John Hiller, baseball player, 1965-1980

John Hiller

Born: 4/8/1943 in Toronto, ON, CAN

MLB Debut: 1965-09-06 | Final Game: 1980-05-27

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: John Frederick Hiller

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Biography

John Hiller, born in 1943, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1965 until his retirement in 1980. He was known for his exceptional skills on the mound, finishing his career with a record of 87-76 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.83. Over the course of his career, Hiller accumulated 1,036 strikeouts and secured 125 saves, showcasing his ability as both a starter and a reliever. His performance earned him a selection to the All-Star Game, highlighting his status among the elite players of his time. Hiller played during an era that witnessed significant changes in baseball, including the evolution of pitching strategies and the role of relief pitchers. His effectiveness in high-pressure situations made him a reliable asset for his team, and he became known for his resilience and competitive spirit. Hiller's contributions to the game were not only measured in statistics but also in the impact he had on the teams he played for, leaving a lasting legacy in the world of baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
87 76 545 43 13 6 125 1242.0 1040 391 110 535 1036 2.83 0

Career ERA 2.83 vs. league average 3.63 across their career seasons — 22.0% better than 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
1965 DET AL 0 0 5 0 0 0 1 6.0 5 0 1 4 0.00 — 0.0
1966 DET AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 2 2 2 1 9.00 — 0.0
1967 DET AL 4 3 23 6 2 2 3 65.0 57 19 9 49 2.63 3.30 (+20%) 1740.1
1968 DET AL 9 6 39 12 4 1 2 128.0 92 34 51 78 2.39 2.98 (+20%) -964.6
1969 DET AL 4 4 40 8 1 1 4 99.3 97 44 44 74 3.99 3.61 (-10%) -1181.4
1970 DET AL 6 6 47 5 1 1 3 104.0 82 35 46 89 3.03 3.89 (+22%) 197.6
1972 DET AL 1 2 24 3 1 0 3 44.3 39 10 13 26 2.03 3.26 (+38%) -243.5
1973 DET AL 10 5 65 0 0 0 38 125.3 89 20 39 124 1.44 3.75 (+62%) 4819.6
1974 DET AL 17 14 59 0 0 0 13 150.0 127 44 62 134 2.64 3.63 (+27%) 2586.6
1975 DET AL 2 3 36 0 0 0 14 70.7 52 17 36 87 2.17 3.71 (+42%) 1709.5
1976 DET AL 12 8 56 1 1 1 13 121.0 93 32 67 117 2.38 3.51 (+32%) 1093.4
1977 DET AL 8 14 45 8 3 0 7 124.0 120 49 61 115 3.56 4.00 (+11%) 135.8
1978 DET AL 9 4 51 0 0 0 15 92.3 64 24 35 74 2.34 3.69 (+37%) 1700.8
1979 DET AL 4 7 43 0 0 0 9 79.3 83 46 55 46 5.22 4.00 (-30%) -3919.4
1980 DET AL 1 0 11 0 0 0 0 30.7 38 15 14 18 4.40 3.84 (-15%) -291.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
546 101 2 11 1 0 0 4 0 3 34 0.109 0.135 0.119 0.253 0.0

Career AVG .109 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 57.1% below league average.

Career OBP .135 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 57.9% below league average.

Career SLG .119 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 68.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.253 vs. league average 0.695 across their career seasons — 63.5% 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
1965 DET AL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1966 DET AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1967 DET AL 23 15 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 5 0.133 — — — — 0.0
1968 DET AL 39 37 1 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 14 0.081 — — — — 0.0
1969 DET AL 41 21 1 6 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.286 — — — — 0.0
1970 DET AL 47 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1972 DET AL 24 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1973 DET AL 65 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 DET AL 59 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 DET AL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 DET AL 56 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1977 DET AL 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 DET AL 51 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 DET AL 43 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 DET AL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 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
1972 ALCS DET 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1968 WS DET 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 0 5 0 0 5.3 7 3 4 2 5.06

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1972 ALCS DET 1 0 3 0 0 3.3 1 0 1 1 0.00
1968 WS DET 0 0 2 0 0 2.0 6 3 3 1 13.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 545 43 45 136 8 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1965 DET P 5 0 0 0 0 0
1966 DET P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1967 DET P 23 6 4 9 1 0
1968 DET P 39 12 12 15 0 1
1969 DET P 40 8 2 11 1 0
1970 DET P 47 5 3 10 0 0
1972 DET P 24 3 1 9 0 2
1973 DET P 65 0 8 16 1 1
1974 DET P 59 0 2 11 1 0
1975 DET P 36 0 1 8 0 0
1976 DET P 56 1 2 13 1 0
1977 DET P 45 8 4 11 2 1
1978 DET P 51 0 1 9 0 0
1979 DET P 43 0 4 10 0 0
1980 DET P 11 0 1 4 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 545

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1973 Hutch Award
1973 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1973 TSN Fireman of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1974 Cy Young Award AL 7th 1.0 120 0
1974 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 11.0 336 0
1973 Cy Young Award AL 4th 6.0 120 0
1973 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 83.0 336 0