Joe Benz
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1911-1919)
Joe Benz was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1919 for the Chicago White Sox, a span of 9 seasons. Across 251 career appearances, he went 76-75 with a 2.43 ERA and 539 strikeouts. He also batted .138 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 11618.1.
- 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
- 6'1" / 196 lb
- Died
- 4/22/1957 in Chicago, IL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1911-08-16
- Last Game
- 1919-05-02
Full name: Joseph Louis Benz
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | CHA | AL | 3 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 55.2 | 52 | 14 | 13 | 28 | 2.26 | 3.37 (+33%) | 1085.8 |
| 1912 | CHA | AL | 13 | 17 | 42 | 31 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 238.2 | 231 | 77 | 70 | 97 | 2.90 | 3.36 (+14%) | 343.2 |
| 1913 | CHA | AL | 7 | 10 | 33 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 151.0 | 146 | 46 | 59 | 79 | 2.74 | 3.07 (+11%) | 875.7 |
| 1914 | CHA | AL | 14 | 19 | 48 | 35 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 283.1 | 245 | 71 | 66 | 142 | 2.26 | 2.93 (+23%) | 4272.4 |
| 1915 | CHA | AL | 15 | 11 | 39 | 28 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 238.1 | 209 | 56 | 43 | 81 | 2.11 | 2.90 (+27%) | 2277.8 |
| 1916 | CHA | AL | 9 | 5 | 28 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 142.0 | 108 | 32 | 32 | 57 | 2.03 | 2.78 (+27%) | 1720.2 |
| 1917 | CHA | AL | 7 | 3 | 19 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 94.2 | 76 | 26 | 23 | 25 | 2.47 | 2.69 (+8%) | 17.9 |
| 1918 | CHA | AL | 8 | 8 | 29 | 17 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 154.0 | 156 | 45 | 28 | 30 | 2.63 | 2.83 (+7%) | 1025.1 |
| 1919 | CHA | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 76 | 75 | 251 | 163 | 75 | 17 | 3 | 1,359.2 | 1,225 | 367 | 334 | 539 | 2.43 | — | 11,618 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 251 | 441 | 29 | 61 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 148 | .138 | .150 | .166 | .315 | -2,604 |
Career AVG .138 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 46.1% below league average.
Career OBP .150 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 53.5% below league average.
Career SLG .166 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 51.2% below league average.
Career OPS .315 vs. league average .662 across their career seasons — 52.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | CHA | AL | 12 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .059 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1912 | CHA | AL | 42 | 76 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 29 | .132 | .268 (-51%) | .335 (-57%) | .358 (-56%) | .694 (-57%) | -676.1 |
| 1913 | CHA | AL | 33 | 50 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .180 | .259 (-31%) | .325 (-45%) | .345 (-36%) | .670 (-40%) | -312.8 |
| 1914 | CHA | AL | 48 | 92 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29 | .130 | .255 (-49%) | .322 (-57%) | .339 (-52%) | .661 (-54%) | -752.3 |
| 1915 | CHA | AL | 39 | 79 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 25 | .127 | .250 (-49%) | .318 (-53%) | .332 (-54%) | .651 (-54%) | -630.9 |
| 1916 | CHA | AL | 28 | 46 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | .065 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1917 | CHA | AL | 19 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1918 | CHA | AL | 29 | 51 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .216 | .255 (-15%) | .318 (-32%) | .326 (-28%) | .645 (-30%) | -232.1 |
| 1919 | CHA | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 251 | 441 | 29 | 61 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 148 | .138 | — | — | — | — | -2,604 | ||
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 (502 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 127 | 203 | 18 | 29 | 0 | 10 | .143 |
| Away | 124 | 239 | 11 | 32 | 0 | 9 | .134 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 127 | 665.2 | 555 | 163 | 160 | 253 | 2.20 |
| Away | 124 | 692.2 | 670 | 198 | 176 | 285 | 2.57 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919-05-02 | CHW | SLA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-09-01 | CHW | CLE | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-24 | CHW | PHA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918-08-22 | CHW | PHA | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918-08-17 | CHW | NYY | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-05 | CHW | PHA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918-08-03 | CHW | PHA | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918-07-29 | CHW | MIN | W | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918-07-22 | CHW | MIN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918-07-19 | CHW | MIN | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919-05-02 | CHW | SLA | — | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-09-01 | CHW | CLE | — | 5.0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-24 | CHW | PHA | L | 8.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 1918-08-22 | CHW | PHA | L | 8.0 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1918-08-17 | CHW | NYY | — | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1918-08-05 | CHW | PHA | L | 5.0 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1918-08-03 | CHW | PHA | W | 9.0 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1918-07-29 | CHW | MIN | W | 13.0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-07-22 | CHW | MIN | L | 9.2 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1918-07-19 | CHW | MIN | L | 3.2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 251 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Joe Benz (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Joe Benz: the record in brief
Joe Benz's major league career runs from a debut on August 16, 1911 to a final game on May 2, 1919. All of the seasons listed were played for the Chicago White Sox. Benz played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on January 21, 1886, in New Alsace, IN, USA, Benz was listed at 6 feet, 1 inch and 196 pounds. Benz died on April 22, 1957, in Chicago, IL, USA. The given name on file is Joseph Louis Benz.
Benz's career pitching line is 76 wins, 75 losses and a 2.43 ERA over 251 appearances. Also on Benz's record: 539 strikeouts, 75 complete games, and 17 shutouts. The leagues Benz pitched in allowed 2.99 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 18.8% better than average. 1915 brought Benz a season-high 15 wins. The strikeout high was 142 in 1914. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.11 in 1915, when the league's was 2.90.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Benz
- What years did Joe Benz play?
- Joe Benz played in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1919.
- Was Joe Benz a pitcher?
- Yes. Joe Benz pitched in the major leagues, recording 76 wins and 539 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Joe Benz hit?
- Joe Benz hit 0 career home runs with 61 hits.
- What teams did Joe Benz play for?
- Joe Benz played for one team, the Chicago White Sox (1911–1919).
- What were Joe Benz's career stats?
- In 251 games, Joe Benz went 76-75 with a 2.43 ERA, 539 strikeouts, 1,359.2 innings pitched, and 3 saves. At the plate he had 61 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Joe Benz play?
- Joe Benz played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Joe Benz and how much did he weigh?
- Joe Benz was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 196 pounds.
- What was Joe Benz's career ERA?
- Joe Benz finished with a 2.43 career ERA, going 76-75 with 539 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Joe Benz have?
- Joe Benz recorded 539 career strikeouts.
- Is Joe Benz in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Joe Benz has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.