What years did Norm Branch play?

Norm Branch played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1942.

Was Norm Branch a pitcher?

Yes. Norm Branch pitched in the major leagues, recording 5 wins and 41 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Norm Branch hit?

Norm Branch hit 0 career home runs with 1 hit.

What teams did Norm Branch play for?

Norm Branch played for one team, the New York Yankees (1941–1942).

What were Norm Branch's career stats?

In 37 games, Norm Branch went 5-2 with a 3.73 ERA, 41 strikeouts, 62.2 innings pitched, and 4 saves.

What position did Norm Branch play?

Norm Branch played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Norm Branch and how much did he weigh?

Norm Branch was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 200 pounds.

What was Norm Branch's career ERA?

Norm Branch finished with a 3.73 career ERA, going 5-2 with 41 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Norm Branch have?

Norm Branch recorded 41 career strikeouts.

Is Norm Branch in the Hall of Fame?

No. Norm Branch has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Norm Branch

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1941-1942)

Norm Branch was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1942 for the New York Yankees, a span of 2 seasons. Across 37 career appearances, he went 5-2 with a 3.73 ERA and 41 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 October 25, 2026

W–L 5–2

ERA 3.73

WHIP 1.55

SO 41

Pitcher PIV -1005.9

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'3" / 200 lb
Born: 3/22/1915 in Spokane, WA, USA
Died: 11/21/1971 in Navasota, TX, USA
MLB Debut: 1941-05-05
Last Game: 1942-08-20

Full name: Norman Downs Branch

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Norm Branch — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
5	2	37	0	0	0	4	62.2	55	26	5	42	41	3.73	-1005.9

Career ERA 3.73 vs. league average 3.75 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Norm Branch — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1941	NYA	AL	5	1	27	2	47.0	37	15	26	28	2.87	3.94 (+27%)	130.8
1942	NYA	AL	0	1	10	2	15.2	18	11	16	13	6.32	3.57 (-77%)	-1136.7
Career · 2 seasons			5	2	37	4	62.2	55	26	42	41	3.73	—	-1,006

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

Norm Branch — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
37	13	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	5	.077	.143	.077	.220	0

Career AVG .077 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 70.2% below league average.

Career OBP .143 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 56.4% below league average.

Career SLG .077 vs. league average .361 across their career seasons — 78.7% below league average.

Career OPS .220 vs. league average .689 across their career seasons — 68.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Norm Branch — Season-by-Season Batting
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1941	NYA	AL	27	10	0	0	0	1	4	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1942	NYA	AL	10	3	1	1	1	0	1	.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 2 seasons			37	13	1	1	1	1	5	.077	—	—	—	—	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 (74 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Norm Branch — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	15	2	0	0	0	0	.000
Away	22	11	1	1	0	1	.091

Pitching — Home / Away

Norm Branch — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	15	18.1	16	9	13	10	4.42
Away	22	44.1	39	17	29	31	3.45

Last 10 Games — Batting

Norm Branch — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	RBI	SO
1942-08-20	NYY	BOS	L	0	0	0	0	0
1942-08-19	NYY	BOS	L	1	0	0	0	1
1942-06-30	NYY	PHA	L	0	0	0	0	0
1942-06-28	NYY	CHW	L	1	0	0	0	0
1942-06-26	NYY	CHW	L	0	0	0	0	0
1942-06-16	NYY	DET	L	0	0	0	0	0
1942-05-31	NYY	PHA	W	1	1	1	1	0
1942-04-29	NYY	SLA	L	0	0	0	0	0
1942-04-24	NYY	BOS	W	0	0	0	0	0
1942-04-23	NYY	PHA	W	0	0	0	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Norm Branch — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1942-08-20	NYY	BOS	—	2.0	1	0	0	3	2	0
1942-08-19	NYY	BOS	—	3.1	3	2	2	3	2	1
1942-06-30	NYY	PHA	—	0.2	1	0	0	0	0	0
1942-06-28	NYY	CHW	—	2.1	3	5	1	3	2	0
1942-06-26	NYY	CHW	—	1.0	0	0	0	1	0	0
1942-06-16	NYY	DET	L	2.0	1	1	1	0	1	1
1942-05-31	NYY	PHA	—	1.0	3	3	3	2	3	0
1942-04-29	NYY	SLA	—	2.0	4	4	4	4	2	1
1942-04-24	NYY	BOS	SV	1.0	2	0	0	0	0	0
1942-04-23	NYY	PHA	SV	0.1	0	0	0	0	1	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Norm Branch — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	37	0	0	17	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Norm Branch — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1941	NYA	P	27	0	0	12	0	0
1942	NYA	P	10	0	0	5	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Norm Branch — Career Games by Position
Position	Games
Pitcher	37

College History

Norm Branch — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
University of Texas at Austin	Austin	TX	1934, 1935, 1936

Norm Branch: the record in brief

The profile opens with Norm Branch's first major league game on May 5, 1941; the last one listed came on August 20, 1942. Every season row on the page belongs to the New York Yankees, from 1941 through 1942. Branch played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on March 22, 1915, in Spokane, WA, USA, Branch was listed at 6'3" and 200 pounds. Branch's death is recorded on November 21, 1971, in Navasota, TX, USA. The given name on file is Norman Downs Branch.

Branch went 5-2 with a 3.73 ERA in 37 games, 0 of them starts. Branch had 41 strikeouts. Branch's 3.73 ERA was close to the 3.75 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 5 wins of 1941. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.87 in 1941, when the league's was 3.94.

Every defensive appearance on record for Branch, 37 games, came at pitcher. The fielding table credits Branch with 0 putouts, 17 assists and 0 errors on the mound.

Frequently Asked Questions about Norm Branch

What years did Norm Branch play?: Norm Branch played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1942.
Was Norm Branch a pitcher?: Yes. Norm Branch pitched in the major leagues, recording 5 wins and 41 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Norm Branch hit?: Norm Branch hit 0 career home runs with 1 hit.
What teams did Norm Branch play for?: Norm Branch played for one team, the New York Yankees (1941–1942).
What were Norm Branch's career stats?: In 37 games, Norm Branch went 5-2 with a 3.73 ERA, 41 strikeouts, 62.2 innings pitched, and 4 saves.
What position did Norm Branch play?: Norm Branch played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Norm Branch and how much did he weigh?: Norm Branch was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 200 pounds.
What was Norm Branch's career ERA?: Norm Branch finished with a 3.73 career ERA, going 5-2 with 41 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Norm Branch have?: Norm Branch recorded 41 career strikeouts.
Is Norm Branch in the Hall of Fame?: No. Norm Branch has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.