Hal Carlson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1917-1930)

Hal Carlson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1917 to 1930 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Chicago Cubs, a span of 14 seasons. Across 377 career appearances, he went 114-120 with a 3.97 ERA and 590 strikeouts. He also batted .223 with 5 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 3565.9.

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 114–120
ERA 3.97
WHIP 1.38
SO 590
Pitcher PIV 3565.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 180 lb
Born
5/17/1892 in Rockford, IL, USA
Died
5/28/1930 in Chicago, IL, USA
MLB Debut
1917-04-13
Last Game
1930-05-23

Full name: Harold Gust Carlson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Hal Carlson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
114 120 377 238 121 17 19 2002.0 2,256 883 93 498 590 3.97 3565.9

Career ERA 3.97 vs. league average 3.97 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Hal Carlson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1917 PIT NL 7 11 34 17 9 1 1 161.1 140 52 49 68 2.90 2.69 (-8%) 1115.2
1918 PIT NL 0 1 3 2 0 0 0 12.0 12 5 5 5 3.75 2.83 (-33%) -289.2
1919 PIT NL 8 10 22 14 7 1 0 141.0 114 35 39 49 2.23 3.09 (+28%) 1464.8
1920 PIT NL 14 13 39 31 16 3 3 246.2 262 92 63 62 3.36 3.45 (+3%) 521.0
1921 PIT NL 4 8 31 10 3 0 4 109.2 121 52 23 37 4.27 4.02 (-6%) 376.1
1922 PIT NL 9 12 39 18 6 0 2 145.1 193 92 58 64 5.70 4.18 (-36%) -1123.4
1923 PIT NL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 13.1 19 7 2 4 4.72 4.03 (-17%) -342.0
1924 PHI NL 8 17 38 24 12 1 2 203.2 267 110 55 66 4.86 4.13 (-18%) 745.9
1925 PHI NL 13 14 35 32 18 4 0 234.0 281 110 52 80 4.23 4.55 (+7%) -969.1
1926 PHI NL 17 12 35 34 20 3 0 267.1 293 96 47 55 3.23 4.11 (+21%) 3263.5
1927 PHI NL 4 5 11 9 4 0 1 63.2 80 37 18 13 5.23 4.08 (-28%) -1395.5
1927 CHN NL 12 8 27 22 15 2 0 184.1 201 65 27 27 3.17 4.08 (+22%) 856.0
1928 CHN NL 3 2 20 5 2 0 4 56.1 74 37 15 11 5.91 4.13 (-43%) -410.7
1929 CHN NL 11 5 31 14 6 2 2 111.2 131 64 31 35 5.16 4.60 (-12%) 262.8
1930 CHN NL 4 2 8 6 3 0 0 51.2 68 29 14 14 5.05 4.80 (-5%) -509.5
Career · 15 seasons 114 120 377 238 121 17 19 2,002.0 2,256 883 498 590 3.97 — 3,566

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

Hal Carlson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
385 712 58 159 18 4 5 72 0 24 118 .223 .251 .281 .532 -2,232

Career AVG .223 vs. league average .279 across their career seasons — 20.1% below league average.

Career OBP .251 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — 26.5% below league average.

Career SLG .281 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 27.3% below league average.

Career OPS .532 vs. league average .728 across their career seasons — 27.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Hal Carlson 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
1917 PIT NL 34 49 0 6 0 1 0 2 0 1 13 .122 — — — — -376.4
1918 PIT NL 3 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .200 — — — — 0.0
1919 PIT NL 22 43 3 7 1 1 0 3 0 1 14 .163 — — — — 0.0
1920 PIT NL 39 85 3 23 4 1 0 2 0 1 16 .271 .271 (-1%) .331 (-16%) .363 (-6%) .694 (-11%) -167.2
1921 PIT NL 31 34 3 10 2 0 0 2 0 0 6 .294 — — — — 0.0
1922 PIT NL 39 56 10 15 2 0 1 9 0 2 7 .268 .285 (-6%) .345 (-15%) .397 (-10%) .743 (-13%) -121.1
1923 PIT NL 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1924 PHI NL 39 76 6 21 1 0 2 8 0 2 8 .276 .283 (-3%) .345 (-15%) .389 (-5%) .734 (-10%) -129.6
1925 PHI NL 38 93 9 17 1 0 2 8 0 5 14 .183 .288 (-37%) .349 (-36%) .407 (-37%) .756 (-36%) -566.2
1926 PHI NL 38 96 13 23 5 1 0 13 0 7 15 .240 .279 (-14%) .345 (-14%) .390 (-20%) .735 (-17%) -270.6
1927 PHI NL 12 25 4 6 0 0 0 4 0 1 2 .240 — — — — 0.0
1927 CHN NL 27 67 1 11 0 0 0 9 0 0 7 .164 .282 (-42%) .344 (-52%) .392 (-58%) .736 (-55%) 0.0
1928 CHN NL 20 19 1 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 .263 — — — — 0.0
1929 CHN NL 31 39 4 9 2 0 0 8 0 2 7 .231 — — — — 0.0
1930 CHN NL 8 20 1 5 0 0 0 3 0 1 5 .250 — — — — 0.0
Career · 15 seasons 385 712 58 159 18 4 5 72 0 24 118 .223 — — — — -1,631

