Boom-Boom Beck
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1924-1945)
Boom-Boom Beck was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1924 to 1945 for 6 teams, including the St. Louis Browns, a span of 22 seasons. Across 265 career appearances, he went 38-69 with a 4.30 ERA and 352 strikeouts. He also batted .187 with 0 home runs.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 200 lb
- Died
- 5/7/1987 in Champaign, IL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1924-09-22
- Last Game
- 1945-09-26
Full name: Walter William Beck
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | SLA | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1927 | SLA | AL | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5.56 | 4.08 (-36%) | 131.5 |
| 1928 | SLA | AL | 2 | 3 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 49.0 | 52 | 24 | 20 | 17 | 4.41 | 4.13 (-7%) | -976.3 |
| 1933 | BRO | NL | 12 | 20 | 43 | 35 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 257.0 | 270 | 101 | 69 | 89 | 3.54 | 3.86 (+8%) | 1685.1 |
| 1934 | BRO | NL | 2 | 6 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 57.0 | 72 | 47 | 32 | 24 | 7.42 | 4.29 (-73%) | -1999.0 |
| 1939 | PHI | NL | 7 | 14 | 34 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 182.2 | 203 | 96 | 64 | 77 | 4.73 | 4.28 (-10%) | 832.9 |
| 1940 | PHI | NL | 4 | 9 | 29 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 129.1 | 147 | 62 | 41 | 38 | 4.31 | 4.21 (-2%) | -2163.0 |
| 1941 | PHI | NL | 1 | 9 | 34 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 95.1 | 104 | 49 | 35 | 34 | 4.63 | 3.94 (-18%) | -978.4 |
| 1942 | PHI | NL | 0 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53.0 | 69 | 28 | 17 | 10 | 4.75 | 3.57 (-33%) | -836.3 |
| 1943 | PHI | NL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.2 | 24 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 9.88 | 3.50 (-182%) | -409.1 |
| 1944 | DET | AL | 1 | 2 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 74.0 | 67 | 32 | 27 | 25 | 3.89 | 3.57 (-9%) | -966.6 |
| 1945 | CIN | NL | 2 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 47.2 | 42 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 3.40 | 3.67 (+7%) | 613.0 |
| 1945 | PIT | NL | 6 | 1 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 63.0 | 54 | 15 | 14 | 20 | 2.14 | 3.67 (+42%) | 806.7 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 38 | 69 | 265 | 100 | 44 | 3 | 6 | 1,034.0 | 1,121 | 494 | 342 | 352 | 4.30 | — | -4,260 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 266 | 327 | 17 | 61 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 46 | .187 | .196 | .229 | .426 | -1,209 |
Career AVG .187 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — 30.8% below league average.
Career OBP .196 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 41.4% below league average.
Career SLG .229 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 39.1% below league average.
