 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1910-08-05 | STL | BRO | L | 7.0 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1910-08-02 | STL | BRO | — | 2.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 12 | 5 | 118 | 7 | 5 | 1 |
| P | 513 | 253 | 271 | 1124 | 67 | 29 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | BSN | P | 41 | 0 | 19 | 67 | 11 | 1 |
| 1899 | BSN | P | 41 | 0 | 17 | 81 | 8 | 2 |
| 1900 | BSN | P | 32 | 0 | 10 | 49 | 2 | 0 |
| 1901 | BSN | P | 38 | 0 | 22 | 66 | 3 | 2 |
| 1902 | BSN | P | 51 | 0 | 37 | 105 | 4 | 5 |
| 1903 | BSN | 1B | 6 | 0 | 69 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 1903 | BSN | P | 33 | 0 | 13 | 84 | 4 | 1 |
| 1904 | BSN | 1B | 6 | 5 | 49 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1904 | BSN | P | 43 | 43 | 39 | 110 | 7 | 5 |
| 1905 | BSN | P | 41 | 41 | 37 | 115 | 7 | 3 |
| 1906 | PIT | P | 41 | 36 | 22 | 117 | 8 | 5 |
| 1907 | PIT | P | 39 | 37 | 17 | 87 | 3 | 2 |
| 1908 | PIT | P | 41 | 38 | 11 | 87 | 1 | 2 |
| 1909 | PIT | P | 39 | 35 | 16 | 85 | 5 | 1 |
| 1910 | SLN | P | 33 | 23 | 11 | 71 | 4 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 513 |
| First Base | 12 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1908 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P4 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Delaware | Newark | DE | 1897 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Vic Willis (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Vic Willis
Vic Willis: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 20, 1898 and the final game on September 5, 1910, Vic Willis built the record summarized on this page. By club, Willis's seasons break down as the Boston Beaneaters (1898 to 1905), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1906 through 1909), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1910). Born on April 12, 1876, in Cecil County, MD, USA, Willis is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6'2" and 185 pounds. Willis's death is recorded on August 3, 1947, in Elkton, MD, USA. Willis's full given name, per the bio, is Victor Gazaway Willis.
Willis's career pitching line is 249 wins, 205 losses and a 2.63 ERA over 513 appearances. The same table counts 1,651 strikeouts, 388 complete games, 50 shutouts, and 11 saves. That 2.63 ERA compares with a 2.94 league average across the same seasons, 10.7% better. Willis won 27 games in 1899, the most of any season listed. The strikeout high was 225 in 1902.
Frequently Asked Questions about Vic Willis
- What years did Vic Willis play?
- Vic Willis played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1910.
- Was Vic Willis a pitcher?
- Yes. Vic Willis pitched in the major leagues, recording 249 wins and 1651 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Vic Willis hit?
- Vic Willis hit 1 career home runs with 248 hits.
- Is Vic Willis in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Vic Willis was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995.
- What was Vic Willis's career batting average?
- Vic Willis batted .166 over his career, with 248 hits in 1,493 at bats.
- How many RBI did Vic Willis have?
- Vic Willis drove in 84 runs in his career.