What years did Steve Blass play?

Steve Blass played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1974.

Was Steve Blass a pitcher?

Yes. Steve Blass pitched in the major leagues, recording 103 wins and 896 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Steve Blass hit?

Steve Blass hit 1 career home runs with 94 hits.

What was Steve Blass's career batting average?

Steve Blass batted .172 over his career, with 94 hits in 546 at bats.

How many RBI did Steve Blass have?

Steve Blass drove in 37 runs in his career.

What was Steve Blass's career ERA?

Steve Blass finished with a 3.63 career ERA, going 103-76 with 896 strikeouts.

Steve Blass

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1964-1974)

Steve Blass was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1974 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 11 seasons. Across 282 career appearances, he went 103-76 with a 3.63 ERA and 896 strikeouts. He also batted .172 with 1 home runs. Steve Blass was an All-Star.

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 October 12, 2026

W–L 103–76

ERA 3.63

WHIP 1.35

SO 896

Pitcher PIV -5035.0

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'0" / 165 lb
Born: 4/18/1942 in Canaan, CT, USA
MLB Debut: 1964-05-10
Last Game: 1974-04-17
Awards: All-Star

Full name: Stephen Robert Blass

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Career Pitching Statistics

Steve Blass — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
103	76	282	231	57	16	2	1597.1	1,558	644	128	597	896	3.63	-5035.0

Career ERA 3.63 vs. league average 3.51 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Steve Blass Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1964	PIT	NL	5	8	24	13	3	1	0	104.2	107	47	45	67	4.04	3.58 (-13%)	-472.2
1966	PIT	NL	11	7	34	25	1	0	0	155.2	173	67	46	76	3.87	3.52 (-10%)	61.2
1967	PIT	NL	6	8	32	16	2	0	0	126.2	126	50	47	72	3.55	3.30 (-8%)	-1554.3
1968	PIT	NL	18	6	33	31	12	7	0	220.1	191	52	57	132	2.12	2.98 (+29%)	1137.5
1969	PIT	NL	16	10	38	32	9	0	2	210.0	207	104	86	147	4.46	3.61 (-23%)	-577.7
1970	PIT	NL	10	12	31	31	6	1	0	196.2	187	77	73	120	3.52	3.89 (+9%)	1803.5
1971	PIT	NL	15	8	33	33	12	5	0	240.0	226	76	68	136	2.85	3.47 (+18%)	2576.7
1972	PIT	NL	19	8	33	32	11	2	0	249.2	227	69	84	117	2.49	3.26 (+24%)	-1201.1
1973	PIT	NL	3	9	23	18	1	0	0	88.2	109	97	84	27	9.85	3.75 (-163%)	-6808.6
1974	PIT	NL	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	5.0	5	5	7	2	9.00	—	0.0
Career · 10 seasons			103	76	282	231	57	16	2	1,597.1	1,558	644	597	896	3.63	—	-5,035

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

Steve Blass — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
295	546	42	94	7	3	1	37	0	11	140	.172	.188	.201	.389	-2,993

Career AVG .172 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 30.9% below league average.

Career OBP .188 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — 40.6% below league average.

Career SLG .201 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 45.2% below league average.

Career OPS .389 vs. league average .683 across their career seasons — 43.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Steve Blass Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1964	PIT	NL	24	30	0	2	0	0	0	1	2	13	.067	—	—	—	—	0.0
1966	PIT	NL	34	52	3	12	1	0	0	6	0	15	.231	.248 (-7%)	.309 (-25%)	.376 (-34%)	.685 (-30%)	-237.0
1967	PIT	NL	32	39	2	5	0	0	0	5	1	12	.128	—	—	—	—	0.0
1968	PIT	NL	35	80	7	11	1	0	0	8	2	30	.138	.236 (-42%)	.298 (-48%)	.340 (-56%)	.638 (-52%)	-617.6
1969	PIT	NL	44	84	12	21	0	2	1	9	1	16	.250	.248 (+1%)	.320 (-19%)	.369 (-10%)	.689 (-14%)	-208.3
1970	PIT	NL	32	70	3	8	1	0	0	2	2	15	.114	.253 (-55%)	.325 (-58%)	.385 (-67%)	.711 (-63%)	-703.4
1971	PIT	NL	34	83	5	10	0	1	0	2	1	15	.120	.249 (-52%)	.316 (-59%)	.365 (-60%)	.682 (-60%)	-756.6
1972	PIT	NL	35	82	8	15	2	0	0	3	2	22	.183	.243 (-25%)	.310 (-35%)	.353 (-41%)	.664 (-38%)	-470.1
1973	PIT	NL	24	24	2	10	2	0	0	1	0	2	.417	—	—	—	—	0.0
1974	PIT	NL	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 10 seasons			295	546	42	94	7	3	1	37	11	140	.172	—	—	—	—	-2,993

