Tommy Bridges

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1930-1946)

Tommy Bridges was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1930 to 1946 for the Detroit Tigers, a span of 17 seasons. Across 424 career appearances, he went 194-138 with a 3.57 ERA and 1,674 strikeouts. He also batted .180 with 0 home runs. Tommy Bridges was a 6-time All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 10928.1.

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 194–138
ERA 3.57
WHIP 1.37
SO 1,674
Pitcher PIV 10928.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 155 lb
Born
12/28/1906 in Gordonsville, TN, USA
Died
4/19/1968 in Nashville, TN, USA
MLB Debut
1930-08-13
Last Game
1946-07-20
Awards
6× All-Star

Full name: Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges

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Career Pitching Statistics

Tommy Bridges — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
194 138 424 362 200 33 10 2826.1 2,675 1,122 181 1,192 1,674 3.57 10928.1

Career ERA 3.57 vs. league average 4.10 across their career seasons — 12.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tommy Bridges Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1930 DET AL 3 2 8 5 2 0 0 37.2 28 17 23 17 4.06 4.80 (+15%) -1051.9
1931 DET AL 8 16 35 23 8 2 0 173.0 182 96 108 105 4.99 4.10 (-22%) -2919.3
1932 DET AL 14 12 34 26 10 4 1 201.0 174 75 119 108 3.36 4.13 (+19%) -3126.9
1933 DET AL 14 12 33 28 17 2 2 233.0 192 80 110 120 3.09 3.86 (+20%) 214.6
1934 DET AL 22 11 36 35 23 3 1 275.0 249 112 104 151 3.67 4.29 (+15%) 1787.6
1935 DET AL 21 10 36 34 23 4 1 274.1 277 107 113 163 3.51 4.35 (+19%) 247.7
1936 DET AL 23 11 39 38 26 5 0 294.2 289 118 115 175 3.60 4.59 (+21%) 2105.8
1937 DET AL 15 12 34 31 18 3 0 245.1 267 111 91 138 4.07 4.34 (+6%) 2044.9
1938 DET AL 13 9 25 20 13 0 1 151.0 171 77 58 101 4.59 4.35 (-6%) 760.4
1939 DET AL 17 7 29 26 16 2 2 198.0 186 77 61 129 3.50 4.28 (+18%) 4032.9
1940 DET AL 12 9 29 28 12 2 0 197.2 171 74 88 133 3.37 4.21 (+20%) 2558.9
1941 DET AL 9 12 25 22 10 1 0 147.2 128 56 70 90 3.41 3.94 (+13%) 105.2
1942 DET AL 9 7 23 22 11 2 1 174.0 164 53 61 97 2.74 3.57 (+23%) 2426.1
1943 DET AL 12 7 25 22 11 3 0 191.2 159 51 61 124 2.39 3.50 (+32%) 2895.2
1945 DET AL 1 0 4 1 0 0 0 11.0 14 4 2 6 3.27 3.67 (+11%) -238.8
1946 DET AL 1 1 9 1 0 0 1 21.1 24 14 8 17 5.91 3.59 (-64%) -914.2
Career · 16 seasons 194 138 424 362 200 33 10 2,826.1 2,675 1,122 1,192 1,674 3.57 — 10,928

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

Tommy Bridges — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
424 1,003 83 181 27 8 0 72 0 74 271 .180 .237 .223 .460 -5,854

Career AVG .180 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — 33.5% below league average.

Career OBP .237 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 29.7% below league average.

Career SLG .223 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — 41.8% below league average.

