Jack Billingham Stats

Jack Billingham was born on Sunday, February 21, 1943, in Orlando, Florida. Billingham was 25 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 11, 1968, with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Jack Billingham baseball stats page.

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"It wasn't a bad pitch (the one turned on for the 714th home run), but it wasn't good enough against Hank Aaron." - Jack Billingham (1974)

Jack Billingham

Jack Billingham Autograph on a 1979 Topps Baseball Card (#388)

Jack Billingham Autograph on a 1979 Topps Baseball Card (#388)

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Birth Name:   John Eugene Billingham
Nickname:   Cactus Jack or Jack or Jackie
Born On:   02-21-1943  (Pisces)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Orlando, Florida
Year of Death Data Died On:   Still Living (1,000 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   Still Living
Cemetery:   n/a
High School:   Winter Park High School (Winter Park, FL)
College:   None Attended
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Right   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Right
Player Height Chart Height:   6-04   Player Weight Chart Weight:   215
First Game:   04-11-1968 (Age 25)
Last Game:   06-20-1980
Draft:   Not Applicable

Jack Billingham

Jack Billingham Pitching Stats

1968 25 Dodgers 50 1 26 3 0 1.000 2.17 0 0 8 70.2 293 54 17 18 0 30 9 46 6 2 0 -
1969 26 Astros 52 4 22 6 7 .462 4.25 1 0 2 82.2 358 92 39 45 12 29 11 71 2 5 0 -
1970 27 Astros 46 24 7 13 9 .591 3.98 8 2 0 187.2 818 190 83 102 10 63 2 134 11 10 0 -
1971 28 Astros 33 33 0 10 16 .385 3.39 8 3 0 228.1 943 205 86 98 9 68 8 139 6 16 1 0
1972 29 Reds 36 31 2 12 12 .500 3.18 8 4 1 217.2 901 197 77 83 18 64 8 137 8 7 0 -
1973 30 Reds 40 40 0 19 10 .655 3.04 16 7 0 293.1 1,205 257 99 112 20 95 10 155 10 10 0 0
1974 31 Reds 36 35 1 19 11 .633 3.94 8 3 0 212.1 899 233 93 105 16 64 9 103 4 6 2 -
1975 32 Reds 33 32 0 15 10 .600 4.11 5 0 0 208.0 893 222 95 100 22 76 12 79 8 9 1 -
1976 33 Reds 34 29 3 12 10 .545 4.32 5 2 1 177.0 762 190 85 96 17 62 5 76 9 4 0 -
1977 34 Reds 36 23 8 10 10 .500 5.23 3 2 0 161.2 724 195 94 105 16 56 9 76 7 10 0 -
1978 35 Tigers 30 30 0 15 8 .652 3.88 10 4 0 201.2 857 218 87 95 16 65 2 59 6 8 0 0
1979 36 Tigers 35 19 11 10 7 .588 3.30 2 0 3 158.0 668 163 58 74 13 60 11 59 6 7 0 -
1980 37 Tigers 8 0 3 0 0 .000 7.36 0 0 0 7.1 38 11 6 6 1 6 1 3 0 0 0 -
1980 37 Red Sox 7 4 0 1 3 .250 11.10 0 0 0 24.1 128 45 30 30 6 12 0 4 1 4 0 -
13 Years 476 305 83 145 113 .562 3.83 74 27 15 2,230.2 9,487 2,272 949 1,069 176 750 97 1,141 84 98 4 0

