Jack Wilson
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1934-1942)
Jack Wilson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1942 for 4 teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 9 seasons. Across 281 career appearances, he went 68-72 with a 4.59 ERA, 590 strikeouts, and 20 saves. He also batted .199 with 3 home runs.
- 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
- 5'11" / 210 lb
- Died
- 4/19/1995 in Edmonds, WA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1934-09-09
- Last Game
- 1942-09-16
Full name: John Francis Wilson
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | PHA | AL | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 12.00 | 4.29 (-180%) | 0.0 |
| 1935 | BOS | AL | 3 | 4 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 64.0 | 72 | 30 | 36 | 19 | 4.22 | 4.35 (+3%) | -49.1 |
| 1936 | BOS | AL | 6 | 8 | 43 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 136.1 | 152 | 67 | 86 | 74 | 4.42 | 4.59 (+4%) | 66.1 |
| 1937 | BOS | AL | 16 | 10 | 51 | 21 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 221.1 | 209 | 91 | 119 | 137 | 3.70 | 4.34 (+15%) | -239.7 |
| 1938 | BOS | AL | 15 | 15 | 37 | 27 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 194.2 | 200 | 93 | 91 | 96 | 4.30 | 4.35 (+1%) | -1269.0 |
| 1939 | BOS | AL | 11 | 11 | 36 | 22 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 177.1 | 198 | 92 | 75 | 80 | 4.67 | 4.28 (-9%) | 455.9 |
| 1940 | BOS | AL | 12 | 6 | 41 | 16 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 157.2 | 170 | 89 | 87 | 102 | 5.08 | 4.21 (-21%) | -2406.0 |
| 1941 | BOS | AL | 4 | 13 | 27 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 116.1 | 140 | 65 | 70 | 55 | 5.03 | 3.94 (-28%) | -1634.4 |
| 1942 | WS1 | AL | 1 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42.0 | 57 | 31 | 23 | 18 | 6.64 | 3.57 (-86%) | -508.9 |
| 1942 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 | 20 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4.85 | 3.57 (-36%) | -677.8 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 68 | 72 | 281 | 121 | 50 | 5 | 20 | 1,131.2 | 1,233 | 577 | 601 | 590 | 4.59 | — | -6,263 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 283 | 413 | 34 | 82 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 49 | 0 | 10 | 68 | .199 | .217 | .252 | .469 | -1,942 |
Career AVG .199 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — 27.0% below league average.
Career OBP .217 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 35.8% below league average.
Career SLG .252 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 35.1% below league average.
Career OPS .469 vs. league average .727 across their career seasons — 35.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | PHA | AL | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1935 | BOS | AL | 23 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .312 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1936 | BOS | AL | 44 | 50 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .220 | .283 (-23%) | .349 (-33%) | .404 (-36%) | .753 (-34%) | -289.6 |
| 1937 | BOS | AL | 51 | 85 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 13 | .165 | .276 (-40%) | .342 (-41%) | .398 (-53%) | .740 (-47%) | -657.4 |
| 1938 | BOS | AL | 37 | 68 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 8 | .221 | .272 (-19%) | .341 (-29%) | .392 (-36%) | .734 (-33%) | -366.4 |
| 1939 | BOS | AL | 37 | 63 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 17 | .159 | .274 (-42%) | .342 (-54%) | .393 (-60%) | .735 (-57%) | -579.1 |
| 1940 | BOS | AL | 41 | 66 | 9 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .273 | .267 (+2%) | .335 (-15%) | .387 (+9%) | .722 (-2%) | -50.0 |
| 1941 | BOS | AL | 27 | 44 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .159 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | WS1 | AL | 12 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .118 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | DET | AL | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 283 | 413 | 34 | 82 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 49 | 0 | 10 | 68 | .199 | — | — | — | — | -1,942 | ||
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 (564 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 137 | 193 | 17 | 45 | 1 | 29 | .233 |
| Away | 146 | 218 | 17 | 37 | 2 | 20 | .170 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 135 | 552.2 | 584 | 251 | 290 | 317 | 4.09 |
| Away | 146 | 578.2 | 650 | 333 | 312 | 269 | 5.18 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942-09-16 | DET | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1942-08-30 | DET | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-13 | DET | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-08 | DET | SLA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-01 | DET | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-07-30 | DET | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-07-25 | DET | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-07-23 | DET | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-07-19 | DET | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-07-12 | MIN | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942-09-16 | DET | NYY | — | 6.0 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1942-08-30 | DET | NYY | — | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-13 | DET | CLE | — | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-08 | DET | SLA | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-08-01 | DET | BOS | — | 1.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-07-30 | DET | PHA | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-07-25 | DET | NYY | — | 1.0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1942-07-23 | DET | MIN | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1942-07-19 | DET | PHA | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-07-12 | MIN | CLE | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | PHA | P | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935 | BOS | P | 23 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 1936 | BOS | P | 43 | 0 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 1 |
| 1937 | BOS | P | 51 | 0 | 9 | 41 | 2 | 3 |
| 1938 | BOS | P | 37 | 0 | 15 | 27 | 3 | 2 |
| 1939 | BOS | P | 36 | 0 | 14 | 25 | 1 | 1 |
| 1940 | BOS | P | 41 | 0 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| 1941 | BOS | P | 27 | 0 | 15 | 26 | 2 | 4 |
| 1942 | WS1 | P | 12 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942 | DET | P | 9 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 281 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jack Wilson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jack Wilson: the record in brief
Jack Wilson's major league career runs from a debut on September 9, 1934 to a final game on September 16, 1942. Wilson played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1934), the Boston Red Sox (1935 to 1941), the Washington Senators (1942), and the Detroit Tigers (1942). Wilson played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on April 12, 1912, in Portland, OR, USA and a listed size of 210 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Wilson's death is recorded on April 19, 1995, in Edmonds, WA, USA. Jack Wilson was the playing name; the full given name is John Francis.
Wilson pitched in 281 games, starting 121, and finished with a 68-72 record and 4.59 ERA. Wilson had 590 strikeouts, 50 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 20 saves. Against a 4.21 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.59 mark was 9.1% worse. The best win total was 16, in 1937.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jack Wilson
- What years did Jack Wilson play?
- Jack Wilson played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1942.
- Was Jack Wilson a pitcher?
- Yes. Jack Wilson pitched in the major leagues, recording 68 wins and 590 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jack Wilson hit?
- Jack Wilson hit 3 career home runs with 82 hits.
- What was Jack Wilson's career batting average?
- Jack Wilson batted .199 over his career, with 82 hits in 413 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jack Wilson have?
- Jack Wilson drove in 49 runs in his career.
- What was Jack Wilson's career ERA?
- Jack Wilson finished with a 4.59 career ERA, going 68-72 with 590 strikeouts.