Jim Bethke

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1965)

Jim Bethke was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball in 1965 for the New York Mets. Across 25 career appearances, he went 2-0 with a 4.28 ERA and 19 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 2–0
ERA 4.28
WHIP 1.57
SO 19
Pitcher PIV -1143.4
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 185 lb
Born
11/5/1946 in Falls City, NE, USA
Died
7/19/2025 in Kansas City, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1965-04-12
Last Game
1965-09-11

Full name: James Charles Bethke

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Career Pitching Statistics

Jim Bethke — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
2 0 25 0 0 0 0 40.0 41 19 3 22 19 4.28 -1143.4

Career ERA 4.28 vs. league average 3.50 across their career seasons — 22.2% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Bethke — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1965 NYN NL 2 0 25 0 0 0 0 40.0 41 19 22 19 4.28 3.50 (-22%) -1143.4
Career · 1 season 2 0 25 0 0 0 0 40.0 41 19 22 19 4.28 — -1,143

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

Jim Bethke — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
25 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 .000 .000 0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .246 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .000 vs. league average .311 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS .000 vs. league average .683 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Bethke — 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
1965 NYN NL 25 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 1 season 25 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 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 (50 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Bethke — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1510000.000
Away1030000.000

Pitching — Home / Away

Jim Bethke — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1519.018141786.63
Away1021.02355112.14

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Jim Bethke — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1965-09-11 NYNATL — 1.0133400
1965-09-08 NYNCIN — 2.0000030
1965-08-29 NYNSFG — 1.0100000
1965-08-27 NYNSFG — 1.0233211
1965-08-23 NYNLAD — 2.0333110
1965-08-20 NYNSTL — 3.0200220
1965-08-08 NYNCHC — 0.2000110
1965-08-06 NYNCHC — 1.0111000
1965-06-29 NYNATL — 1.0110000
1965-06-16 NYNCIN — 0.0222000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Bethke — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 25 0 2 12 0 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Bethke — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1965 NYN P 25 0 2 12 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Bethke — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 25

Jim Bethke: the record in brief

Jim Bethke played a first major league game on April 12, 1965 and a last one on September 11, 1965. Bethke spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the New York Mets. Bethke played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on November 5, 1946, in Falls City, NE, USA and a listed size of 6 feet, 3 inches and 185 pounds. The bio records the death on July 19, 2025, in Kansas City, MO, USA. Bethke's full given name, per the bio, is James Charles Bethke.

Bethke went 2-0 with a 4.28 ERA in 25 games, 0 of them starts. The totals include 19 strikeouts. Against a 3.50 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.28 mark was 22.2% worse. Bethke's only pitching season is 1965: 25 games, 19 strikeouts.

Every defensive appearance on record for Bethke, 25 games, came at pitcher. On the mound, Bethke's fielding totals are 2 putouts, 12 assists and 0 errors.

Bethke's game-by-game log, linked below the splits, holds 50 games from Retrosheet.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Bethke

Was Jim Bethke a pitcher?
Yes. Jim Bethke pitched in the major leagues, recording 2 wins and 19 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Jim Bethke hit?
Jim Bethke hit 0 career home runs.
What teams did Jim Bethke play for?
Jim Bethke played for one team, the New York Mets (1965).
What were Jim Bethke's career stats?
In 25 games, Jim Bethke went 2-0 with a 4.28 ERA, 19 strikeouts, and 40.0 innings pitched.
What position did Jim Bethke play?
Jim Bethke played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Bethke and how much did he weigh?
Jim Bethke was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 185 pounds.
What was Jim Bethke's career ERA?
Jim Bethke finished with a 4.28 career ERA, going 2-0 with 19 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Jim Bethke have?
Jim Bethke recorded 19 career strikeouts.
Is Jim Bethke in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jim Bethke has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.