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Steve Blass — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
6	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Steve Blass — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	SO	AVG
1972	NLCS	PIT	2	6	3	.000
1971	NLCS	PIT	2	1	1	.000
1971	WS	PIT	2	7	1	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Steve Blass — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
3	1	6	6	0	40.2	33	14	12	29	3.10

Playoff Pitching by Year

Steve Blass — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1972	NLCS	PIT	1	0	2	2	15.2	12	3	6	5	1.72
1971	NLCS	PIT	0	1	2	2	7.0	14	9	2	11	11.57
1971	WS	PIT	2	0	2	2	18.0	7	2	4	13	1.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (577 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Steve Blass — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	147	235	23	39	0	16	.166
Away	148	311	19	55	1	21	.177

Pitching — Home / Away

Steve Blass — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	138	763.1	756	301	278	443	3.55
Away	144	834.0	802	343	319	453	3.70

Last 10 Games — Batting

Steve Blass — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	H	2B
1974-04-17	PIT	CHC	L	2	0	0
1973-09-21	PIT	NYN	L	0	0	0
1973-09-16	PIT	STL	L	2	0	0
1973-09-11	PIT	CHC	L	0	0	0
1973-08-01	PIT	NYN	L	0	0	0
1973-07-15	PIT	SFG	L	0	0	0
1973-07-03	PIT	STL	L	1	1	0
1973-06-27	PIT	STL	L	1	1	1
1973-06-26	PIT	WSN	L	1	0	0
1973-06-23	PIT	NYN	W	0	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Steve Blass — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1974-04-17	PIT	CHC	—	5.0	5	8	5	7	2	2
1973-09-21	PIT	NYN	L	0.2	4	4	4	1	0	0
1973-09-16	PIT	STL	—	6.0	4	3	3	5	0	0
1973-09-11	PIT	CHC	L	5.0	2	2	1	5	1	1
1973-08-01	PIT	NYN	L	1.2	0	3	3	5	0	0
1973-07-15	PIT	SFG	—	0.0	1	3	3	2	0	1
1973-07-03	PIT	STL	L	2.2	1	6	6	6	1	0
1973-06-27	PIT	STL	—	4.0	6	5	5	4	3	0
1973-06-26	PIT	WSN	—	3.1	5	3	3	4	1	1
1973-06-22	PIT	NYN	L	1.2	7	5	5	2	1	1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Steve Blass — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
P	282	231	137	251	16	19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Steve Blass — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1964	PIT	P	24	13	10	18	2	2
1966	PIT	P	34	25	6	15	3	1
1967	PIT	P	32	16	7	23	1	2
1968	PIT	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1968	PIT	P	33	31	22	27	0	1
1969	PIT	P	38	32	21	41	2	3
1970	PIT	P	31	31	21	26	2	1
1971	PIT	P	33	33	27	36	4	2
1972	PIT	P	33	32	15	46	2	6
1973	PIT	P	23	18	8	18	0	1
1974	PIT	P	1	0	0	1	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Steve Blass Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	282
Left Field	1

Award Voting History

Steve Blass — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max
1972	Cy Young Award	NL	2nd	35.0	120
1972	Most Valuable Player	NL	18th	9.0	336
1968	Most Valuable Player	NL	22th	3.0	280

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Steve Blass (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Steve Blass: the record in brief

Between the debut on May 10, 1964 and the final game on April 17, 1974, Steve Blass built the record summarized on this page. All of the seasons listed were played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Blass, a pitcher by primary position, batted and threw right-handed. Blass is listed at 6 feet, 0 inches and 165 pounds. The birth record reads April 18, 1942, in Canaan, CT, USA. The bio lists the given name Stephen Robert.

Blass pitched in 282 games, starting 231, and finished with a 103-76 record and 3.63 ERA. The same table counts 896 strikeouts, 57 complete games, and 16 shutouts. Blass's 3.63 ERA was close to the 3.51 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 19 wins of 1972. 1969 produced Blass's most strikeouts, 147. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.12 in 1968, when the league's was 2.98.

All-Star selections appear in Blass's bio as All-Star. The voting table's high point is a 2nd-place Cy Young Award finish in 1972.

Frequently Asked Questions about Steve Blass

What years did Steve Blass play?: Steve Blass played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1974.
Was Steve Blass a pitcher?: Yes. Steve Blass pitched in the major leagues, recording 103 wins and 896 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Steve Blass hit?: Steve Blass hit 1 career home runs with 94 hits.
What was Steve Blass's career batting average?: Steve Blass batted .172 over his career, with 94 hits in 546 at bats.
How many RBI did Steve Blass have?: Steve Blass drove in 37 runs in his career.
What was Steve Blass's career ERA?: Steve Blass finished with a 3.63 career ERA, going 103-76 with 896 strikeouts.