Larry Benton
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1923-1935)
Larry Benton was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1935 for the Boston Braves, the New York Giants, and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 13 seasons. Across 455 career appearances, he went 127-128 with a 4.03 ERA, 670 strikeouts, and 22 saves. He also batted .165 with 2 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 4706.5.
- 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
- 5'11" / 165 lb
- Died
- 4/3/1953 in Amberley, OH, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1923-04-19
- Last Game
- 1935-08-16
Full name: Lawrence James Benton
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | BSN | NL | 5 | 9 | 35 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 128.0 | 141 | 71 | 57 | 42 | 4.99 | 4.03 (-24%) | -578.6 |
| 1924 | BSN | NL | 5 | 7 | 30 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 128.0 | 129 | 59 | 64 | 41 | 4.15 | 4.13 (-1%) | -1327.8 |
| 1925 | BSN | NL | 14 | 7 | 31 | 21 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 183.1 | 170 | 63 | 70 | 49 | 3.09 | 4.55 (+32%) | -547.1 |
| 1926 | BSN | NL | 14 | 14 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 231.2 | 244 | 99 | 81 | 103 | 3.85 | 4.11 (+6%) | 1375.4 |
| 1927 | BSN | NL | 4 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 60.1 | 72 | 30 | 27 | 25 | 4.48 | 4.08 (-10%) | -403.2 |
| 1927 | NY1 | NL | 13 | 5 | 29 | 23 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 173.0 | 183 | 76 | 54 | 65 | 3.95 | 4.08 (+3%) | 432.6 |
| 1928 | NY1 | NL | 25 | 9 | 42 | 35 | 28 | 2 | 4 | 310.1 | 299 | 94 | 71 | 90 | 2.73 | 4.13 (+34%) | 2872.6 |
| 1929 | NY1 | NL | 11 | 17 | 39 | 30 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 237.0 | 276 | 109 | 61 | 63 | 4.14 | 4.60 (+10%) | 859.4 |
| 1930 | NY1 | NL | 1 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 30.0 | 42 | 26 | 14 | 16 | 7.80 | 4.80 (-63%) | -1955.5 |
| 1930 | CIN | NL | 7 | 12 | 35 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 177.2 | 246 | 101 | 45 | 47 | 5.12 | 4.80 (-7%) | 2074.2 |
| 1931 | CIN | NL | 10 | 15 | 38 | 23 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 204.1 | 240 | 76 | 53 | 35 | 3.35 | 4.10 (+18%) | 687.5 |
| 1932 | CIN | NL | 6 | 13 | 35 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 179.2 | 201 | 86 | 27 | 35 | 4.31 | 4.13 (-4%) | 1002.5 |
| 1933 | CIN | NL | 10 | 11 | 34 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 152.2 | 160 | 63 | 36 | 33 | 3.71 | 3.86 (+4%) | 729.9 |
| 1934 | CIN | NL | 0 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 29.0 | 53 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 6.52 | 4.29 (-52%) | 177.5 |
| 1935 | BSN | NL | 2 | 3 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72.0 | 103 | 55 | 24 | 21 | 6.88 | 4.35 (-58%) | -692.7 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 127 | 128 | 455 | 258 | 122 | 13 | 22 | 2,297.0 | 2,559 | 1,029 | 691 | 670 | 4.03 | — | 4,707 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 462 | 738 | 54 | 122 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 42 | 1 | 30 | 181 | .165 | .202 | .195 | .397 | -4,900 |
Career AVG .165 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — 41.3% below league average.
Career OBP .202 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 41.2% below league average.
Career SLG .195 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — 50.9% below league average.
