Don Black

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1943-1948)

Don Black was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1948 for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 6 seasons. Across 154 career appearances, he went 34-55 with a 4.35 ERA and 293 strikeouts. He also batted .184 with 0 home runs.

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 34–55
ERA 4.35
WHIP 1.51
SO 293
Pitcher PIV -10991.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 185 lb
Born
7/20/1916 in Salix, IA, USA
Died
4/21/1959 in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1943-04-24
Last Game
1948-09-13

Full name: Donald Paul Black

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Career Pitching Statistics

Don Black — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
34 55 154 113 37 4 1 797.0 803 385 46 400 293 4.35 -10991.9

Career ERA 4.35 vs. league average 3.73 across their career seasons — 16.5% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Black — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1943 PHA AL 6 16 33 26 12 1 1 208.0 193 97 110 65 4.20 3.50 (-20%) -3622.4
1944 PHA AL 10 12 29 27 8 0 0 177.1 177 80 75 78 4.06 3.57 (-14%) -0.9
1945 PHA AL 5 11 26 18 8 0 0 125.1 154 72 69 47 5.17 3.67 (-41%) -1474.2
1946 CLE AL 1 2 18 4 0 0 0 43.2 45 22 21 15 4.53 3.59 (-26%) -1428.4
1947 CLE AL 10 12 30 28 8 3 0 190.2 177 83 85 72 3.92 3.97 (+1%) -2294.7
1948 CLE AL 2 2 18 10 1 0 0 52.0 57 31 40 16 5.37 4.10 (-31%) -2171.4
Career · 6 seasons 34 55 154 113 37 4 1 797.0 803 385 400 293 4.35 — -10,992

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

Don Black — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
154 256 11 47 4 0 0 19 1 6 52 .184 .202 .199 .402 -1,231

Career AVG .184 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 29.4% below league average.

Career OBP .202 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 38.9% below league average.

Career SLG .199 vs. league average .362 across their career seasons — 45.0% below league average.

Career OPS .402 vs. league average .693 across their career seasons — 42.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Black — 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
1943 PHA AL 33 69 5 13 0 0 0 2 1 2 16 .188 .255 (-26%) .324 (-35%) .346 (-46%) .671 (-40%) -419.4
1944 PHA AL 29 59 2 11 1 0 0 4 0 2 13 .186 .261 (-29%) .325 (-35%) .357 (-43%) .683 (-39%) -352.5
1945 PHA AL 26 37 0 6 0 0 0 4 0 1 3 .162 — — — — 0.0
1946 CLE AL 18 10 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 .200 — — — — 0.0
1947 CLE AL 30 66 2 12 2 0 0 8 0 1 14 .182 .262 (-31%) .336 (-42%) .376 (-44%) .712 (-43%) -458.7
1948 CLE AL 18 15 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .200 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 154 256 11 47 4 0 0 19 1 6 52 .184 — — — — -1,231

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 (308 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Don Black — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home7611352208.195
Away78144625011.174

Pitching — Home / Away

Don Black — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home76389.03801861891604.30
Away78408.04221992111354.39

Last 10 Games — Batting

Don Black — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1948-09-13 CLESLAL 000000000
1948-09-03 CLESLAL 000000000
1948-08-29 CLEMINL 201000000
1948-08-11 CLESLAL 000000000
1948-08-10 CLEDETL 000000000
1948-07-30 CLEBOSL 100000000
1948-07-20 CLEMINL 200000001
1948-07-16 CLEPHAL 000000000
1948-07-06 CLEDETL 000000000
1948-07-02 CLESLAW 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Don Black — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1948-09-13 CLESLA — 2.0200030
1948-09-03 CLESLA — 1.0000020
1948-08-29 CLEMIN — 5.0322400
1948-08-11 CLESLA — 1.0232300
1948-08-10 CLEDET — 2.0222201
1948-07-30 CLEBOS — 2.0322220
1948-07-20 CLEMIN L 6.0622540
1948-07-16 CLEPHA — 2.0200000
1948-07-06 CLEDET — 2.0432210
1948-07-02 CLESLA — 0.0233100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don Black — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 154 0 52 143 4 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Don Black — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1943 PHA P 33 0 15 41 0 3
1944 PHA P 29 0 7 32 1 3
1945 PHA P 26 0 8 18 1 0
1946 CLE P 18 0 4 10 1 1
1947 CLE P 30 0 15 31 1 2
1948 CLE P 18 0 3 11 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don Black — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 154

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Don Black (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Doug McWeeny
    37-57, 4.17 ERA
  2. 98
    Fred Sanford
    37-55, 4.45 ERA
  3. 97
    Harry Perkowski
    33-40, 4.37 ERA
  4. 95
    Dave Freisleben
    34-60, 4.30 ERA
  5. 95
    Duane Pillette
    38-66, 4.40 ERA
  6. 94
    Dick Barrett
    35-58, 4.28 ERA

Don Black: the record in brief

The profile opens with Don Black's first major league game on April 24, 1943; the last one listed came on September 13, 1948. Club by club, the record runs the Philadelphia Athletics (1943 to 1945) and the Cleveland Indians (1946 through 1948). At 6'0" and 185 pounds, Black is listed as a pitcher. Black batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Black was born on July 20, 1916, in Salix, IA, USA. Black's death is recorded on April 21, 1959, in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA. The given name on file is Donald Paul Black.

Black's career pitching line is 34 wins, 55 losses and a 4.35 ERA over 154 appearances. The totals include 293 strikeouts and 37 complete games. Against a 3.73 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.35 mark was 16.5% worse. The best win total was 10, in 1944. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.92 in 1947, when the league's was 3.97.

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Black

What years did Don Black play?
Don Black played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1948.
Was Don Black a pitcher?
Yes. Don Black pitched in the major leagues, recording 34 wins and 293 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Don Black hit?
Don Black hit 0 career home runs with 47 hits.
What teams did Don Black play for?
Don Black played for 2 teams: the Philadelphia Athletics (1943–1945) and the Cleveland Indians (1946–1948).
What were Don Black's career stats?
In 154 games, Don Black went 34-55 with a 4.35 ERA, 293 strikeouts, 797.0 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 47 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Don Black play?
Don Black played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Don Black and how much did he weigh?
Don Black was listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds.
What was Don Black's career ERA?
Don Black finished with a 4.35 career ERA, going 34-55 with 293 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Don Black have?
Don Black recorded 293 career strikeouts.
Is Don Black in the Hall of Fame?
No. Don Black has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.