Bill Kissinger

Born: 8/15/1871 in Dayton, KY, USA

Died: 4/20/1929 in Cincinnati, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1895-05-30 | Final Game: 1897-06-10

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: William Francis Kissinger

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Biography

Bill Kissinger was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball during the late 19th century. Born in 1871, he made his mark in the sport from 1895 until his last game on June 10, 1897. Throughout his brief career, Kissinger compiled a record of 7 wins and 25 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 6.99. He recorded a total of 61 strikeouts and achieved 1 save, showcasing his role as a pitcher in an era that was still developing its understanding of the game and the art of pitching. Kissinger's career unfolded during a transformative time in baseball, characterized by the shift from the deadball era to a more offense-oriented style of play. While his statistics may not reflect the dominant prowess seen in some of his contemporaries, his contributions to the teams he played for were part of the broader narrative of the sport's evolution. His time in MLB, although short-lived, placed him among the ranks of early baseball players who laid the groundwork for future generations.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
7	25	53	32	23	0	1	319.3	500	248	15	123	61	6.99	0

Career ERA 6.99 vs. league average 4.48 across their career seasons — 56.1% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1895	BLN	NL	1	0	2	2	1	0	11.3	18	5	2	3	3.97	4.77 (+17%)	338.4
1895	STL	NL	4	12	24	14	9	0	140.7	222	105	51	31	6.72	4.77 (-41%)	-
1896	STL	NL	2	9	20	12	11	1	136.0	209	98	55	22	6.49	4.36 (-49%)	-
1897	STL	NL	0	4	7	4	2	0	31.3	51	40	15	5	11.49	4.30 (-167%)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
72	214	24	60	13	3	0	26	1	3	21	0.280	0.290	0.369	0.659	-616.7

Career AVG .280 vs. league average .293 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .290 vs. league average .357 across their career seasons — 18.6% below league average.

Career SLG .369 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.659 vs. league average 0.748 across their career seasons — 11.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1895	BLN	NL	2	5	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
1895	STL	NL	33	97	8	24	6	1	8	1	0	11	0.247	.296 (-16%)	.361 (-32%)	.399 (-17%)	.761 (-24%)	0.0
1896	STL	NL	23	73	8	22	4	0	12	0	0	4	0.301	.290 (+4%)	.354 (-15%)	.387 (-8%)	.741 (-11%)	-160.6
1897	STL	NL	14	39	7	13	3	2	6	0	3	5	0.333	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	PO	A	E	DP
3B	2	1	2	4	0
OF	14	18	0	3	0
P	53	16	84	7	3
SS	4	3	14	5	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1895	BLN	P	2	0	2	0	0
1895	SLN	3B	1	1	0	1	0
1895	SLN	OF	4	2	0	0	0
1895	SLN	P	24	8	31	1	1
1895	SLN	SS	4	3	14	5	0
1896	SLN	3B	1	0	2	3	0
1896	SLN	OF	3	5	0	0	0
1896	SLN	P	20	5	43	5	2
1897	SLN	OF	7	11	0	3	0
1897	SLN	P	7	3	8	1	0