Bill Kennedy, baseball player, 1948-1957

Bill Kennedy

Born: 3/14/1921 in Carnesville, GA, USA

Died: 4/9/1983 in Seattle, WA, USA

MLB Debut: 1948-04-26 | Final Game: 1957-09-29

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: William Aulton Kennedy

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Biography

Bill Kennedy, born in 1921, was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 until his retirement in 1957. Throughout his career, he showcased his skills on the mound, finishing with a record of 15-28 and an earned run average (ERA) of 4.73. Kennedy struck out a total of 256 batters and recorded 11 saves, contributing to his teams during a competitive era of baseball marked by the transition from the post-war years into the modern game. Kennedy's playing style reflected the evolving strategies of pitching during the late 1940s and 1950s, a period characterized by both the rise of power hitters and the introduction of new training methods for pitchers. While his win-loss record may not have captured the attention of fans, his ability to strike out batters and secure saves highlighted his role as a reliable option in the bullpen. Bill Kennedy remains a significant figure in baseball history, representing the hardworking pitchers of his time who laid the groundwork for future generations in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
15 28 172 45 6 0 11 464.7 497 244 34 289 256 4.73 0

Career ERA 4.73 vs. league average 4.03 across their career seasons — 17.2% worse 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
1948 CLE AL 1 0 6 3 0 0 0 11.3 16 14 13 12 11.12 4.10 (-171%) 1.8
1948 SLA AL 7 8 26 20 3 0 0 132.0 132 69 104 77 4.70 4.10 (-15%) -3278.1
1949 SLA AL 4 11 48 16 2 0 1 153.7 172 80 73 69 4.69 4.12 (-14%) 24.0
1950 SLA AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 0 2 1 0.00 — 0.0
1951 SLA AL 1 5 19 5 1 0 0 56.0 76 36 37 29 5.79 4.04 (-43%) -521.4
1952 CHW AL 2 2 47 1 0 0 5 70.7 54 22 38 46 2.80 3.70 (+24%) -
1953 BOS AL 0 0 16 0 0 0 2 24.3 24 10 17 14 3.70 4.14 (+11%) -361.3
1956 CIN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 6 4 0 0 18.00 — 0.0
1957 CIN NL 0 2 8 0 0 0 3 12.7 16 9 5 8 6.39 3.83 (-67%) 61.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
172 120 9 25 1 0 0 6 0 8 31 0.208 0.258 0.217 0.474 0.0

Career AVG .208 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 20.1% below league average.

Career OBP .258 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 23.2% below league average.

Career SLG .217 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 44.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.474 vs. league average 0.724 across their career seasons — 34.4% 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
1948 CLE AL 6 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.667 — — — — 0.0
1948 SLA AL 26 44 5 11 1 0 0 4 0 3 4 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1949 SLA AL 48 40 3 6 0 0 0 1 0 3 12 0.150 — — — — 0.0
1950 SLA AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1951 SLA AL 19 16 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 8 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1952 CHW AL 47 13 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.231 — — — — 0.0
1953 BOS AL 16 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1956 CIN NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1957 CIN NL 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 172 0 17 72 8 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1948 CLE P 6 0 0 2 0 0
1948 SLA P 26 0 3 19 0 0
1949 SLA P 48 0 4 23 3 0
1950 SLA P 1 0 0 0 1 0
1951 SLA P 19 0 3 14 1 2
1952 CHA P 47 0 5 8 1 1
1953 BOS P 16 0 2 3 2 0
1956 CIN P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1957 CIN P 8 0 0 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 172