Sonny Dixon

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1953-1956)

Sonny Dixon was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1956 for 4 teams, including the Washington Senators, a span of 4 seasons. Across 102 career appearances, he went 11-18 with a 4.17 ERA and 90 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 827.9.

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 11–18
ERA 4.17
WHIP 1.41
SO 90
Pitcher PIV 827.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 205 lb
Born
11/5/1924 in Charlotte, NC, USA
Died
11/19/2011 in Charlotte, NC, USA
MLB Debut
1953-04-20
Last Game
1956-09-29

Full name: John Craig Dixon

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Career Pitching Statistics

Sonny Dixon — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
11 18 102 12 4 0 9 263.0 296 122 25 75 90 4.17 827.9

Career ERA 4.17 vs. league average 4.00 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Sonny Dixon — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1953 WS1 AL 5 8 43 6 3 0 3 120.0 123 50 31 40 3.75 4.14 (+9%) -61.5
1954 WS1 AL 1 2 16 0 0 0 1 29.2 26 10 12 7 3.03 3.90 (+22%) -413.1
1954 PHA AL 5 7 38 6 1 0 4 107.1 136 58 27 42 4.86 3.90 (-25%) 1302.5
1955 KC1 AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1.2 6 3 0 0 16.20 — 0.0
1956 NYA AL 0 1 3 0 0 0 1 4.1 5 1 5 1 2.08 — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 11 18 102 12 4 0 9 263.0 296 122 75 90 4.17 — 828

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

Sonny Dixon — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
102 61 3 11 3 0 0 2 0 6 21 .180 .254 .230 .483 0

Career AVG .180 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 30.8% below league average.

Career OBP .254 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 23.8% below league average.

Career SLG .230 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — 41.9% below league average.

Career OPS .483 vs. league average .728 across their career seasons — 33.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Sonny Dixon — 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
1953 WS1 AL 43 26 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 4 7 .154 — — — — 0.0
1954 WS1 AL 16 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .000 — — — — 0.0
1954 PHA AL 38 28 2 7 2 0 0 2 0 2 9 .250 — — — — 0.0
1955 KC1 AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1956 NYA AL 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 102 61 3 11 3 0 0 2 0 6 21 .180 — — — — 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 (204 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Sonny Dixon — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home48301301.100
Away54312801.258

Pitching — Home / Away

Sonny Dixon — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home48141.01726935514.40
Away54122.21255340403.89

Last 10 Games — Batting

Sonny Dixon — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1956-09-29 NYYBOSL 000000000
1956-09-25 NYYBALW 100000001
1956-09-21 NYYBOSL 000000000
1955-05-02 KC1MINL 000000000
1955-04-14 KC1CHWL 000000000
1954-09-21 PHABOSL 100000000
1954-09-17 PHANYYL 000000010
1954-09-12 PHABALW 000000000
1954-09-12 PHABALL 000000000
1954-09-10 PHADETW 110000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Sonny Dixon — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1956-09-29 NYYBOS L 2.0220410
1956-09-25 NYYBAL SV 2.0311100
1956-09-21 NYYBOS — 0.1000000
1955-05-02 KC1MIN — 0.2211001
1955-04-14 KC1CHW — 1.0422000
1954-09-21 PHABOS L 3.0522230
1954-09-17 PHANYY — 3.2877031
1954-09-12 PHABAL SV 1.0100100
1954-09-12 PHABAL — 2.0300030
1954-09-10 PHADET W 2.1411020

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Sonny Dixon — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 102 6 18 72 1 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Sonny Dixon — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1953 WS1 P 43 0 6 31 0 0
1954 WS1 P 16 0 1 9 0 0
1954 PHA P 38 6 10 30 1 1
1955 KC1 P 2 0 1 0 0 0
1956 NYA P 3 0 0 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Sonny Dixon — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 102

Sonny Dixon: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 20, 1953 and the final game on September 29, 1956, Sonny Dixon built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Washington Senators (1953 to 1954), the Philadelphia Athletics (1954), the Kansas City Athletics (1955), and the New York Yankees (1956). Born on November 5, 1924, in Charlotte, NC, USA, Dixon is listed as a pitcher and switch-hit and threw right-handed. Dixon's listed size is 6 feet, 2 inches and 205 pounds. Dixon died on November 19, 2011, in Charlotte, NC, USA. The given name on file is John Craig Dixon.

The pitching table credits Dixon with a 11-18 record and a 4.17 ERA in 102 games. Also on Dixon's record: 90 strikeouts. Dixon's 4.17 ERA was close to the 4.00 league figure for those seasons. 1953 brought Dixon a season-high 5 wins. In 1953, one of the busiest seasons, Dixon posted a 3.75 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.14.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sonny Dixon

What years did Sonny Dixon play?
Sonny Dixon played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1956.
Was Sonny Dixon a pitcher?
Yes. Sonny Dixon pitched in the major leagues, recording 11 wins and 90 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Sonny Dixon hit?
Sonny Dixon hit 0 career home runs with 11 hits.
What teams did Sonny Dixon play for?
Sonny Dixon played for 3 teams: the Washington Senators (1953–1954), the Kansas City Athletics (1954–1955), and the New York Yankees (1956).
What were Sonny Dixon's career stats?
In 102 games, Sonny Dixon went 11-18 with a 4.17 ERA, 90 strikeouts, 263.0 innings pitched, and 9 saves.
What position did Sonny Dixon play?
Sonny Dixon played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Sonny Dixon and how much did he weigh?
Sonny Dixon was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 205 pounds.
What was Sonny Dixon's career ERA?
Sonny Dixon finished with a 4.17 career ERA, going 11-18 with 90 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Sonny Dixon have?
Sonny Dixon recorded 90 career strikeouts.
Is Sonny Dixon in the Hall of Fame?
No. Sonny Dixon has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.