Larry Christenson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1973-1983)

Larry Christenson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1983 for the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 11 seasons. Across 243 career appearances, he went 83-71 with a 3.79 ERA and 781 strikeouts. He also batted .150 with 11 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 15002.9.

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 83–71
ERA 3.79
WHIP 1.28
SO 781
Pitcher PIV 15002.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 215 lb
Born
11/10/1953 in Everett, WA, USA
MLB Debut
1973-04-13
Last Game
1983-06-03

Full name: Larry Richard Christenson

Career Pitching Statistics

Larry Christenson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
83 71 243 220 27 6 4 1402.2 1,401 591 100 395 781 3.79 15002.9

Career ERA 3.79 vs. league average 3.78 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

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

Larry Christenson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
243 427 31 64 13 2 11 46 2 24 223 .150 .195 .267 .462 -1,935

Career AVG .150 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 42.3% below league average.

Career OBP .195 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 40.1% below league average.

Career SLG .267 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 30.1% below league average.

Career OPS .462 vs. league average .707 across their career seasons — 34.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

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

Larry Christenson — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Larry Christenson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1981 NEDIV PHI 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1980 NLCS PHI 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1980 WS PHI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1978 NLCS PHI 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1977 NLCS PHI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Larry Christenson — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 2 6 5 0 20.2 28 17 7 15 7.40

Playoff Pitching by Year

Larry Christenson — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1981 NEDIV PHI 1 0 1 1 0 6.0 4 1 1 8 1.50
1980 NLCS PHI 0 0 2 1 0 6.2 5 3 5 2 4.05
1980 WS PHI 0 1 1 1 0 0.1 5 4 0 0 108.00
1978 NLCS PHI 0 1 1 1 0 4.1 7 6 1 3 12.46
1977 NLCS PHI 0 0 1 1 0 3.1 7 3 0 2 8.10

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

Batting — Home / Away

Larry Christenson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1141961425320.128
Away1292311739826.169

Pitching — Home / Away

Larry Christenson — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home114670.06622751963963.69
Away129732.27393161993853.88

Last 10 Games — Batting

Larry Christenson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1983-06-03 PHISDPL 200000001
1983-05-29 PHIWSNW 201100101
1983-05-24 PHILADL 200000001
1983-05-13 PHICHCL 100000000
1983-05-07 PHIWSNL 300000002
1983-05-01 PHIHOUW 300000001
1983-04-26 PHIATLL 100000001
1983-04-17 PHIATLL 100000001
1983-04-08 PHISFGL 200000000
1982-09-28 PHICHCW 200000001

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Larry Christenson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1983-06-03 PHISDP — 5.1644040
1983-05-29 PHIWSN W 6.2821260
1983-05-24 PHILAD L 7.0322180
1983-05-13 PHICHC L 3.2455520
1983-05-07 PHIWSN — 7.1521251
1983-05-01 PHIHOU W 7.0311470
1983-04-26 PHIATL L 1.0665011
1983-04-17 PHIATL — 3.1200150
1983-04-08 PHISFG L 7.0532260
1982-09-28 PHICHC W 8.07221101

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Larry Christenson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 243 220 85 177 24 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Larry Christenson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 243

Awards & Honors

Larry Christenson — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-04-07
1977 Pitcher of the Month September

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Larry Christenson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Craig Swan
    59-72, 3.74 ERA
  2. 96
    Jim McGlothlin
    67-77, 3.61 ERA
  3. 95
    Oil Can Boyd
    78-77, 4.04 ERA
  4. 91
    Ray Washburn
    72-64, 3.53 ERA
  5. 91
    Dick Bosman
    82-85, 3.67 ERA
  6. 89
    Moose Haas
    100-83, 4.01 ERA

Larry Christenson: the record in brief

Larry Christenson's major league career runs from a debut on April 13, 1973 to a final game on June 3, 1983. Christenson spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Philadelphia Phillies. Christenson, born on November 10, 1953, in Everett, WA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Christenson's listed size is 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds. The bio lists the given name Larry Richard.

Christenson pitched in 243 games, starting 220, and finished with a 83-71 record and 3.79 ERA. Christenson had 781 strikeouts, 27 complete games, and 6 shutouts. Christenson's 3.79 ERA was close to the 3.78 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 19, in 1977. Christenson struck out 145 batters in 1982, a career high. In 1978, one of the busiest seasons, Christenson posted a 3.24 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.69. By Pitcher PIV, Baseball Data Hub's measure of run prevention relative to each season's league, Christenson's career adds up to 15,002.9.

Frequently Asked Questions about Larry Christenson

What years did Larry Christenson play?
Larry Christenson played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1983.
Was Larry Christenson a pitcher?
Yes. Larry Christenson pitched in the major leagues, recording 83 wins and 781 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Larry Christenson hit?
Larry Christenson hit 11 career home runs with 64 hits.
What teams did Larry Christenson play for?
Larry Christenson played for one team, the Philadelphia Phillies (1973–1983).
What were Larry Christenson's career stats?
In 243 games, Larry Christenson went 83-71 with a 3.79 ERA, 781 strikeouts, 1,402.2 innings pitched, and 4 saves. At the plate he had 64 hits and 11 home runs.
What position did Larry Christenson play?
Larry Christenson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Larry Christenson and how much did he weigh?
Larry Christenson was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 215 pounds.
What was Larry Christenson's career ERA?
Larry Christenson finished with a 3.79 career ERA, going 83-71 with 781 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Larry Christenson have?
Larry Christenson recorded 781 career strikeouts.
Is Larry Christenson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Larry Christenson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.