Joe Cowley

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1982-1987)

W–L 33–25
ERA 4.20
WHIP 1.38
SO 332
Pitcher PIV -10485.3
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'5" / 210 lb
Born
8/15/1958 in Lexington, KY, USA
MLB Debut
1982-04-13
Last Game
1987-05-03

Full name: Joseph Alan Cowley

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Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
33 25 95 76 8 1 0 469.3 414 219 69 232 332 4.20 -10485.3

Career ERA 4.20 vs. league average 3.97 across their career seasons — 5.9% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

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Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1982 ATL NL 1 2 17 8 0 0 0 52.3 53 26 16 27 4.47 3.86 (-16%) -375.2
1984 NYA AL 9 2 16 11 3 1 0 83.3 75 33 31 71 3.56 3.81 (+6%) -652.5
1985 NYA AL 12 6 30 26 1 0 0 159.7 132 70 85 97 3.95 3.89 (-1%) -6573.5
1986 CHA AL 11 11 27 27 4 0 0 162.3 133 70 83 132 3.88 3.97 (+2%) -1474.0
1987 PHI NL 0 4 5 4 0 0 0 11.7 21 20 17 5 15.43 4.29 (-259%) -1410.1
Career · 5 seasons 33 25 95 76 8 1 0 469.1 414 219 232 332 4.20 — -10,485

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

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
96 18 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 .222 .222 .278 .500 0

Career AVG .222 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 14.5% below league average.

Career OBP .222 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 31.7% below league average.

Career SLG .278 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — 29.7% below league average.

Career OPS .500 vs. league average .720 across their career seasons — 30.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1982 ATL NL 17 15 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .200 — — — — 0.0
1984 NYA AL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 NYA AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 CHA AL 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 PHI NL 5 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 96 18 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 .222 — — — — 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 (191 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home4670100.143
Away50110300.273

Pitching — Home / Away

SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home46243.1189871101833.22
Away49226.02251321221495.26

Last 10 Games — Batting

DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1987-05-03 PHICINL 000000000
1987-04-28 PHIWSNL 100000000
1987-04-22 PHIWSNL 201100000
1987-04-16 PHINYNL 000000000
1987-04-11 PHICHCL 000000000
1986-10-05 CHWMINL 000000000
1986-09-30 CHWSEAW 000000000
1986-09-24 CHWOAKL 000000000
1986-09-19 CHWLAAW 000000000
1986-09-14 CHWLAAW 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1987-05-03 PHICIN — 0.2233200
1987-04-28 PHIWSN L 4.0664411
1987-04-22 PHIWSN L 5.1654331
1987-04-16 PHINYN L 1.0455410
1987-04-11 PHICHC L 0.2374400
1986-10-05 CHWMIN L 8.0532780
1986-09-30 CHWSEA — 6.1433590
1986-09-24 CHWOAK L 6.2344553
1986-09-19 CHWLAA W 9.0011780
1986-09-14 CHWLAA W 9.0611240

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 95 76 36 56 10 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1982 ATL P 17 8 6 6 0 1
1984 NYA P 16 11 7 12 2 0
1985 NYA P 30 26 6 22 3 1
1986 CHA P 27 27 16 16 4 0
1987 PHI P 5 4 1 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Position Games
Pitcher 95

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1986 Player of the Week Week of 1986-09-19

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1986 CHA AL $295,000
1985 NYA AL $120,000
Total Career Earnings $415,000

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Joe Cowley (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Brian Barnes
    14-22, 3.94 ERA
  2. 96
    Dakota Hudson
    40-32, 4.21 ERA
  3. 94
    Bo Belinsky
    28-51, 4.10 ERA
  4. 93
    Dave Stenhouse
    16-28, 4.14 ERA
  5. 92
    Gene Brabender
    35-43, 4.25 ERA
  6. 91
    Chris Nabholz
    37-35, 3.94 ERA

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Cowley

What years did Joe Cowley play?
Joe Cowley played in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1987.
Was Joe Cowley a pitcher?
Yes. Joe Cowley pitched in the major leagues, recording 33 wins and 332 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Joe Cowley hit?
Joe Cowley hit 0 career home runs with 4 hits.