Vic Willis

⭐ Hall of Fame 1995

Born: 4/12/1876 in Cecil County, MD, USA

Died: 8/3/1947 in Elkton, MD, USA

MLB Debut: 1898-04-20 | Final Game: 1910-09-05

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Victor Gazaway Willis

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Biography

Vic Willis was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball during the early 20th century, known for his exceptional skill on the mound and impressive career statistics. Born in 1876, Willis made his professional debut in 1898 and played until his retirement in 1910. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 249 wins and 205 losses, showcasing his durability and competitiveness. With an earned run average (ERA) of 2.63, he established himself as one of the more reliable pitchers of his era, contributing significantly to the success of his teams. Willis recorded a total of 1,651 strikeouts and secured 11 saves, demonstrating his ability to both start games and finish them effectively. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995, Willis's legacy is marked by his contributions to the game during a time characterized by the transition from the deadball era to a more offense-oriented approach in baseball. His pitching style emphasized control and strategy, allowing him to maintain a low ERA in an era where scoring was often limited. Willis's impact on the game is remembered not only through his statistics but also through his role in shaping the modern understanding of pitching in baseball history. His achievements continue to be celebrated by fans and historians alike.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
249	205	513	471	388	50	11	3996.0	3621	1167	66	1212	1651	2.63	0

Career ERA 2.63 vs. league average 2.94 across their career seasons — 10.7% 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
1898	BSN	NL	25	13	41	38	29	1	0	311.0	264	98	148	160	2.84	3.59 (+21%)	-446.9
1899	BSN	NL	27	8	41	38	35	5	2	342.7	277	95	117	120	2.50	3.85 (+35%)	894.4
1900	BSN	NL	10	17	32	29	22	2	0	236.0	258	110	106	53	4.19	3.68 (-14%)	-4938.3
1901	BSN	NL	20	17	38	35	33	6	0	305.3	262	80	78	133	2.36	3.49 (+32%)	2471.8
1902	BSN	NL	27	20	51	46	45	4	3	410.0	372	100	101	225	2.20	3.17 (+31%)	6405.7
1903	BSN	NL	12	18	33	32	29	2	0	278.0	256	92	88	125	2.98	3.10 (+4%)	410.1
1904	BSN	NL	18	25	43	43	39	2	0	350.0	357	111	109	196	2.85	2.66 (-7%)	441.3
1905	BSN	NL	12	29	41	41	36	4	0	342.0	340	122	107	149	3.21	2.82 (-14%)	-1414.3
1906	PIT	NL	23	13	41	36	32	6	1	322.0	295	62	76	124	1.73	2.68 (+35%)	2733.2
1907	PIT	NL	21	11	39	37	27	6	1	292.7	234	76	69	107	2.34	2.50 (+6%)	740.0
1908	PIT	NL	23	11	41	38	25	7	0	304.7	239	70	69	97	2.07	2.40 (+14%)	671.8
1909	PIT	NL	22	11	39	35	24	4	1	289.7	243	72	83	95	2.24	2.55 (+12%)	-577.4
1910	STL	NL	9	12	33	23	12	1	3	212.0	224	79	61	67	3.35	2.79 (-20%)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
531	1493	107	248	19	4	1	84	3	81	199	0.166	0.213	0.186	0.399	-9108.7

Career AVG .166 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 35.2% below league average.

Career OBP .213 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 32.4% below league average.

Career SLG .186 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 43.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.399 vs. league average 0.647 across their career seasons — 38.3% 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
1898	BSN	NL	41	117	9	17	0	0	0	6	0	11	23	0.145	.270 (-46%)	.333 (-31%)	.347 (-58%)	.680 (-45%)	-836.2
1899	BSN	NL	41	134	14	29	3	0	0	16	0	4	9	0.216	.282 (-23%)	.343 (-29%)	.366 (-35%)	.710 (-32%)	-740.0
1900	BSN	NL	32	88	8	12	2	1	0	11	0	3	10	0.136	.279 (-51%)	.338 (-49%)	.366 (-50%)	.705 (-50%)	-744.0
1901	BSN	NL	38	107	8	20	1	1	1	8	1	7	17	0.187	.271 (-31%)	.326 (-25%)	.359 (-32%)	.686 (-29%)	-510.1
1902	BSN	NL	52	150	10	23	0	0	0	7	0	9	18	0.153	.266 (-43%)	.321 (-36%)	.343 (-55%)	.665 (-46%)	-1110.7
1903	BSN	NL	39	128	9	24	3	0	0	8	0	5	22	0.188	.261 (-28%)	.316 (-31%)	.345 (-39%)	.662 (-35%)	-720.1
1904	BSN	NL	52	148	9	27	3	0	0	8	0	14	24	0.182	.246 (-26%)	.300 (-14%)	.321 (-37%)	.622 (-26%)	-544.9
1905	BSN	NL	43	131	12	20	4	0	0	4	0	3	22	0.153	.248 (-38%)	.307 (-44%)	.322 (-43%)	.629 (-44%)	-898.8
1906	PIT	NL	41	115	5	20	1	0	0	7	0	6	12	0.174	.247 (-30%)	.307 (-28%)	.315 (-42%)	.622 (-35%)	-603.2
1907	PIT	NL	39	103	3	14	0	0	0	4	2	7	15	0.136	.245 (-45%)	.304 (-37%)	.308 (-56%)	.613 (-47%)	-705.3
1908	PIT	NL	41	103	9	17	1	0	0	1	0	3	8	0.165	.240 (-31%)	.298 (-37%)	.306 (-43%)	.605 (-40%)	-612.2
1909	PIT	NL	39	103	6	14	1	1	0	2	0	7	11	0.136	.244 (-44%)	.306 (-38%)	.312 (-47%)	.618 (-42%)	-663.8
1910	STL	NL	33	66	5	11	0	1	0	2	0	2	8	0.167	.249 (-33%)	.317 (-40%)	.326 (-40%)	.644 (-40%)	-419.3

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1909	WS	PIT	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	1	2	1	0	11.7	10	6	8	3	4.63

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1909	WS	PIT	0	1	2	1	0	11.7	10	6	8	3	4.63

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	12	5	118	7	5	1
P	513	253	271	1124	67	29

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1898	BSN	P	41	0	19	67	11	1
1899	BSN	P	41	0	17	81	8	2
1900	BSN	P	32	0	10	49	2	0
1901	BSN	P	38	0	22	66	3	2
1902	BSN	P	51	0	37	105	4	5
1903	BSN	1B	6	0	69	5	4	0
1903	BSN	P	33	0	13	84	4	1
1904	BSN	1B	6	5	49	2	1	1
1904	BSN	P	43	43	39	110	7	5
1905	BSN	P	41	41	37	115	7	3
1906	PIT	P	41	36	22	117	8	5
1907	PIT	P	39	37	17	87	3	2
1908	PIT	P	41	38	11	87	1	2
1909	PIT	P	39	35	16	85	5	1
1910	SLN	P	33	23	11	71	4	0