Babe Birrer
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1955-1958)
Babe Birrer was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1958 for the Detroit Tigers, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, a span of 4 seasons. Across 56 career appearances, he went 4-3 with a 4.36 ERA and 45 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 195 lb
- Died
- 11/19/2013 in Clarence, NY, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1955-06-05
- Last Game
- 1958-09-24
Full name: Werner Joseph Birrer
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | DET | AL | 4 | 3 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 80.1 | 77 | 37 | 29 | 28 | 4.15 | 4.00 (-4%) | -425.6 |
| 1956 | BAL | AL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6.75 | — | 0.0 |
| 1958 | LAN | NL | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 34.0 | 43 | 17 | 7 | 16 | 4.50 | 3.86 (-17%) | 77.9 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 4 | 3 | 56 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 119.2 | 129 | 58 | 37 | 45 | 4.36 | — | -348 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | 27 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .259 | .333 | .556 | .889 | 0 |
Career AVG .259 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .333 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .556 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — +40.6% above league average.
Career OPS .889 vs. league average .725 across their career seasons — +22.7% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | DET | AL | 36 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .158 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | BAL | AL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1958 | LAN | NL | 16 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .571 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 56 | 27 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .259 | — | — | — | — | 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 (112 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 23 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | .385 |
| Away | 33 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .143 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 23 | 49.1 | 57 | 29 | 18 | 19 | 5.29 |
| Away | 33 | 70.1 | 73 | 29 | 19 | 26 | 3.71 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-09-24 | LAD | STL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-09-16 | LAD | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-09-15 | LAD | ATL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-09-13 | LAD | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-09-10 | LAD | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-09-03 | LAD | SFG | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-09-01 | LAD | SFG | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-08-31 | LAD | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-08-30 | LAD | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1958-08-26 | LAD | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-09-24 | LAD | STL | SV | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-09-16 | LAD | CIN | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958-09-15 | LAD | ATL | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958-09-13 | LAD | PIT | — | 3.1 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1958-09-10 | LAD | PHI | — | 2.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1958-09-03 | LAD | SFG | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-09-01 | LAD | SFG | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-08-31 | LAD | SFG | — | 5.0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1958-08-30 | LAD | SFG | — | 4.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1958-08-26 | LAD | CIN | — | 3.1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 56 |
Babe Birrer: the record in brief
Babe Birrer's major league career runs from a debut on June 5, 1955 to a final game on September 24, 1958. Club by club, the record runs the Detroit Tigers (1955), the Baltimore Orioles (1956), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1958). At 6-foot-0 and 195 pounds, Birrer is listed as a pitcher. Birrer threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is July 4, 1929, in Buffalo, NY, USA. The bio records the death on November 19, 2013, in Clarence, NY, USA. Babe Birrer was the playing name; the full given name is Werner Joseph.
Birrer pitched in 56 games, starting 3, and finished with a 4-3 record and 4.36 ERA. The totals include 45 strikeouts. Against a 3.94 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.36 mark was 10.7% worse. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 4.15 in 1955, when the league's was 4.00.
Frequently Asked Questions about Babe Birrer
- What years did Babe Birrer play?
- Babe Birrer played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1958.
- Was Babe Birrer a pitcher?
- Yes. Babe Birrer pitched in the major leagues, recording 4 wins and 45 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Babe Birrer hit?
- Babe Birrer hit 2 career home runs with 7 hits.
- What teams did Babe Birrer play for?
- Babe Birrer played for 3 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1955), the Baltimore Orioles (1956), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1958).
- What were Babe Birrer's career stats?
- In 56 games, Babe Birrer went 4-3 with a 4.36 ERA, 45 strikeouts, 119.2 innings pitched, and 4 saves.
- What position did Babe Birrer play?
- Babe Birrer played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Babe Birrer and how much did he weigh?
- Babe Birrer was listed at 6 feet and 195 pounds.
- What was Babe Birrer's career ERA?
- Babe Birrer finished with a 4.36 career ERA, going 4-3 with 45 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Babe Birrer have?
- Babe Birrer recorded 45 career strikeouts.
- Is Babe Birrer in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Babe Birrer has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.