John Curtis
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1970-1984)
John Curtis was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1984 for 5 teams, including the Boston Red Sox, a span of 15 seasons. Across 438 career appearances, he went 89-97 with a 3.96 ERA and 825 strikeouts. He also batted .175 with 0 home runs.
- 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 175 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1970-08-13
- Last Game
- 1984-09-28
Full name: John Duffield Curtis
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | BOS | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11.57 | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | BOS | AL | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26.0 | 30 | 9 | 6 | 19 | 3.12 | 3.47 (+10%) | 187.4 |
| 1972 | BOS | AL | 11 | 8 | 26 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 154.1 | 161 | 64 | 50 | 106 | 3.73 | 3.26 (-14%) | 2360.0 |
| 1973 | BOS | AL | 13 | 13 | 35 | 30 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 221.1 | 225 | 88 | 83 | 101 | 3.58 | 3.75 (+4%) | -2593.7 |
| 1974 | SLN | NL | 10 | 14 | 33 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 195.0 | 199 | 82 | 83 | 89 | 3.78 | 3.63 (-4%) | -1685.6 |
| 1975 | SLN | NL | 8 | 9 | 39 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 146.2 | 151 | 56 | 65 | 67 | 3.44 | 3.71 (+7%) | -1780.1 |
| 1976 | SLN | NL | 6 | 11 | 37 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 134.0 | 139 | 67 | 65 | 52 | 4.50 | 3.51 (-28%) | -2896.7 |
| 1977 | SFN | NL | 3 | 3 | 43 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 77.0 | 95 | 47 | 48 | 47 | 5.49 | 4.00 (-37%) | -523.6 |
| 1978 | SFN | NL | 4 | 3 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 63.0 | 60 | 26 | 29 | 38 | 3.71 | 3.69 (-1%) | 1150.6 |
| 1979 | SFN | NL | 10 | 9 | 27 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 120.2 | 121 | 56 | 42 | 85 | 4.18 | 4.00 (-4%) | 57.1 |
| 1980 | SDN | NL | 10 | 8 | 30 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 187.0 | 184 | 73 | 67 | 71 | 3.51 | 3.84 (+9%) | 564.1 |
| 1981 | SDN | NL | 2 | 6 | 28 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 66.2 | 70 | 38 | 30 | 31 | 5.13 | 3.58 (-43%) | -2711.2 |
| 1982 | SDN | NL | 8 | 6 | 26 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 116.1 | 121 | 53 | 46 | 54 | 4.10 | 3.86 (-6%) | -2366.0 |
| 1982 | CAL | AL | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 6.00 | 3.86 (-55%) | 620.4 |
| 1983 | CAL | AL | 1 | 2 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 90.0 | 89 | 38 | 40 | 36 | 3.80 | 3.87 (+2%) | -461.0 |
| 1984 | CAL | AL | 1 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.2 | 30 | 14 | 11 | 18 | 4.40 | 3.81 (-15%) | -477.7 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 89 | 97 | 438 | 199 | 42 | 14 | 11 | 1,641.0 | 1,695 | 722 | 669 | 825 | 3.96 | — | -10,556 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 445 | 359 | 29 | 63 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 157 | .175 | .216 | .203 | .419 | -1,336 |
Career AVG .175 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 31.9% below league average.
Career OBP .216 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 33.3% below league average.
Career SLG .203 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — 46.4% below league average.
