Bill Lee, baseball player, 1969-1982

Bill Lee

Born: 12/28/1946 in Burbank, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1969-06-25 | Final Game: 1982-05-07

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: William Francis Lee

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Biography

Bill Lee, born in 1946, was a notable pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 until his retirement in 1982. Known for his unorthodox pitching style and colorful personality, Lee carved a niche for himself in baseball lore during an era characterized by a transition in the game, including the rise of free agency and the increasing importance of specialized pitchers. Over the course of his career, he achieved a record of 119-90 with an earned run average of 3.62, accumulating 713 strikeouts and 19 saves. Lee's most prominent season came when he was selected as an All-Star, reflecting his status as one of the more effective pitchers of his time. His contributions to the teams he played for, particularly the Boston Red Sox, were marked by his distinctive approach both on and off the mound, making him a beloved figure among fans. Lee's career spanned a transformative period in baseball, and he is remembered not only for his statistics but also for his unique personality and the impact he had on the culture of the game.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
119 90 416 225 72 10 19 1944.3 2122 783 176 531 713 3.62 0

Career ERA 3.62 vs. league average 3.71 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
1969 BOS AL 1 3 20 1 0 0 0 52.0 56 26 28 45 4.50 3.61 (-25%) -1505.4
1970 BOS AL 2 2 11 5 0 0 1 37.0 48 19 14 19 4.62 3.89 (-19%) 79.5
1971 BOS AL 9 2 47 3 0 0 2 102.0 102 31 46 74 2.74 3.47 (+21%) 505.2
1972 BOS AL 7 4 47 0 0 0 5 84.3 75 30 32 43 3.20 3.26 (+2%) -128.5
1973 BOS AL 17 11 38 33 18 1 1 284.7 275 87 76 120 2.75 3.75 (+27%) 1932.1
1974 BOS AL 17 15 38 37 16 1 0 282.3 320 110 67 95 3.51 3.63 (+3%) -1370.3
1975 BOS AL 17 9 41 34 17 4 0 260.0 274 114 69 78 3.95 3.71 (-6%) -733.8
1976 BOS AL 5 7 24 14 1 0 3 96.0 124 60 28 29 5.62 3.51 (-60%) -3043.1
1977 BOS AL 9 5 27 16 4 0 1 128.0 155 63 29 31 4.43 4.00 (-11%) -1171.5
1978 BOS AL 10 10 28 24 8 1 0 177.0 198 68 59 44 3.46 3.69 (+6%) -4143.7
1979 WSN NL 16 10 33 33 6 3 0 222.0 230 75 46 59 3.04 4.00 (+24%) -
1980 WSN NL 4 6 24 18 2 0 0 118.0 156 65 22 34 4.96 3.84 (-29%) -
1981 WSN NL 5 6 31 7 0 0 6 88.7 90 29 14 34 2.94 3.58 (+18%) -
1982 WSN NL 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 12.3 19 6 1 8 4.38 3.86 (-13%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
419 197 12 41 3 1 2 10 0 1 63 0.208 0.212 0.264 0.476 -464.6

Career AVG .208 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 18.9% below league average.

Career OBP .212 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 34.4% below league average.

Career SLG .264 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — 30.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.476 vs. league average 0.701 across their career seasons — 32.1% 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
1969 BOS AL 20 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1970 BOS AL 11 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1971 BOS AL 47 23 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 1 8 0.217 — — — — 0.0
1972 BOS AL 47 16 3 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 7 0.188 — — — — 0.0
1973 BOS AL 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 BOS AL 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 BOS AL 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 BOS AL 26 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 BOS AL 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 BOS AL 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 WSN NL 33 74 5 16 2 0 0 6 0 0 21 0.216 .265 (-19%) .329 (-34%) .397 (-39%) .727 (-37%) -464.6
1980 WSN NL 25 41 2 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 12 0.220 — — — — 0.0
1981 WSN NL 31 22 1 8 0 0 1 2 0 0 4 0.364 — — — — 0.0
1982 WSN NL 7 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
4 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.167

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1981 NEDIV MON 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 NLCS MON 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1975 WS BOS 2 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.167

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 4 2 0 15.3 15 5 3 8 2.93

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1981 NEDIV MON 0 0 1 0 0 0.7 2 0 0 1 0.00
1981 NLCS MON 0 0 1 0 0 0.3 1 0 0 0 0.00
1975 WS BOS 0 0 2 2 0 14.3 12 5 3 7 3.14

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 416 225 83 415 28 24

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1969 BOS P 20 1 2 6 1 0
1970 BOS P 11 5 1 10 0 1
1971 BOS P 47 3 2 19 1 0
1972 BOS P 47 0 6 24 0 2
1973 BOS P 38 33 10 57 6 2
1974 BOS P 38 37 9 69 8 3
1975 BOS P 41 34 9 54 5 4
1976 BOS P 24 14 2 22 2 1
1977 BOS P 27 16 3 32 1 4
1978 BOS P 28 24 9 32 3 2
1979 MON P 33 33 11 41 1 2
1980 MON P 24 18 7 19 0 2
1981 MON P 31 7 12 27 0 1
1982 MON P 7 0 0 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 416
Designated Hitter 2

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1975 Player of the Week Week of 1975-05-23
1975 Player of the Week Week of 1975-08-22

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Southern California Los Angeles CA 1966, 1967, 1968

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1975 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 5.0 336 0