Jim Willoughby
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1971-1978)
Jim Willoughby was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1978 for the San Francisco Giants, the Boston Red Sox, and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 8 seasons. Across 238 career appearances, he went 26-36 with a 3.79 ERA, 250 strikeouts, and 34 saves.
- 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
- MLB Debut
- 1971-09-05
- Last Game
- 1978-09-28
Full name: James Arthur Willoughby
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | SFN | NL | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | SFN | NL | 6 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 87.2 | 72 | 23 | 14 | 40 | 2.36 | 3.26 (+28%) | 97.5 |
| 1973 | SFN | NL | 4 | 5 | 39 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 123.0 | 138 | 64 | 37 | 60 | 4.68 | 3.75 (-25%) | -3195.4 |
| 1974 | SFN | NL | 1 | 4 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40.2 | 51 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 4.65 | 3.63 (-28%) | -1283.4 |
| 1975 | BOS | AL | 5 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 48.1 | 46 | 19 | 16 | 29 | 3.54 | 3.71 (+5%) | -492.3 |
| 1976 | BOS | AL | 3 | 12 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 99.0 | 94 | 31 | 31 | 37 | 2.82 | 3.51 (+20%) | -193.1 |
| 1977 | BOS | AL | 6 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 54.2 | 54 | 30 | 18 | 33 | 4.94 | 4.00 (-23%) | 250.4 |
| 1978 | CHA | AL | 1 | 6 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 93.1 | 95 | 40 | 19 | 36 | 3.86 | 3.69 (-5%) | 710.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 26 | 36 | 238 | 28 | 8 | 1 | 34 | 550.2 | 558 | 232 | 145 | 250 | 3.79 | — | -4,106 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 242 | 67 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 24 | .149 | .197 | .224 | .421 | 0 |
Career AVG .149 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 41.6% below league average.
Career OBP .197 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 38.8% below league average.
Career SLG .224 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 40.0% below league average.
Career OPS .421 vs. league average .696 across their career seasons — 39.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | SFN | NL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | SFN | NL | 11 | 27 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | .185 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | SFN | NL | 41 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | SFN | NL | 20 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .100 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | BOS | AL | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1976 | BOS | AL | 54 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | BOS | AL | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | CHA | AL | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 242 | 67 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 24 | .149 | — | — | — | — | 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 (480 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 130 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .105 |
| Away | 112 | 48 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 3 | .167 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 127 | 274.1 | 286 | 112 | 78 | 117 | 3.67 |
| Away | 111 | 276.1 | 272 | 120 | 67 | 133 | 3.91 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-09-28 | CHW | LAA | — | 1.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978-09-26 | CHW | OAK | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1978-09-23 | CHW | LAA | — | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978-09-09 | CHW | SEA | — | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978-09-02 | CHW | BAL | — | 0.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1978-09-01 | CHW | BAL | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978-08-30 | CHW | KCR | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978-08-29 | CHW | KCR | — | 0.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978-08-26 | CHW | CLE | SV | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978-08-20 | CHW | CLE | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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 | 238 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jim Willoughby (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jim Willoughby: the record in brief
Jim Willoughby's major league career runs from a debut on September 5, 1971 to a final game on September 28, 1978. The team column moves through the San Francisco Giants (1971 through 1974), the Boston Red Sox (1975 to 1977), and the Chicago White Sox (1978). Willoughby played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on January 31, 1949, in Salinas, CA, USA, Willoughby was listed at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds. Willoughby's full given name, per the bio, is James Arthur Willoughby.
Willoughby pitched in 238 games, starting 28, and finished with a 26-36 record and 3.79 ERA. Willoughby had 250 strikeouts and 34 saves. Willoughby's 3.79 ERA was close to the 3.63 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 6 wins of 1972. 1973 produced Willoughby's most strikeouts, 60. Willoughby saved 13 games in 1978, the season high. 1972 was Willoughby's sharpest full season, a 2.36 ERA against the league's 3.26.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Willoughby
- What years did Jim Willoughby play?
- Jim Willoughby played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1978.
- Was Jim Willoughby a pitcher?
- Yes. Jim Willoughby pitched in the major leagues, recording 26 wins and 250 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jim Willoughby hit?
- Jim Willoughby hit 1 career home runs with 10 hits.
- What was Jim Willoughby's career batting average?
- Jim Willoughby batted .149 over his career, with 10 hits in 67 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jim Willoughby have?
- Jim Willoughby drove in 3 runs in his career.
- What was Jim Willoughby's career ERA?
- Jim Willoughby finished with a 3.79 career ERA, going 26-36 with 250 strikeouts.