Jack Billingham

Jack Billingham Hitting Stats

1968 25 Dodgers 50 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 1 .000 .250 .000
1969 26 Astros 52 14 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 5 1 0 0 0 .071 .235 .071
1970 27 Astros 46 58 2 6 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 27 7 0 0 1 .103 .161 .103
1971 28 Astros 33 73 1 9 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 30 6 1 0 2 .123 .133 .123
1972 29 Reds 36 71 2 5 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 29 5 0 0 1 .070 .096 .085
1973 30 Reds 40 93 2 6 3 0 0 0 4 3 0 32 13 0 0 1 .065 .094 .097
1974 31 Reds 36 67 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 31 11 0 0 1 .075 .088 .075
1975 32 Reds 33 65 5 7 0 0 0 0 4 8 0 22 10 0 0 0 .108 .205 .108
1976 33 Reds 34 59 4 14 3 0 0 0 4 3 0 12 8 0 0 1 .237 .274 .288
1977 34 Reds 36 56 3 9 1 0 0 0 3 1 0 17 6 0 0 2 .161 .175 .179
1978 35 Tigers 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1979 36 Tigers 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1980 37 Tigers 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1980 37 Red Sox 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
13 Years 476 559 21 62 8 0 0 0 23 27 0 206 69 1 0 10 .111 .152 .125

Jack Billingham

Jack Billingham Fielding Stats

1968 Dodgers P 50 1 212 21 0.4 20 5 15 1 1 n/a n/a n/a .952 2.55
1969 Astros P 52 4 248 16 0.3 15 3 12 1 1 n/a n/a n/a .938 1.63
1970 Astros P 46 24 563 45 1.0 43 13 30 2 1 n/a n/a n/a .956 2.06
1971 Astros P 33 33 685 56 1.7 52 20 32 4 3 n/a n/a n/a .929 2.05
1972 Reds P 36 31 653 43 1.2 42 14 28 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .977 1.74
1973 Reds P 40 40 880 73 1.8 71 18 53 2 3 n/a n/a n/a .973 2.18
1974 Reds P 36 35 637 50 1.4 49 14 35 1 1 n/a n/a n/a .980 2.08
1975 Reds P 33 32 624 32 1.0 32 8 24 0 5 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.38
1976 Reds P 34 29 531 36 1.1 35 10 25 1 1 n/a n/a n/a .972 1.78
1977 Reds P 36 23 485 47 1.3 46 12 34 1 2 n/a n/a n/a .979 2.56
1978 Tigers P 30 30 605 40 1.3 39 9 30 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .975 1.74
1979 Tigers P 35 19 474 29 0.8 27 6 21 2 3 n/a n/a n/a .931 1.54
1980 Tigers P 8 0 22 2 0.3 2 0 2 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.45
1980 Red Sox P 7 4 73 4 0.6 4 1 3 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.48
P Totals 476 305 6,692 494 1.0 477 133 344 17 21 n/a n/a n/a .966 1.92
13 Years 476 305 6,692 494 1.0 477 133 344 17 21 n/a n/a n/a .966 1.92

Jack Billingham

Jack Billingham Miscellaneous Stats

1968 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 3.0 0.0 1.53 5.86 3.82
1969 Astros 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.8 0.0 2.45 7.73 3.16
1970 Astros 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.1 58.0 2.13 6.43 3.02
1971 Astros 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.4 18.3 2.04 5.48 2.68
1972 Reds 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.4 35.5 2.14 5.66 2.65
1973 Reds 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.9 23.3 1.63 4.76 2.91
1974 Reds 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.2 67.0 1.61 4.37 2.71
1975 Reds 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 3.0 16.3 1.04 3.42 3.29
1976 Reds 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 4.9 14.8 1.23 3.86 3.15
1977 Reds 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 3.3 18.7 1.36 4.23 3.12
1978 Tigers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.91 2.63 2.90
1979 Tigers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.98 3.36 3.42
1980 Tigers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.50 3.68 7.36
1980 Red Sox 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.33 1.48 4.44
13 Years 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 2.7 24.3 1.52 4.60 3.03

Jack Billingham

Jack Billingham Miscellaneous Items of Interest

1968 Los Angeles Dodgers 38 Undetermined - -
1969 Houston Astros 42 Undetermined - -
1970 Houston Astros 42 Undetermined - -
1971 Houston Astros 42 Undetermined - -
1972 Cincinnati Reds 43 Undetermined - Stats
1973 Cincinnati Reds 43 Undetermined Stats -
1974 Cincinnati Reds 43 Undetermined - -
1975 Cincinnati Reds 43 Undetermined - Stats
1976 Cincinnati Reds 43 $82,500.00 - Stats
1977 Cincinnati Reds 43 $90,000.00 - -
1978 Detroit Tigers 41 Undetermined - -
1979 Detroit Tigers 41 Undetermined - -
1980 Detroit Tigers 41 Undetermined - -
1980 Boston Red Sox 28 Undetermined - -

