1898–1910 · P

Vic Willis

6' 2", 185 lbs·Lived to 71·Bats R / Throws R

Hall of Fame · 1995

The Almanac's Take

The Delaware Peach threw harder than most pitchers of his era could handle. Willis averaged over 4 strikeouts per nine innings during the dead-ball era, when hitters rarely whiffed and most pitchers relied on crafty control rather than raw power.

His 249 wins came the hard way, often for mediocre Boston Beaneaters and Pittsburgh Pirates clubs. That 117 ERA+ tells the real story — Willis was 17 percent better than league average across 13 seasons, with his peak 1899 campaign rating 55 percent above the mean. He threw over 300 innings eight times, including a staggering 410 frames in 1902.

Willis represents the bridge between 19th-century baseball and the modern game. While contemporaries like Cy Young get more attention, the Veterans Committee recognized Willis in 1995 for what he was: a workhorse ace whose strikeout rate foreshadowed the power pitching revolution decades ahead.

Career Highs

1.73

Best ERA · 1906

Most W · 1902

225

Most K · 1902

1.011

Best WHIP · 1908

Career Arc · ERA

13 seasons

Statistical Comps

Connie Marrero

99%

1952 season

K/9 3.8 · BB/9 2.6 · HR/9 0.44 · SP

Alex Kellner

99%

1953 season

K/9 3.6 · BB/9 2.3 · HR/9 0.36 · SP

Bob Porterfield

98%

1952 season

K/9 3.1 · BB/9 3.3 · HR/9 0.27 · SP

Career · Hitting

13 seasons

Year	Team	G	AB	HR	RBI	AVG	OPS	OPS+
1898	BSN	41	117	0	6	.145	—	—
1899	BSN	41	134	0	16	.216	—	—
1900	BSN	32	88	0	11	.136	—	—
1901	BSN	38	107	1	8	.187	—	—
1902	BSN	52	150	0	7	.153	—	—
1903	BSN	39	128	0	8	.188	—	—
1904	BSN	52	148	0	8	.182	—	—
1905	BSN	43	131	0	4	.153	—	—
1906	PIT	41	115	0	7	.174	—	—
1907	PIT	39	103	0	4	.136	—	—
1908	PIT	41	103	0	1	.165	—	—
1909	PIT	39	103	0	2	.136	—	—
1910	STL	33	66	0	2	.167	—	—
Career		531	1493	1	84	.166	—	—

Career · Pitching

13 seasons

Year	Team	G	IP	W	L	ERA	ERA+	SO	WHIP
1898	BSN	41	311.0	25	13	2.84	126	160	1.325
1899	BSN	41	342.7	27	8	2.50	154	120	1.150
1900	BSN	32	236.0	10	17	4.19	88	53	1.542
1901	BSN	38	305.3	20	17	2.36	148	133	1.114
1902	BSN	51	410.0	27	20	2.20	144	225	1.154
1903	BSN	33	278.0	12	18	2.98	104	125	1.237
1904	BSN	43	350.0	18	25	2.85	93	196	1.331
1905	BSN	41	342.0	12	29	3.21	88	149	1.307
1906	PIT	41	322.0	23	13	1.73	155	124	1.152
1907	PIT	39	292.7	21	11	2.34	107	107	1.035
1908	PIT	41	304.7	23	11	2.07	116	97	1.011
1909	PIT	39	289.7	22	11	2.24	114	95	1.125
1910	STL	33	212.0	9	12	3.35	83	67	1.344
Career		513	3996.1	249	205	—	—	1651	—

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