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

Hal Carlson — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Hal Carlson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1929 WS CHN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Hal Carlson — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 2 0 0 4.0 7 3 1 3 6.75

Playoff Pitching by Year

Hal Carlson — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1929 WS CHN 0 0 2 0 0 4.0 7 3 1 3 6.75

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (762 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Hal Carlson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1893323179244.238
Away1963792780330.211

Pitching — Home / Away

Hal Carlson — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home186988.211304342143003.95
Away1911012.011264412852903.92

Last 10 Games — Batting

Hal Carlson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1930-05-23 CHCPITL 100000000
1930-05-16 CHCSTLL 302000201
1930-05-13 CHCBSNW 201000001
1930-05-09 CHCNY1W 301000110
1930-05-02 CHCPHIW 400000001
1930-04-26 CHCCINL 200000000
1930-04-21 CHCCINW 411000001
1930-04-16 CHCSTLL 100000001
1929-10-06 CHCPITL 000000000
1929-10-03 CHCCINW 100000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Hal Carlson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1930-05-23 CHCPIT L 3.0544200
1930-05-16 CHCSTL — 5.21344150
1930-05-13 CHCBSN W 4.1322001
1930-05-09 CHCNY1 W 9.01455110
1930-05-02 CHCPHI W 9.01586132
1930-04-26 CHCCIN L 8.0411320
1930-04-21 CHCCIN W 9.0511320
1930-04-16 CHCSTL — 3.2966310
1929-10-06 CHCPIT — 2.0100020
1929-10-03 CHCCIN W 3.0200000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Hal Carlson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 377 0 74 497 17 18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Hal Carlson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1917 PIT P 34 0 6 53 1 3
1918 PIT P 3 0 1 2 1 0
1919 PIT P 22 0 8 44 2 0
1920 PIT P 39 0 10 47 4 2
1921 PIT P 31 0 4 32 1 1
1922 PIT P 39 0 5 44 2 1
1923 PIT P 4 0 0 5 0 0
1924 PHI P 38 0 6 52 0 1
1925 PHI P 35 0 7 48 1 3
1926 PHI P 35 0 9 49 3 4
1927 PHI P 11 0 1 12 0 0
1927 CHN P 27 0 8 42 0 1
1928 CHN P 20 0 1 16 1 0
1929 CHN P 31 0 6 33 0 1
1930 CHN P 8 0 2 18 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Hal Carlson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 377

Awards & Honors

Hal Carlson — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1926 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3

Award Voting History

Hal Carlson — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1926 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 16.0 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

Hal Carlson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jack Scott
    103-109, 3.85 ERA
  2. 82
    Bill Lee
    119-90, 3.62 ERA
  3. 82
    Pete Donohue
    134-118, 3.87 ERA
  4. 80
    Ray Kolp
    79-95, 4.08 ERA
  5. 80
    Joe Shaute
    99-109, 4.15 ERA
  6. 78
    Larry Benton
    127-128, 4.03 ERA

Hal Carlson: the record in brief

April 13, 1917 and May 23, 1930 bracket Hal Carlson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Pittsburgh Pirates (1917 to 1923), the Philadelphia Phillies (1924 through 1927), and the Chicago Cubs (1927 to 1930). The bio lists Carlson as a pitcher who both batted and threw right-handed. Carlson is listed at 6 feet, 0 inches and 180 pounds. Carlson was born on May 17, 1892, in Rockford, IL, USA. Carlson's death is recorded on May 28, 1930, in Chicago, IL, USA. The given name on file is Harold Gust Carlson.

Carlson went 114-120 with a 3.97 ERA in 377 games, 238 of them starts. Carlson had 590 strikeouts, 121 complete games, 17 shutouts, and 19 saves. Carlson's 3.97 ERA was close to the 3.97 league figure for those seasons. 1926 brought Carlson a season-high 17 wins. Carlson struck out 80 batters in 1925, a career high.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hal Carlson

What years did Hal Carlson play?
Hal Carlson played in Major League Baseball from 1917 to 1930.
Was Hal Carlson a pitcher?
Yes. Hal Carlson pitched in the major leagues, recording 114 wins and 590 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Hal Carlson hit?
Hal Carlson hit 5 career home runs with 159 hits.
What was Hal Carlson's career batting average?
Hal Carlson batted .223 over his career, with 159 hits in 712 at bats.
How many RBI did Hal Carlson have?
Hal Carlson drove in 72 runs in his career.
What was Hal Carlson's career ERA?
Hal Carlson finished with a 3.97 career ERA, going 114-120 with 590 strikeouts.