Bill Wight, baseball player, 1946-1958

Bill Wight

Born: 4/12/1922 in Rio Vista, CA, USA

Died: 5/17/2007 in Mount Shasta, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1946-04-17 | Final Game: 1958-09-21

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: William Robert Wight

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Biography

Bill Wight was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1946 to 1958. Born in 1922, he made his Major League debut shortly after World War II, a time when baseball was experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Over the course of his career, Wight played for several teams, showcasing his skills primarily as a starting pitcher. He finished his career with a record of 77 wins and 99 losses, and he posted an earned run average (ERA) of 3.95. His ability to strike out hitters was notable, as he recorded 574 strikeouts, while also contributing 8 saves to his teams. Wight's playing style was characterized by poise on the mound, and he was known for his ability to navigate through tough situations with a resilient mindset. Competing during a period of transition in baseball, he witnessed the integration of the sport and the evolution of pitching strategies. Despite finishing his career with a slightly below .500 win-loss record, Wight's contributions to the game and his performance during a competitive era solidified his place in baseball history. After retiring in 1958, he left behind a legacy that reflected the grit and determination of pitchers during the post-war era.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
77 99 347 198 66 15 8 1563.0 1656 686 74 714 574 3.95 0

Career ERA 3.95 vs. league average 3.97 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
1946 NYY AL 2 2 14 4 1 0 0 40.3 44 20 30 11 4.46 3.59 (-24%) -
1947 NYY AL 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 8 1 2 3 1.00 3.97 (+75%) -
1948 CHW AL 9 20 34 32 7 1 1 223.3 238 119 135 68 4.80 4.10 (-17%) -
1949 CHW AL 15 13 35 33 14 3 1 245.0 254 90 96 78 3.31 4.12 (+20%) -
1950 CHW AL 10 16 30 28 13 3 0 206.0 213 82 79 62 3.58 4.36 (+18%) -
1951 BOS AL 7 7 34 17 4 2 0 118.3 128 67 63 38 5.10 4.04 (-26%) 171.0
1952 BOS AL 2 1 10 2 0 0 0 24.3 14 8 14 5 2.96 3.70 (+20%) -1057.4
1952 DET AL 5 9 23 19 8 3 0 143.7 167 62 55 65 3.88 3.70 (-5%) 1611.0
1953 DET AL 0 3 13 4 0 0 0 25.3 35 25 14 10 8.88 4.14 (-115%) -875.5
1953 CLE AL 2 1 20 0 0 0 1 26.7 29 11 16 14 3.71 4.14 (+10%) 207.0
1955 CLE AL 0 0 17 0 0 0 1 24.0 24 7 9 9 2.62 4.00 (+34%) 757.2
1955 BAL AL 6 8 19 14 8 2 2 117.3 111 32 39 54 2.45 4.00 (+39%) 2596.9
1956 BAL AL 9 12 35 26 7 1 0 174.7 198 78 72 84 4.02 3.96 (-1%) 3155.5
1957 BAL AL 6 6 27 17 2 0 0 121.0 122 49 54 50 3.64 3.83 (+5%) 1040.3
1958 CIN NL 0 1 7 0 0 0 0 6.7 7 3 4 5 4.05 — 0.0
1958 STL NL 3 0 28 1 1 0 2 57.3 64 32 32 18 5.02 3.86 (-30%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
347 480 19 55 6 0 0 24 0 24 169 0.115 0.160 0.127 0.287 -3159.6

Career AVG .115 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 56.0% below league average.

Career OBP .160 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 52.1% below league average.

Career SLG .127 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — 67.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.287 vs. league average 0.719 across their career seasons — 60.1% 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
1946 NYY AL 14 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1947 NYY AL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1948 CHW AL 34 73 2 6 0 0 0 3 0 3 31 0.082 .263 (-69%) .340 (-62%) .379 (-78%) .719 (-71%) -876.9
1949 CHW AL 35 85 7 14 3 0 0 6 0 6 27 0.165 .262 (-37%) .343 (-36%) .384 (-48%) .727 (-42%) -630.0
1950 CHW AL 30 61 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 17 0.000 .265 (-100%) .346 (-82%) .401 (-100%) .747 (-92%) -988.3
1951 BOS AL 34 41 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 16 0.073 — — — — 0.0
1952 BOS AL 10 7 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1952 DET AL 23 50 2 11 2 0 0 4 0 1 7 0.220 .252 (-13%) .326 (-28%) .369 (-30%) .696 (-29%) 0.0
1953 DET AL 13 7 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.429 — — — — 0.0
1953 CLE AL 20 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1955 CLE AL 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1955 BAL AL 19 36 1 3 1 0 0 2 0 1 16 0.083 — — — — 0.0
1956 BAL AL 35 60 2 12 0 0 0 4 0 2 26 0.200 .258 (-23%) .331 (-32%) .397 (-50%) .728 (-42%) -421.4
1957 BAL AL 27 34 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 0.029 — — — — 0.0
1958 CIN NL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1958 STL NL 28 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0.100 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
P 347 58 45 355 40 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1946 NYA P 14 0 1 11 3 0
1947 NYA P 1 0 1 3 0 0
1948 CHA P 34 0 4 47 3 2
1949 CHA P 35 0 10 50 5 3
1950 CHA P 30 0 5 49 6 2
1951 BOS P 34 0 1 29 3 2
1952 BOS P 10 0 3 4 1 1
1952 DET P 23 0 4 40 3 0
1953 DET P 13 0 0 4 4 0
1953 CLE P 20 0 1 5 0 1
1955 CLE P 17 0 1 15 0 0
1955 BAL 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1955 BAL P 19 14 2 34 3 1
1956 BAL P 35 26 6 27 4 1
1957 BAL P 27 17 3 21 3 1
1958 CIN P 7 0 3 1 1 2
1958 SLN P 28 1 0 15 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 347
First Base 1