Herman Besse

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1940-1946)

Herman Besse was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1946 for the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 7 seasons. Across 65 career appearances, he went 5-15 with a 6.79 ERA and 118 strikeouts.

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

W–L 5–15
ERA 6.79
WHIP 1.76
SO 118
Pitcher PIV -5777.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'2" / 190 lb
Born
8/16/1911 in St. Louis, MO, USA
Died
8/13/1972 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1940-04-19
Last Game
1946-05-22

Full name: Herman Anthony Besse

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Career Pitching Statistics

Herman Besse — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
5 15 65 25 5 0 2 242.2 298 183 24 128 118 6.79 -5777.1

Career ERA 6.79 vs. league average 3.76 across their career seasons — 80.5% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Herman Besse — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1940 PHA AL 0 3 17 5 0 0 0 53.0 70 52 34 19 8.83 4.21 (-110%) -3471.9
1941 PHA AL 2 0 6 2 1 0 0 19.2 28 22 12 8 10.07 3.94 (-156%) -1243.7
1942 PHA AL 2 9 30 14 4 0 1 133.0 163 91 69 78 6.16 3.57 (-73%) -553.2
1943 PHA AL 1 1 5 1 0 0 0 16.1 18 6 4 3 3.31 3.50 (+6%) -527.3
1946 PHA AL 0 2 7 3 0 0 1 20.2 19 12 9 10 5.23 3.59 (-46%) 19.1
Career · 5 seasons 5 15 65 25 5 0 2 242.2 298 183 128 118 6.79 — -5,777

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

Herman Besse — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
71 90 8 18 2 0 0 15 0 9 20 .200 .273 .222 .495 -169

Career AVG .200 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 22.8% below league average.

Career OBP .273 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 17.1% below league average.

Career SLG .222 vs. league average .363 across their career seasons — 38.8% below league average.

Career OPS .495 vs. league average .692 across their career seasons — 28.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Herman Besse — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1940 PHA AL 17 19 1 5 1 0 0 7 0 4 6 .263 — — — — 0.0
1941 PHA AL 6 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 .200 — — — — 0.0
1942 PHA AL 34 53 7 12 1 0 0 7 0 4 10 .226 .253 (-11%) .323 (-13%) .349 (-30%) .672 (-22%) -168.7
1943 PHA AL 7 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1946 PHA AL 7 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 71 90 8 18 2 0 0 15 0 9 20 .200 — — — — -169

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 (136 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Herman Besse — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home335041208.240
Away38404607.150

Pitching — Home / Away

Herman Besse — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home32148.21689558855.75
Away3394.11308870348.40

Last 10 Games — Batting

Herman Besse — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1946-05-22 PHACHWL 000000000
1946-05-15 PHACLEL 000000000
1946-05-10 PHAMINL 200000001
1946-05-02 PHASLAL 100000000
1946-04-30 PHASLAW 000000000
1946-04-24 PHAMINL 200000011
1946-04-18 PHANYYL 000000000
1943-07-24 PHADETW 300000000
1943-07-22 PHACLEL 100000000
1943-07-16 PHANYYL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Herman Besse — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1946-05-22 PHACHW — 0.0000200
1946-05-15 PHACLE — 2.0111000
1946-05-10 PHAMIN — 6.1633130
1946-05-02 PHASLA L 3.1644110
1946-04-30 PHASLA SV 1.2000010
1946-04-24 PHAMIN L 7.0533540
1946-04-18 PHANYY — 0.2111011
1943-07-24 PHADET W 8.01244232
1943-07-16 PHANYY L 2.0311100
1943-07-11 PHADET — 1.1000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Herman Besse — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 65 0 1 34 1 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Herman Besse — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1940 PHA P 17 0 0 5 0 0
1941 PHA P 6 0 1 4 0 1
1942 PHA P 30 0 0 18 1 0
1943 PHA P 5 0 0 4 0 0
1946 PHA P 7 0 0 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Herman Besse — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 65

Herman Besse: the record in brief

The profile opens with Herman Besse's first major league game on April 19, 1940; the last one listed came on May 22, 1946. All of the seasons listed were played for the Philadelphia Athletics. Besse played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. Born on August 16, 1911, in St. Louis, MO, USA, Besse was listed at 6'2" and 190 pounds. The bio records the death on August 13, 1972, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Herman Besse was the playing name; the full given name is Herman Anthony.

Besse pitched in 65 games, starting 25, and finished with a 5-15 record and 6.79 ERA. The totals include 118 strikeouts. The league ERA over Besse's seasons was 3.76, so the 6.79 figure ran 80.5% worse than average. 1942 produced Besse's most strikeouts, 78. In 1942, one of the busiest seasons, Besse posted a 6.16 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.57.

Every defensive appearance on record for Besse, 65 games, came at pitcher. On the mound, Besse's fielding totals are 1 putouts, 34 assists and 1 errors.

Frequently Asked Questions about Herman Besse

What years did Herman Besse play?
Herman Besse played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1946.
Was Herman Besse a pitcher?
Yes. Herman Besse pitched in the major leagues, recording 5 wins and 118 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Herman Besse hit?
Herman Besse hit 0 career home runs with 18 hits.
What teams did Herman Besse play for?
Herman Besse played for one team, the Philadelphia Athletics (1940–1943, 1946).
What were Herman Besse's career stats?
In 65 games, Herman Besse went 5-15 with a 6.79 ERA, 118 strikeouts, 242.2 innings pitched, and 2 saves.
What position did Herman Besse play?
Herman Besse played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Herman Besse and how much did he weigh?
Herman Besse was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 190 pounds.
What was Herman Besse's career ERA?
Herman Besse finished with a 6.79 career ERA, going 5-15 with 118 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Herman Besse have?
Herman Besse recorded 118 career strikeouts.
Is Herman Besse in the Hall of Fame?
No. Herman Besse has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.