Gary Bell

Born: 11/17/1936 in San Antonio, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1958-06-01 | Final Game: 1969-09-12

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 196 lbs

Full name: Wilbur Gary Bell

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Biography

Gary Bell was a professional baseball pitcher, born in 1936, who enjoyed a successful career from 1958 until his retirement in 1969. Known for his competitive spirit and durability on the mound, Bell finished his career with a record of 121 wins and 117 losses, along with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.68. Over his time in Major League Baseball, he struck out 1,378 batters and recorded 51 saves, showcasing his ability to both start games and close them effectively. Bell was selected as an All-Star four times during his career, a testament to his skill and impact in the game. He played during an era marked by the transition from the deadball era to a time of greater offensive output, making his achievements particularly noteworthy against the backdrop of evolving hitting techniques. Throughout his time in the league, he was respected not only for his performance but also for his sportsmanship and leadership on the team. His contributions to the game have left a lasting legacy, as he remains a celebrated figure in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
121	117	519	233	71	9	51	2015.0	1794	825	206	842	1378	3.68	0

Career ERA 3.68 vs. league average 3.61 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1958	CLE	AL	12	10	33	23	10	0	1	182.0	141	67	73	110	3.31	3.86 (+14%)	444.2
1959	CLE	AL	16	11	44	28	12	1	5	234.0	208	105	105	136	4.04	3.90 (-3%)	-2719.4
1960	CLE	AL	9	10	28	23	6	2	1	154.7	139	71	82	109	4.13	3.82 (-8%)	-1148.6
1961	CLE	AL	12	16	34	34	11	2	0	228.3	214	104	100	163	4.10	4.03 (-2%)	-1999.0
1962	CLE	AL	10	9	57	6	1	0	12	107.7	104	51	52	80	4.26	3.96 (-8%)	-1097.1
1963	CLE	AL	8	5	58	7	0	0	5	119.0	91	39	52	98	2.95	3.46 (+15%)	-624.7
1964	CLE	AL	8	6	56	2	0	0	4	106.0	106	51	53	89	4.33	3.58 (-21%)	-2160.8
1965	CLE	AL	6	5	60	0	0	0	17	103.7	86	35	50	86	3.04	3.50 (+13%)	683.3
1966	CLE	AL	14	15	40	37	12	0	0	254.3	211	91	79	194	3.22	3.52 (+9%)	3622.2
1967	CLE	AL	1	5	9	9	1	0	0	60.7	50	25	24	39	3.71	3.30 (-12%)	-1053.6
1967	BOS	AL	12	8	29	24	8	0	3	165.3	143	58	47	115	3.16	3.30 (+4%)	-119.3
1968	BOS	AL	11	11	35	27	9	3	1	199.3	177	69	68	103	3.12	2.98 (-4%)	390.1
1969	SE1	AL	2	6	13	11	1	1	2	61.3	76	32	34	30	4.70	3.61 (-30%)	-2133.4
1969	CHW	AL	0	0	23	2	0	0	0	38.7	48	27	23	26	6.28	3.61 (-74%)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
521	569	46	105	13	2	1	41	1	25	152	0.185	0.222	0.220	0.441	-2664.1

Career AVG .185 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — 26.1% below league average.

Career OBP .222 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — 29.8% below league average.

Career SLG .220 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 41.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.441 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — 36.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1958	CLE	AL	33	56	4	11	1	1	0	3	0	4	14	0.196	.257 (-24%)	.324 (-19%)	.394 (-37%)	.719 (-29%)	-267.6
1959	CLE	AL	44	75	8	18	2	0	0	6	0	3	19	0.240	.256 (-6%)	.323 (-17%)	.392 (-32%)	.715 (-25%)	-318.7
1960	CLE	AL	30	47	6	7	1	0	0	3	1	2	9	0.149	—	—	—	—	-370.6
1961	CLE	AL	34	81	8	16	1	0	0	9	0	4	17	0.198	.258 (-24%)	.328 (-29%)	.399 (-47%)	.727 (-39%)	-543.2
1962	CLE	AL	57	24	2	5	0	0	0	2	0	3	9	0.208	—	—	—	—	0.0
1963	CLE	AL	58	26	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	8	0.115	—	—	—	—	0.0
1964	CLE	AL	56	16	2	6	0	0	0	5	0	1	5	0.375	—	—	—	—	0.0
1965	CLE	AL	60	16	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	7	0.062	—	—	—	—	0.0
1966	CLE	AL	40	76	2	10	0	1	0	2	0	4	25	0.132	.248 (-47%)	.309 (-40%)	.376 (-58%)	.685 (-50%)	-614.0
1967	CLE	AL	9	15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1967	BOS	AL	29	59	7	12	3	0	0	2	0	0	12	0.203	.242 (-16%)	.306 (-34%)	.357 (-29%)	.663 (-31%)	0.0
1968	BOS	AL	35	59	5	13	3	0	0	6	0	0	16	0.220	.236 (-7%)	.298 (-29%)	.340 (-20%)	.638 (-24%)	-252.5
1969	SE1	AL	13	14	1	3	2	0	0	2	0	2	3	0.214	—	—	—	—	0.0
1969	CHW	AL	23	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1967	WS	BOS	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	1	3	1	1	5.3	8	3	1	1	5.06

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1967	WS	BOS	0	1	3	1	1	5.3	8	3	1	1	5.06

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	519	233	141	278	16	30

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1958	CLE	P	33	23	10	15	0	5
1959	CLE	P	44	28	19	27	3	3
1960	CLE	P	28	23	11	26	2	4
1961	CLE	P	34	34	26	24	1	1
1962	CLE	P	57	6	14	9	1	2
1963	CLE	P	58	7	6	20	1	2
1964	CLE	P	56	2	3	14	1	1
1965	CLE	P	60	0	5	12	0	0
1966	CLE	P	40	37	8	50	2	3
1967	CLE	P	9	9	7	13	0	0
1967	BOS	P	29	24	10	22	1	3
1968	BOS	P	35	27	16	29	2	4
1969	SE1	P	13	11	5	10	2	2
1969	CHA	P	23	2	1	7	0	0