Karl Best
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1983-1988)
Karl Best was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1988 for the Seattle Mariners and the Minnesota Twins, a span of 6 seasons. Across 61 career appearances, he went 5-6 with a 4.04 ERA and 73 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 1224.6.
- 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
- 6'4" / 190 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1983-08-19
- Last Game
- 1988-06-20
Full name: Karl Jon Best
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | SEA | AL | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 13.50 | — | 0.0 |
| 1984 | SEA | AL | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1985 | SEA | AL | 2 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 32.1 | 25 | 7 | 6 | 32 | 1.95 | 3.89 (+50%) | 1738.9 |
| 1986 | SEA | AL | 2 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 35.2 | 35 | 16 | 21 | 23 | 4.04 | 3.97 (-2%) | -403.7 |
| 1988 | MIN | AL | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 6.00 | 3.73 (-61%) | -110.6 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 5 | 6 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 91.1 | 96 | 41 | 39 | 73 | 4.04 | — | 1,225 | ||
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | SEA | AL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1984 | SEA | AL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1985 | SEA | AL | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | SEA | AL | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | MIN | AL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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 (122 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Away | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 37 | 59.1 | 59 | 21 | 17 | 48 | 3.19 |
| Away | 24 | 32.0 | 37 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 5.62 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-06-20 | MIN | LAA | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-06-18 | MIN | SEA | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-06-07 | MIN | CHW | — | 2.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-06-04 | MIN | OAK | — | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-06-03 | MIN | OAK | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-05-30 | MIN | TEX | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-05-24 | MIN | KCR | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-05-19 | MIN | KCR | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1988-05-18 | MIN | KCR | — | 1.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-05-13 | MIN | DET | — | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 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 | 61 |
Salary History
Karl Best's recorded salaries total $175,000 over 2 seasons, 1986 to 1989. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Best's career ran from 1983 to 1988. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985 and 1988.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | SFN | NL | $105,000 |
| 1986 | SEA | AL | $70,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $175,000 | ||
Karl Best: the record in brief
Karl Best played a first major league game on August 19, 1983 and a last one on June 20, 1988. By club, Best's seasons break down as the Seattle Mariners (1983 to 1986) and the Minnesota Twins (1988). Best, a pitcher by primary position, both batted and threw right-handed. Best is listed at 6'4" and 190 pounds. Best was born on March 6, 1959, in Aberdeen, WA, USA. The given name on file is Karl Jon Best.
Best went 5-6 with a 4.04 ERA in 61 games, 0 of them starts. Best had 73 strikeouts. Best's 4.04 ERA was close to the 3.86 league figure for those seasons. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 1.95 in 1985, when the league's was 3.89. By Pitcher PIV, Baseball Data Hub's measure of run prevention relative to each season's league, Best's career adds up to 1,224.6.
Every defensive appearance on record for Best, 61 games, came at pitcher. On the mound, Best's fielding totals are 1 putouts, 7 assists and 1 errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Karl Best
- What years did Karl Best play?
- Karl Best played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1988.
- Was Karl Best a pitcher?
- Yes. Karl Best pitched in the major leagues, recording 5 wins and 73 strikeouts.
- What teams did Karl Best play for?
- Karl Best played for 2 teams: the Seattle Mariners (1983–1986) and the Minnesota Twins (1988).
- What were Karl Best's career stats?
- In 61 games, Karl Best went 5-6 with a 4.04 ERA, 73 strikeouts, 91.1 innings pitched, and 5 saves.
- How much did Karl Best earn in his career?
- Karl Best's recorded salaries total $175,000 over 2 seasons, 1986 to 1989. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Best's career ran from 1983 to 1988. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985 and 1988.
- What was Karl Best's salary?
- Karl Best's last recorded salary was $105,000, in 1989. His highest recorded salary was $105,000, in 1989, and his lowest was $70,000, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1986 to 1989.
- What position did Karl Best play?
- Karl Best played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Karl Best and how much did he weigh?
- Karl Best was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 190 pounds.
- What was Karl Best's career ERA?
- Karl Best finished with a 4.04 career ERA, going 5-6 with 73 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Karl Best have?
- Karl Best recorded 73 career strikeouts.
- Is Karl Best in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Karl Best has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.