Career OPS .397 vs. league average .741 across their career seasons — 46.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | BSN | NL | 35 | 31 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | .161 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1924 | BSN | NL | 30 | 33 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | .091 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1925 | BSN | NL | 32 | 58 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 20 | .241 | .288 (-16%) | .349 (-20%) | .407 (-32%) | .756 (-27%) | -255.8 |
| 1926 | BSN | NL | 45 | 78 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 25 | .154 | .279 (-45%) | .345 (-46%) | .390 (-57%) | .735 (-52%) | -660.7 |
| 1927 | BSN | NL | 11 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1927 | NY1 | NL | 31 | 50 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | .160 | .282 (-43%) | .344 (-44%) | .392 (-59%) | .736 (-52%) | 0.0 |
| 1928 | NY1 | NL | 42 | 112 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 17 | .143 | .280 (-49%) | .342 (-48%) | .395 (-55%) | .737 (-51%) | -948.3 |
| 1929 | NY1 | NL | 41 | 86 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .105 | .289 (-64%) | .353 (-67%) | .415 (-64%) | .769 (-65%) | -955.9 |
| 1930 | NY1 | NL | 8 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .300 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1930 | CIN | NL | 35 | 62 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 13 | .177 | .293 (-40%) | .354 (-39%) | .429 (-51%) | .784 (-46%) | 0.0 |
| 1931 | CIN | NL | 38 | 66 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 | .167 | .276 (-40%) | .338 (-40%) | .388 (-49%) | .726 (-45%) | -477.9 |
| 1932 | CIN | NL | 35 | 54 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 11 | .204 | .275 (-26%) | .335 (-27%) | .391 (-43%) | .726 (-36%) | -303.3 |
| 1933 | CIN | NL | 34 | 53 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | .170 | .270 (-37%) | .329 (-39%) | .377 (-55%) | .707 (-48%) | -389.4 |
| 1934 | CIN | NL | 16 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1935 | BSN | NL | 29 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 462 | 738 | 54 | 122 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 42 | 1 | 30 | 181 | .165 | — | — | — | — | -3,991 | ||
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 (917 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 228 | 368 | 23 | 54 | 0 | 20 | .147 |
| Away | 234 | 371 | 31 | 68 | 2 | 23 | .183 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 225 | 1214.2 | 1274 | 460 | 348 | 347 | 3.41 |
| Away | 230 | 1081.0 | 1284 | 575 | 345 | 323 | 4.79 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935-08-16 | BSN | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-08-11 | BSN | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-08-05 | BSN | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-08-04 | BSN | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-07-28 | BSN | PHI | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-07-20 | BSN | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-07-15 | BSN | STL | L | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-07-06 | BSN | PHI | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1935-07-04 | BSN | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-07-03 | BSN | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935-08-16 | BSN | CIN | L | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-08-11 | BSN | BRO | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-08-05 | BSN | PHI | — | 6.0 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1935-08-04 | BSN | NY1 | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-07-28 | BSN | PHI | — | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-07-20 | BSN | PIT | — | 1.0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-07-15 | BSN | STL | — | 5.1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1935-07-06 | BSN | PHI | — | 3.2 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1935-07-04 | BSN | NY1 | — | 3.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1935-07-03 | BSN | BRO | — | 1.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | BSN | P | 35 | 0 | 5 | 33 | 4 | 2 |
| 1924 | BSN | P | 30 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 1 | 2 |
| 1925 | BSN | P | 31 | 0 | 6 | 39 | 3 | 2 |
| 1926 | BSN | P | 43 | 0 | 3 | 43 | 0 | 1 |
| 1927 | BSN | P | 11 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 1927 | NY1 | P | 29 | 0 | 10 | 33 | 2 | 3 |
| 1928 | NY1 | P | 42 | 0 | 15 | 69 | 1 | 5 |
| 1929 | NY1 | P | 39 | 0 | 11 | 58 | 3 | 7 |
| 1930 | NY1 | P | 8 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1930 | CIN | P | 35 | 0 | 12 | 20 | 1 | 1 |
| 1931 | CIN | P | 38 | 0 | 10 | 48 | 2 | 5 |
| 1932 | CIN | P | 35 | 0 | 6 | 38 | 2 | 1 |
| 1933 | CIN | P | 34 | 0 | 5 | 27 | 2 | 1 |
| 1934 | CIN | P | 16 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1935 | BSN | P | 29 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 455 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P2 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 4th | 37.0 | 80 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Larry Benton (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Larry Benton: the record in brief
Larry Benton played a first major league game on April 19, 1923 and a last one on August 16, 1935. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Braves (1923 to 1935), the New York Giants (1927 to 1930), and the Cincinnati Reds (1930 to 1934). Benton played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on November 20, 1897, in St. Louis, MO, USA and a listed size of 5'11" and 165 pounds. Benton died on April 3, 1953, in Amberley, OH, USA. The given name on file is Lawrence James Benton.
Benton pitched in 455 games, starting 258, and finished with a 127-128 record and 4.03 ERA. Also on Benton's record: 670 strikeouts, 122 complete games, 13 shutouts, and 22 saves. Benton's 4.03 ERA was close to the 4.25 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 25 wins of 1928. The strikeout high was 103 in 1926.
Frequently Asked Questions about Larry Benton
- What years did Larry Benton play?
- Larry Benton played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1935.
- Was Larry Benton a pitcher?
- Yes. Larry Benton pitched in the major leagues, recording 127 wins and 670 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Larry Benton hit?
- Larry Benton hit 2 career home runs with 122 hits.
- What was Larry Benton's career batting average?
- Larry Benton batted .165 over his career, with 122 hits in 738 at bats.
- How many RBI did Larry Benton have?
- Larry Benton drove in 42 runs in his career.
- What was Larry Benton's career ERA?
- Larry Benton finished with a 4.03 career ERA, going 127-128 with 670 strikeouts.