Career OPS .426 vs. league average .711 across their career seasons — 40.2% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | SLA | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1927 | SLA | AL | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | SLA | AL | 16 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .429 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1933 | BRO | NL | 43 | 95 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 22 | .189 | .270 (-30%) | .329 (-40%) | .377 (-36%) | .707 (-38%) | -577.3 |
| 1934 | BRO | NL | 22 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .235 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | PHI | NL | 34 | 68 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .132 | .274 (-52%) | .342 (-58%) | .393 (-55%) | .735 (-56%) | -631.7 |
| 1940 | PHI | NL | 29 | 36 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .056 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1941 | PHI | NL | 34 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .120 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | PHI | NL | 27 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1943 | PHI | NL | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1944 | DET | AL | 28 | 22 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .318 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1945 | CIN | NL | 11 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .214 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1945 | PIT | NL | 14 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 266 | 327 | 17 | 61 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 46 | .187 | — | — | — | — | -1,209 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (531 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 138 | 153 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 4 | .170 |
| Away | 128 | 174 | 10 | 35 | 0 | 16 | .201 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 137 | 530.0 | 525 | 220 | 175 | 201 | 3.74 |
| Away | 128 | 502.0 | 595 | 267 | 168 | 153 | 4.79 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945-09-26 | PIT | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-09-16 | PIT | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-09-09 | PIT | PHI | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1945-09-02 | PIT | CIN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1945-08-23 | PIT | CIN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-08-19 | PIT | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-08-14 | PIT | BSN | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945-08-10 | PIT | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1945-08-08 | PIT | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-07-23 | PIT | BSN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945-09-26 | PIT | CIN | L | 6.0 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 1945-09-16 | PIT | NY1 | — | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-09-09 | PIT | PHI | W | 9.0 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 1945-09-02 | PIT | CIN | W | 9.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1945-08-23 | PIT | CIN | W | 9.0 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1945-08-19 | PIT | BRO | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-08-14 | PIT | BSN | W | 9.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1945-08-10 | PIT | PHI | — | 4.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945-08-08 | PIT | PHI | — | 4.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1945-07-23 | PIT | BSN | W | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | SLA | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927 | SLA | P | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928 | SLA | P | 16 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| 1933 | BRO | P | 43 | 0 | 12 | 52 | 3 | 4 |
| 1934 | BRO | P | 22 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 2 |
| 1939 | PHI | P | 34 | 0 | 8 | 37 | 6 | 1 |
| 1940 | PHI | P | 29 | 0 | 10 | 32 | 3 | 0 |
| 1941 | PHI | P | 34 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942 | PHI | P | 26 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 1943 | PHI | P | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944 | DET | P | 28 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 1945 | CIN | P | 11 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945 | PIT | P | 14 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 265 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Boom-Boom Beck (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Boom-Boom Beck: the record in brief
Boom-Boom Beck's major league career runs from a debut on September 22, 1924 to a final game on September 26, 1945. The season rows list, in order, the St. Louis Browns (1924 to 1928), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1933 to 1934), the Philadelphia Phillies (1939 through 1942), the Philadelphia Blue Jays (1943), the Detroit Tigers (1944), the Cincinnati Reds (1945), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1945). The bio lists Beck as a pitcher who batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6 feet, 2 inches and 200 pounds. The birth record reads October 16, 1904, in Decatur, IL, USA. The bio records the death on May 7, 1987, in Champaign, IL, USA. The given name on file is Walter William Beck.
Beck went 38-69 with a 4.30 ERA in 265 games, 100 of them starts. The totals include 352 strikeouts and 44 complete games. Against a 3.94 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.30 mark was 9.1% worse. The best win total was 12, in 1933.
Frequently Asked Questions about Boom-Boom Beck
- What years did Boom-Boom Beck play?
- Boom-Boom Beck played in Major League Baseball from 1924 to 1945.
- Was Boom-Boom Beck a pitcher?
- Yes. Boom-Boom Beck pitched in the major leagues, recording 38 wins and 352 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Boom-Boom Beck hit?
- Boom-Boom Beck hit 0 career home runs with 61 hits.
- What teams did Boom-Boom Beck play for?
- Boom-Boom Beck played for 6 teams: the St. Louis Browns (1924, 1927–1928), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1933–1934), the Philadelphia Blue Jays (1939–1943), the Detroit Tigers (1944), the Cincinnati Reds (1945), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1945).
- What were Boom-Boom Beck's career stats?
- In 265 games, Boom-Boom Beck went 38-69 with a 4.30 ERA, 352 strikeouts, 1,034.0 innings pitched, and 6 saves. At the plate he had 61 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Boom-Boom Beck play?
- Boom-Boom Beck played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Boom-Boom Beck and how much did he weigh?
- Boom-Boom Beck was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 200 pounds.
- What was Boom-Boom Beck's career ERA?
- Boom-Boom Beck finished with a 4.30 career ERA, going 38-69 with 352 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Boom-Boom Beck have?
- Boom-Boom Beck recorded 352 career strikeouts.
- Is Boom-Boom Beck in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Boom-Boom Beck has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.