Mitch Williams, baseball player, 1986-1997

Mitch Williams

Born: 11/17/1964 in Santa Ana, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1986-04-09 | Final Game: 1997-05-10

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Mitchell Steven Williams

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Biography

Mitch Williams, born in 1964, was an accomplished pitcher who made a notable impact in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 1997. Known for his intense delivery and competitive spirit, Williams finished his career with a record of 45-58 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.65. Over the course of his tenure, he accumulated 660 strikeouts and recorded 192 saves, showcasing his ability to excel in high-pressure situations, particularly as a closer. His unique pitching style and fiery persona on the mound earned him the nickname "Wild Thing," making him a memorable figure in the game. Williams was selected as an All-Star during his career, reflecting his status as one of the premier relievers of his time. He played in an era that was characterized by the emergence of power hitters and the increasing importance of specialized relief pitching. His contributions were particularly significant in the postseason, where he played a key role in helping teams secure victories. Despite finishing his career with a modest win-loss record, Williams' ability to close games and his striking strikeout rate solidified his legacy as a formidable presence in the late innings of ballgames.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
45 58 619 3 0 0 192 691.3 537 280 49 544 660 3.65 0

Career ERA 3.65 vs. league average 4.06 across their career seasons — 10.3% better 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
1986 TEX AL 8 6 80 0 0 0 8 98.0 69 39 79 90 3.58 3.97 (+10%) -1944.8
1987 TEX AL 8 6 85 1 0 0 6 108.7 63 39 94 129 3.23 4.29 (+25%) -189.8
1988 TEX AL 2 7 67 0 0 0 18 68.0 48 35 47 61 4.63 3.73 (-24%) -593.3
1989 CHC NL 4 4 76 0 0 0 36 81.7 71 25 52 67 2.76 3.71 (+26%) -
1990 CHC NL 1 8 59 2 0 0 16 66.3 60 29 50 55 3.93 3.86 (-2%) -
1991 PHI NL 12 5 69 0 0 0 30 88.3 56 23 62 84 2.34 3.91 (+40%) -19.4
1992 PHI NL 5 8 66 0 0 0 29 81.0 69 34 64 74 3.78 3.75 (-1%) -916.3
1993 PHI NL 3 7 65 0 0 0 43 62.0 56 23 44 60 3.34 4.19 (+20%) 444.1
1994 HOU NL 1 4 25 0 0 0 6 20.0 21 17 24 21 7.65 4.51 (-70%) -1440.6
1995 LAA AL 1 2 20 0 0 0 0 10.7 13 8 21 9 6.75 4.45 (-52%) -
1997 KCR AL 0 1 7 0 0 0 0 6.7 11 8 7 10 10.80 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
619 16 2 3 0 0 1 4 0 1 4 0.188 0.235 0.375 0.610 0.0

Career AVG .188 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 28.0% below league average.

Career OBP .235 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 28.3% below league average.

Career SLG .375 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — 5.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.610 vs. league average 0.725 across their career seasons — 15.9% 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
1986 TEX AL 80 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 TEX AL 85 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 TEX AL 67 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 CHC NL 76 5 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1990 CHC NL 59 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1991 PHI NL 69 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1992 PHI NL 66 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1993 PHI NL 65 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1994 HOU NL 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 LAA AL 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1997 KCR AL 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
9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1993 NLCS PHI 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1993 WS PHI 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1989 NLCS CHN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 2 9 0 3 9.0 12 7 6 8 7.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1993 NLCS PHI 2 0 4 0 2 5.3 6 1 2 5 1.69
1993 WS PHI 0 2 3 0 1 2.7 5 6 4 1 20.25
1989 NLCS CHN 0 0 2 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 2 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 619 3 14 75 17 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1986 TEX P 80 0 1 10 2 1
1987 TEX P 85 1 5 15 3 3
1988 TEX P 67 0 3 10 1 0
1989 CHN P 76 0 0 11 3 0
1990 CHN P 59 2 1 5 0 0
1991 PHI P 69 0 0 8 3 0
1992 PHI P 66 0 1 11 3 0
1993 PHI P 65 0 2 3 2 0
1994 HOU P 25 0 0 1 0 0
1995 CAL P 20 0 1 1 0 0
1997 KCA P 7 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 619

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1991 Pitcher of the Month August
1991 Player of the Week Week of 1991-08-10

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1994 HOU NL $2,500,000
1993 PHI NL $3,500,000
1992 PHI NL $3,200,000
1991 PHI NL $1,500,000
1990 CHN NL $1,125,000
1989 CHN NL $377,500
1988 TEX AL $200,000
1986 TEX AL $60,000
Total Career Earnings $12,462,500

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1991 Cy Young Award NL 6th 1.0 120 0
1989 Cy Young Award NL 9th 1.0 120 0
1989 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 41.0 336 0