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John Eugene Billingham was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1968), Houston Astros (1969-1971), Cincinnati Reds (1972-1977), Detroit Tigers (1978-1980), and Boston Red Sox (1980). When Jack, his nickname, made his big league debut on April 11, 1968 (0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 SO, 0 BB, 0 ER), he became the first former student from Winter Park High School (Winter Park, FL) to play in the majors.

Jack Billingham Rookie Card | Baseball Almanac

Jack Billingham Rookie Card | 1968 Topps Baseball Card (#224 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Research Library

The Houston Colt .45s took the field for the first time in 1962, Bob Bruce finished the year with a newly established team record twelve hit batsmen. In 1971, two pitchers broke the team record, Wade Blasingame (13 HBP) and Jack Billingham, who set a new franchise record when he plunked sixteen batters - a record that remains in place through today (tied once by Darryl Kile in 1996).

During the 1970s, Jack Billingham plunked a decade leading eighty-seven batters. Rounding out the top ten were Phil Niekro (76 HBP), Nolan Ryan (75 HBP), Bert Blyleven (70 HBP), Joe Coleman (63 HBP), Jim Lonborg (58 HBP), Pete Broberg (52 HBP), Fergie Jenkins (51 HBP), Gaylord Perry (51 HBP), and Wilbur Wood (50 HBP).

Jack Billingham, Sports Illustrated | Baseball Almanac

Sports Illustrated | March 3, 1975
Baseball Almanac Research Library

The Cincinnati Reds inducted Cactus Jack Billingham into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum in 1984. An excerpt [Full Story] from their exceptional biography:

In Cincinnati, Jack Billingham is recalled as the workhorse of the Big Red Machine's often-overlooked starting rotation and as one of the finest postseason pitchers in Reds history.

Signed out of high school by the pitching-rich Dodgers in 1961, Billingham spent seven years in the Dodger farm system before finally reaching the parent club in 1968. Used primarily as a relief pitcher throughout his Minor League sojourn, Billingham appeared in fifty games for the '68 Dodgers, all but one of his appearances in relief. When given an opportunity to start on August 5 against the Pirates at Dodger Stadium, he held the Bucs scoreless for eight innings in a game the Dodgers' won 1-0 in ten innings. Along the way, Billingham struck out eight batters including future Hall of Famers Willie Stargell (twice) and Bill Mazeroski (once). He finished the season with a 2.17 ERA.

Despite his impressive debut season, the Dodgers left Billingham unprotected in the 1969 expansion draft. Selected by Montreal, he spent spring training with the Expos before being dealt to the Astros on Opening Day to complete an earlier trade in which the Expos' Donn Clendenon had refused to report to Houston. Billingham worked almost exclusively out of the bullpen for the Astros throughout the 1969 season before moving into the starting rotation during the 1970 campaign, finishing that year with thirteen wins, a 3.98 ERA and a career high 187 2/3 innings pitched. A full-time starting pitcher in 1971, Billingham's record fell to 10-16 despite an improved ERA of 3.39.

As much as the Astros' home park, the Astrodome, was a haven for pitchers, it was a nightmare for hitters. The Astros finished the 1971 season with a 79-83 record despite sporting the statistically second-best pitching staff in the National League. While the pitchers excelled, Astros' hitters managed to score the third-fewest runs in the league. The Astros' struggle to score runs was the primary factor in a trade that is almost uniformly acknowledged as the most significant in Reds history.

Desperate for a power hitter, the Astros soon found a trading partner in the Reds. After winning the 1970 pennant, the Reds had slumped badly in 1971 and General Manager Bob Howsam decided that significant roster changes were in order. Howsam had been eyeing Astros' second baseman Joe Morgan for some time and was convinced that he was just the type of player the Reds needed to return to contention. The Astros' need for power coupled with the Reds' desire to add Joe Morgan resulted in the blockbuster trade of November 29, 1971. The Reds traded first baseman Lee May, second baseman Tommy Helms and utility player-pinch hitter Jimmy Stewart to Houston for Morgan, infielder Denis Menke, outfielders Ed Armbrister and Cesar Geronimo and Jack Billingham.

