Bill Swift, baseball player, 1985-1998

Bill Swift

Born: 10/27/1961 in Portland, ME, USA

MLB Debut: 1985-06-07 | Final Game: 1998-09-11

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: William Charles Swift

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Biography

Bill Swift was a prominent right-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1998. Born in 1961, Swift made his debut in an era characterized by dynamic offensive play and a growing emphasis on pitcher durability. Over his 13-year career, he compiled a record of 94 wins and 78 losses, maintaining a career ERA of 3.95. Known for his ability to strike out batters, he recorded a total of 767 strikeouts, along with 27 saves, showcasing his versatility as a pitcher who could close games when needed. Swift's playing style combined a solid fastball with effective secondary pitches, allowing him to navigate through lineups during a time when hitters were increasingly powerful. He contributed significantly to the teams he played for, including the Seattle Mariners and the San Francisco Giants, and was recognized for his competitive spirit and work ethic on the mound. His contributions to the game have left a lasting impact, and he remains a respected figure among baseball historians and fans alike.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
94 78 403 220 11 4 27 1599.7 1688 702 116 507 767 3.95 0

Career ERA 3.95 vs. league average 4.11 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
1985 SEA AL 6 10 23 21 0 0 0 120.7 131 64 48 55 4.77 3.89 (-23%) -181.8
1986 SEA AL 2 9 29 17 1 0 0 115.3 148 70 55 55 5.46 3.97 (-38%) -62.2
1988 SEA AL 8 12 38 24 6 1 0 174.7 199 89 65 47 4.59 3.73 (-23%) -2240.4
1989 SEA AL 7 3 37 16 0 0 1 130.0 140 64 38 45 4.43 3.71 (-19%) 55.7
1990 SEA AL 6 4 55 8 0 0 6 128.0 135 34 21 42 2.39 3.86 (+38%) 2124.1
1991 SEA AL 1 2 71 0 0 0 17 90.3 74 20 26 48 1.99 3.91 (+49%) 1816.8
1992 SFG NL 10 4 30 22 3 2 1 164.7 144 38 43 77 2.08 3.75 (+45%) -
1993 SFG NL 21 8 34 34 1 1 0 232.7 195 73 55 157 2.82 4.19 (+33%) -
1994 SFG NL 8 7 17 17 0 0 0 109.3 109 41 31 62 3.38 4.51 (+25%) -
1995 COL NL 9 3 19 19 0 0 0 105.7 122 58 43 68 4.94 4.45 (-11%) -244.8
1996 COL NL 1 1 7 3 0 0 2 18.3 23 11 5 5 5.40 4.61 (-17%) 210.5
1997 COL NL 4 6 14 13 0 0 0 65.3 85 46 26 29 6.34 4.39 (-44%) -2162.6
1998 SEA AL 11 9 29 26 0 0 0 144.7 183 94 51 77 5.85 4.43 (-32%) -2961.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
410 229 27 48 9 0 1 15 1 15 54 0.210 0.260 0.262 0.522 -669.0

Career AVG .210 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 19.8% below league average.

Career OBP .260 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 21.0% below league average.

Career SLG .262 vs. league average .400 across their career seasons — 34.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.522 vs. league average 0.729 across their career seasons — 28.4% 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
1985 SEA AL 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 SEA AL 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 SEA AL 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 SEA AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1990 SEA AL 55 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1991 SEA AL 71 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 SFG NL 34 51 3 8 3 0 0 3 0 1 18 0.157 .255 (-39%) .322 (-46%) .377 (-43%) .699 (-44%) -382.3
1993 SFG NL 34 80 12 21 1 0 0 4 0 5 19 0.263 .265 (-1%) .332 (-9%) .403 (-32%) .735 (-22%) -286.7
1994 SFG NL 18 32 5 6 3 0 0 2 0 3 5 0.188 — — — — 0.0
1995 COL NL 19 36 5 7 1 0 1 4 1 2 5 0.194 — — — — 0.0
1996 COL NL 7 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1997 COL NL 16 19 2 4 1 0 0 2 0 4 4 0.211 — — — — 0.0
1998 SEA AL 29 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1995 NLDS1 COL 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 1 0 6.0 7 4 2 3 6.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1995 NLDS1 COL 0 0 1 1 0 6.0 7 4 2 3 6.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 403 220 151 330 28 29

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1985 SEA P 23 21 10 18 1 1
1986 SEA P 29 17 13 21 1 1
1988 SEA P 38 24 19 33 4 3
1989 SEA P 37 16 18 39 2 5
1990 SEA P 55 8 10 21 2 1
1991 SEA P 71 0 6 25 3 4
1992 SFN P 30 22 18 33 1 3
1993 SFN P 34 34 17 44 6 3
1994 SFN P 17 17 8 13 2 1
1995 COL P 19 19 9 28 1 2
1996 COL P 7 3 2 4 0 0
1997 COL P 14 13 4 22 1 2
1998 SEA P 29 26 17 29 4 3

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 403

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1993 Pitcher of the Month July
1992 Pitcher of the Month April

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1998 SEA AL $425,000
1997 COL NL $4,608,333
1996 COL NL $4,608,333
1995 COL NL $3,933,333
1994 SFN NL $2,316,667
1993 SFN NL $3,316,667
1992 SFN NL $2,316,667
1991 SEA AL $950,000
1990 SEA AL $370,000
1989 SEA AL $195,000
1988 SEA AL $77,500
1986 SEA AL $75,000
Total Career Earnings $23,192,500

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Maine at Orono Orono ME 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1993 Cy Young Award NL 2nd 61.0 140 2