Career OPS .460 vs. league average .721 across their career seasons — 36.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tommy Bridges Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1930 DET AL 8 10 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 .300 — — — — 0.0
1931 DET AL 35 54 4 8 0 0 0 1 0 5 23 .148 .276 (-46%) .338 (-35%) .388 (-62%) .726 (-49%) -417.3
1932 DET AL 34 67 5 11 1 1 0 4 0 7 24 .164 .275 (-40%) .335 (-27%) .391 (-47%) .726 (-38%) -402.4
1933 DET AL 33 78 5 16 2 2 0 5 0 7 17 .205 .270 (-24%) .329 (-18%) .377 (-25%) .707 (-22%) -273.2
1934 DET AL 36 98 7 12 2 0 0 10 0 7 25 .122 .278 (-56%) .340 (-47%) .392 (-64%) .733 (-56%) -886.4
1935 DET AL 36 109 9 26 5 1 0 10 0 6 24 .239 .279 (-15%) .342 (-19%) .399 (-24%) .742 (-22%) -398.0
1936 DET AL 39 118 10 25 4 1 0 15 0 3 26 .212 .283 (-25%) .349 (-34%) .404 (-35%) .753 (-34%) -693.1
1937 DET AL 34 96 9 23 2 1 0 8 0 5 26 .240 .276 (-13%) .342 (-19%) .398 (-29%) .740 (-25%) -388.1
1938 DET AL 25 54 5 7 1 1 0 3 0 6 17 .130 .272 (-52%) .341 (-37%) .392 (-53%) .734 (-45%) -402.8
1939 DET AL 29 71 11 14 2 0 0 6 0 8 24 .197 .274 (-28%) .342 (-19%) .393 (-43%) .735 (-31%) -349.9
1940 DET AL 29 68 5 12 2 0 0 4 0 3 23 .176 .267 (-34%) .335 (-37%) .387 (-47%) .722 (-42%) -462.6
1941 DET AL 25 47 2 4 1 0 0 1 0 4 11 .085 — — — — -463.6
1942 DET AL 23 63 5 6 1 1 0 2 0 5 12 .095 .253 (-62%) .323 (-50%) .349 (-59%) .672 (-55%) -528.8
1943 DET AL 25 64 4 14 3 0 0 3 0 5 14 .219 .255 (-15%) .324 (-15%) .346 (-23%) .671 (-19%) -188.0
1945 DET AL 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1946 DET AL 9 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 16 seasons 424 1,003 83 181 27 8 0 72 0 74 271 .180 — — — — -5,854

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

Tommy Bridges — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 18 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 8 .111

Playoff Batting by Year

Tommy Bridges — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1945 WS DET 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1940 WS DET 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1935 WS DET 2 8 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 .125
1934 WS DET 3 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 .143

Playoff Career Pitching

Tommy Bridges — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
4 1 7 5 0 46.0 52 18 9 27 3.52

Playoff Pitching by Year

Tommy Bridges — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1945 WS DET 0 0 1 0 0 1.2 3 3 3 1 16.20
1940 WS DET 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 10 3 1 5 3.00
1935 WS DET 2 0 2 2 0 18.0 18 5 4 9 2.50
1934 WS DET 1 1 3 2 0 17.1 21 7 1 12 3.63

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (848 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Tommy Bridges — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2194784093035.195
Away2055264488039.167

Pitching — Home / Away

Tommy Bridges — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home2191430.212995265959133.31
Away2051395.013755975987713.85

Last 10 Games — Batting

Tommy Bridges — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1946-07-20 DETPHAW 100000001
1946-07-02 DETCHWL 000000000
1946-06-24 DETBOSL 100000000
1946-06-09 DETBOSL 000000000
1946-05-30 DETSLAL 000000000
1946-05-23 DETNYYL 000000010
1946-05-14 DETMINL 000000000
1946-05-05 DETPHAW 110000011
1946-05-02 DETBOSL 000000000
1945-09-26 DETCLEL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Tommy Bridges — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1946-07-20 DETPHA SV 3.0200010
1946-07-02 DETCHW — 1.1422021
1946-06-24 DETBOS — 0.1000100
1946-06-09 DETBOS — 2.0221211
1946-05-30 DETSLA — 2.0000140
1946-05-23 DETNYY — 3.0310010
1946-05-14 DETMIN — 1.2566211
1946-05-05 DETPHA W 6.0744241
1946-05-02 DETBOS L 2.0111031
1945-09-26 DETCLE — 2.0200010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Tommy Bridges — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 424 0 144 469 24 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tommy Bridges — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1930 DET P 8 0 0 7 1 0
1931 DET P 35 0 5 27 2 0
1932 DET P 34 0 5 34 2 1
1933 DET P 33 0 9 49 3 5
1934 DET P 36 0 6 42 2 2
1935 DET P 36 0 15 39 2 4
1936 DET P 39 0 19 51 2 3
1937 DET P 34 0 14 46 1 2
1938 DET P 25 0 8 19 2 0
1939 DET P 29 0 8 28 3 2
1940 DET P 29 0 4 30 2 0
1941 DET P 25 0 15 30 1 1
1942 DET P 23 0 15 32 1 2
1943 DET P 25 0 18 28 0 1
1945 DET P 4 0 2 4 0 0
1946 DET P 9 0 1 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tommy Bridges Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 424