As great as the trade is understood to be today, it was anything but well received by Reds fans at the time. Of course, no one knew that in the deal, the Reds had acquired in Morgan a player who would became possibly the greatest second baseman in baseball history or that Cesar Geronimo would become one of the best defensive outfielders of his time or that Jack Billingham would blossom into an All-Star and a post-season stopper. Reds' coach George Scherger had been a manager in the Dodgers' minor league system when Billingham was a Dodger farmhand and he strongly recommended that the Reds be sure that Billingham was included in the trade. It did not take long for the Reds to see the wisdom behind Scherger's recommendation.

At 29, Billingham became the oldest member of a Reds staring staff that also featured Don Gullett, Gary Nolan, Ross Gimsley, Wayne Simpson and Jim McGlothlin. He finished the 1972 season with a rather pedestrian 12-12 record but managed to lower his ERA for the third consecutive season, posting a 3.18 mark that was the third lowest among the starting staff. The Reds ran away with the Western Division title that year, besting the Dodgers by 10.5 games. Once in the post-season, Billingham took a no-decision in the Reds' Game 2 victory over the Pirates before shutting out the Oakland A's for 132/3 innings in the World Series. The Reds lost the first two games in Cincinnati and with the Series moving to Oakland, Billingham was called on to stop the bleeding. He did so in impressive fashion, limiting the A's to only three hits in the Reds' 1-0 victory. After earning a save with a scoreless ninth inning in Game 5, Billingham allowed only one unearned run in five innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in Game 7. The A's emerged victorious in the game, 3-2, and claimed one of the most tightly contested World Series ever played.

Billingham's post-season showing was a precursor to back-to-back 19-win seasons in 1973 and 1974, years in which he became the unquestioned anchor of the Reds' rotation. Named to the All-Star team in 1973, he led the National League in innings pitched, starts and shutouts and was second in wins. While Billingham was enjoying the best seasons of his major league career, 1973 and 1974 were frustrating years for the Reds as the club was upset in the 1973 NLCS by the Mets and finished second in the division race to the Dodgers in 1974. Some began to wonder if this talented team was ever going to be as good as the sum of its parts.

The Reds answered that question decisively in 1975 with 108 regular season victories, a playoff win over the Pirates and a World Series win over Boston. Billingham contributed fifteen wins in the regular season and, picking up where he left off in 1972, put up stellar numbers in the World Series, allowing only one earned run in nine innings including two shut -out innings in relief of Don Gullett in Game 7. The Reds rolled to a second consecutive World Championship in 1976 but Billingham struggled with a 12-10 record and a career high ERA of 4.32. His reduced effectiveness coupled with the emergence of co- Rookie of the Year Pat Zachry limited Billingham to one relief appearance in the four-game World Series sweep of the Yankees. Coming on in relief of Fred Norman in the seventh inning of Game 2, Billingham allowed an RBI groundout that tied the game but held the Yankees scoreless for the remaining two innings. The Reds won the game with a run in the bottom of the ninth, earning Billingham his second World Series victory. For his career, Billingham sported a 0.36 ERA in 25 1/3 innings of World Series pitching, a major league record.

Did you know that Jack Billingham led every National League pitcher in games started, innings pitched and shutouts in 1973? The ace (19 wins) of the rotation was "rewarded" with an Opening Day start in 1974, and on BOX SCORE LINKS: April 4, 1974, he pitched five innings, surrendered five hits, and one insanely historic home run - the 714th of Hank Aaron's career, tying him with Babe Ruth.

Jack Billingham vs Hank Aaron, HR #714 | Baseball Almanac

Jack Billingham vs Hank Aaron (HR #714) | The Lubbock Avalanche | April 5, 1974
Baseball Almanac Research Library