Joe Cowley

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

Joe Cowley was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1987 for 4 teams, including the Atlanta Braves, a span of 6 seasons. Across 95 career appearances, he went 33-25 with a 4.20 ERA and 332 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

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

Joe Cowley — 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 0 469.1 414 219 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

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Cowley — Season-by-Season Pitching
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 52.1 53 26 16 27 4.47 3.86 (-16%) -375.2
1984 NYA AL 9 2 16 11 3 1 0 83.1 75 33 31 71 3.56 3.81 (+6%) -652.5
1985 NYA AL 12 6 30 26 1 0 0 159.2 132 70 85 97 3.95 3.89 (-1%) -6573.5
1986 CHA AL 11 11 27 27 4 0 0 162.1 133 70 83 132 3.88 3.97 (+2%) -1474.0
1987 PHI NL 0 4 5 4 0 0 0 11.2 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

Joe Cowley — 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.

Joe Cowley — Season-by-Season Batting
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

Joe Cowley — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home4670100.143
Away50110300.273

Pitching — Home / Away

Joe Cowley — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home46243.1189871101833.22
Away49226.02251321221495.26

Last 10 Games — Batting

Joe Cowley — 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

Joe Cowley — 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

Joe Cowley — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 95 76 36 56 10 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joe Cowley — 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.

Joe Cowley — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 95

Awards & Honors

Joe Cowley — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1986 Player of the Week Week of 1986-09-19

Salary History

Joe Cowley's recorded salaries total $415,000 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Cowley's career ran from 1982 to 1987. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1987.

Joe Cowley — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1986 CHA AL $295,000
1985 NYA AL $120,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $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

Joe Cowley: the record in brief

Joe Cowley's major league career runs from a debut on April 13, 1982 to a final game on May 3, 1987. Club by club, the record runs the Atlanta Braves (1982), the New York Yankees (1984 to 1985), the Chicago White Sox (1986), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1987). Cowley is listed as a pitcher at 210 pounds on a 6-foot-5 frame. Cowley both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is August 15, 1958, in Lexington, KY, USA. The given name on file is Joseph Alan Cowley.

Cowley went 33-25 with a 4.20 ERA in 95 games, 76 of them starts. The same table counts 332 strikeouts. Against a 3.97 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.20 mark was 5.9% worse. 1985 brought Cowley a season-high 12 wins. 1986 produced Cowley's most strikeouts, 132. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.88 in 1986, when the league's was 3.97.

Cowley's awards table lists Player of the Week (1986).

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.
What teams did Joe Cowley play for?
Joe Cowley played for 4 teams: the Atlanta Braves (1982), the New York Yankees (1984–1985), the Chicago White Sox (1986), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1987).
What were Joe Cowley's career stats?
In 95 games, Joe Cowley went 33-25 with a 4.20 ERA, 332 strikeouts, and 469.1 innings pitched.
How much did Joe Cowley earn in his career?
Joe Cowley's recorded salaries total $415,000 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Cowley's career ran from 1982 to 1987. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1987.
What was Joe Cowley's salary?
Joe Cowley's last recorded salary was $295,000, in 1986. His highest recorded salary was $295,000, in 1986, and his lowest was $120,000, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1986.
What position did Joe Cowley play?
Joe Cowley played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Joe Cowley and how much did he weigh?
Joe Cowley was listed at 6 feet 5 inches and 210 pounds.
What was Joe Cowley's career ERA?
Joe Cowley finished with a 4.20 career ERA, going 33-25 with 332 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Joe Cowley have?
Joe Cowley recorded 332 career strikeouts.
Is Joe Cowley in the Hall of Fame?
No. Joe Cowley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.