Awards & Honors

Tommy Bridges — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1935 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1935 Baseball Magazine All-Star P4
1934 Baseball Magazine All-Star P4
1933 Baseball Magazine All-Star P4

College History

Tommy Bridges — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Tennessee Knoxville TN 1927, 1928, 1929

Award Voting History

Tommy Bridges — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1939 Most Valuable Player AL 22th 7.0 336 0
1936 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 25.0 80 0
1935 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 11.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Tommy Bridges (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Lefty Gomez HOF
    189-102, 3.34 ERA
  2. 97
    Bob Buhl
    166-132, 3.55 ERA
  3. 92
    Rick Sutcliffe
    171-139, 4.08 ERA
  4. 88
    Joe Coleman
    142-135, 3.70 ERA
  5. 86
    Fernando Valenzuela
    173-153, 3.54 ERA
  6. 84
    Dave Stewart
    168-129, 3.95 ERA

Compare Tommy Bridges

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Bridges's closest peers by position and era.

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vs Carl Hubbell
vs Bob Feller
vs Hal Newhouser

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Tommy Bridges: the record in brief

Between the debut on August 13, 1930 and the final game on July 20, 1946, Tommy Bridges built the record summarized on this page. Bridges's only club in the season tables is the Detroit Tigers. Bridges, born on December 28, 1906, in Gordonsville, TN, USA, is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds. Bridges's death is recorded on April 19, 1968, in Nashville, TN, USA. Bridges's full given name, per the bio, is Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges.

Bridges went 194-138 with a 3.57 ERA in 424 games, 362 of them starts. Also on Bridges's record: 1,674 strikeouts, 200 complete games, 33 shutouts, and 10 saves. The leagues Bridges pitched in allowed 4.10 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 12.8% better than average. The best win total was 23, in 1936. In 1943, one of the busiest seasons, Bridges posted a 2.39 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.50.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tommy Bridges

What years did Tommy Bridges play?
Tommy Bridges played in Major League Baseball from 1930 to 1946.
Was Tommy Bridges a pitcher?
Yes. Tommy Bridges pitched in the major leagues, recording 194 wins and 1674 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Tommy Bridges hit?
Tommy Bridges hit 0 career home runs with 181 hits.
What teams did Tommy Bridges play for?
Tommy Bridges played for one team, the Detroit Tigers (1930–1943, 1945–1946).
What awards did Tommy Bridges win?
Tommy Bridges was selected to 6 All-Star Games.
What were Tommy Bridges's career stats?
In 424 games, Tommy Bridges went 194-138 with a 3.57 ERA, 1,674 strikeouts, 2,826.1 innings pitched, and 10 saves. At the plate he had 181 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Tommy Bridges play?
Tommy Bridges played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Tommy Bridges and how much did he weigh?
Tommy Bridges was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 155 pounds.
What was Tommy Bridges's career ERA?
Tommy Bridges finished with a 3.57 career ERA, going 194-138 with 1,674 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Tommy Bridges have?
Tommy Bridges recorded 1,674 career strikeouts.
Is Tommy Bridges in the Hall of Fame?
No. Tommy Bridges has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Tommy Bridges make?
Tommy Bridges was selected to 6 All-Star Games.