Career OPS .419 vs. league average .703 across their career seasons — 40.4% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | BOS | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | BOS | AL | 5 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | BOS | AL | 27 | 53 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 23 | .094 | .243 (-61%) | .310 (-59%) | .353 (-73%) | .664 (-67%) | -519.7 |
| 1973 | BOS | AL | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | SLN | NL | 34 | 63 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 30 | .159 | .256 (-38%) | .324 (-36%) | .369 (-53%) | .693 (-45%) | -429.4 |
| 1975 | SLN | NL | 39 | 38 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 16 | .211 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1976 | SLN | NL | 38 | 35 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | SFN | NL | 44 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | SFN | NL | 46 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | SFN | NL | 29 | 34 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | .147 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1980 | SDN | NL | 31 | 62 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 31 | .194 | .264 (-27%) | .326 (-33%) | .387 (-46%) | .714 (-40%) | -386.6 |
| 1981 | SDN | NL | 28 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .077 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | SDN | NL | 26 | 37 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | .297 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | CAL | AL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | CAL | AL | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1984 | CAL | AL | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 445 | 359 | 29 | 63 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 157 | .175 | — | — | — | — | -1,336 | ||
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 (883 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 214 | 168 | 10 | 32 | 0 | 9 | .190 |
| Away | 231 | 191 | 19 | 31 | 0 | 7 | .162 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 211 | 807.2 | 841 | 354 | 309 | 430 | 3.94 |
| Away | 227 | 833.1 | 854 | 368 | 360 | 395 | 3.97 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-09-28 | LAA | TEX | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984-09-25 | LAA | KCR | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-24 | LAA | KCR | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1984-09-17 | LAA | KCR | — | 2.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 1984-09-08 | LAA | CHW | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-02 | LAA | NYY | L | 0.1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984-08-31 | LAA | NYY | W | 4.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1984-08-26 | LAA | DET | — | 3.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1984-08-20 | LAA | NYY | — | 3.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1984-08-19 | LAA | BAL | — | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | BOS | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | BOS | P | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | BOS | P | 26 | 21 | 4 | 23 | 2 | 4 |
| 1973 | BOS | P | 35 | 30 | 9 | 33 | 2 | 1 |
| 1974 | SLN | P | 33 | 29 | 10 | 31 | 0 | 2 |
| 1975 | SLN | P | 39 | 18 | 7 | 31 | 1 | 3 |
| 1976 | SLN | P | 37 | 15 | 7 | 22 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977 | SFN | P | 43 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 3 |
| 1978 | SFN | P | 46 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 1979 | SFN | P | 27 | 18 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980 | SDN | P | 30 | 27 | 5 | 37 | 1 | 2 |
| 1981 | SDN | P | 28 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 1982 | SDN | P | 26 | 18 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 1 |
| 1982 | CAL | P | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | CAL | P | 37 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 1984 | CAL | P | 17 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 438 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson University | Clemson | SC | 1968 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Curtis (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
John Curtis: the record in brief
John Curtis played a first major league game on August 13, 1970 and a last one on September 28, 1984. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Red Sox (1970 through 1973), the St. Louis Cardinals (1974 through 1976), the San Francisco Giants (1977 to 1979), the San Diego Padres (1980 through 1982), and the California Angels (1982 to 1984). Curtis played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. Born on March 9, 1948, in Newton, MA, USA, Curtis was listed at 175 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. On the record, John Curtis was born John Duffield Curtis.
Curtis went 89-97 with a 3.96 ERA in 438 games, 199 of them starts. The totals include 825 strikeouts, 42 complete games, 14 shutouts, and 11 saves. The league ERA over Curtis's seasons was 3.73, so the 3.96 figure ran 6.0% worse than average. 1973 brought Curtis a season-high 13 wins. The strikeout high was 106 in 1972.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Curtis
- What years did John Curtis play?
- John Curtis played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1984.
- Was John Curtis a pitcher?
- Yes. John Curtis pitched in the major leagues, recording 89 wins and 825 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did John Curtis hit?
- John Curtis hit 0 career home runs with 63 hits.
- What was John Curtis's career batting average?
- John Curtis batted .175 over his career, with 63 hits in 359 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Curtis have?
- John Curtis drove in 16 runs in his career.
- What was John Curtis's career ERA?
- John Curtis finished with a 3.96 career ERA, going 89-97 with 825 strikeouts.