Billy Williams
Williams owns the most overlooked ironman streak in baseball history. He played 1,117 consecutive games from 1963 to 1970, a National League record that stood for decades and came during an era when players routinely sat out with hangnails. The Cubs left fielder simply showed up and raked, posting six straight seasons with 25-plus homers while never missing a start.
His 1972 campaign at age 34 stands as one of the great late-career peaks. That .333 average with 37 homers produced a 1.005 OPS in a pitcher-dominated season, making him 51 percent better than league average. Williams finished with 426 career homers despite playing half his games in the wind tunnel that was pre-ivy Wrigley Field.
The Sweet Swinger from Whistler, Alabama, represented consistency incarnate — 13 straight seasons with 20-plus homers and 80-plus RBIs. In an era obsessed with flashier personalities, Williams just kept hitting line drives and collecting hardware.
Career · Batting
18 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | CHC | 18 | 33 | 0 | 2 | .152 | .389 | — |
| 1960 | CHC | 12 | 47 | 2 | 7 | .277 | .836 | — |
| 1961 | CHC | 146 | 529 | 25 | 86 | .278 | .822 | — |
| 1962 | CHC | 159 | 618 | 22 | 91 | .298 | .835 | — |
| 1963 | CHC | 161 | 612 | 25 | 95 | .286 | .854 | — |
| 1964 | CHC | 162 | 645 | 33 | 98 | .312 | .901 | — |
| 1965 | CHC | 164 | 645 | 34 | 108 | .315 | .929 | — |
| 1966 | CHC | 162 | 648 | 29 | 91 | .276 | .808 | — |
| 1967 | CHC | 162 | 634 | 28 | 84 | .278 | .828 | — |
| 1968 | CHC | 163 | 642 | 30 | 98 | .288 | .836 | — |
| 1969 | CHC | 163 | 642 | 21 | 95 | .293 | .828 | — |
| 1970 | CHC | 161 | 636 | 42 | 129 | .322 | .977 | 137 |
| 1971 | CHC | 157 | 594 | 28 | 93 | .301 | .888 | 130 |
| 1972 | CHC | 150 | 574 | 37 | 122 | .333 | 1.005 | 151 |
| 1973 | CHC | 156 | 576 | 20 | 86 | .288 | .806 | 115 |
| 1974 | CHC | 117 | 404 | 16 | 68 | .280 | .835 | 120 |
| 1975 | ATH | 155 | 520 | 23 | 81 | .244 | .760 | 108 |
| 1976 | ATH | 120 | 351 | 11 | 41 | .211 | .659 | 97 |
| Career | 2488 | 9350 | 426 | 1475 | .290 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.