What years did John Dopson play?

John Dopson played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1994.

Was John Dopson a pitcher?

Yes. John Dopson pitched in the major leagues, recording 30 wins and 386 strikeouts.

How many home runs did John Dopson hit?

John Dopson hit 0 career home runs with 3 hits.

What teams did John Dopson play for?

John Dopson played for 3 teams: the Montreal Expos (1985, 1988), the Boston Red Sox (1989–1993), and the California Angels (1994).

What were John Dopson's career stats?

In 144 games, John Dopson went 30-47 with a 4.27 ERA, 386 strikeouts, 725.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves.

What was John Dopson's salary?

John Dopson's last recorded salary was $400,000, in 1994. His highest recorded salary was $750,000, in 1993, and his lowest was $125,000, in 1989. The Salary History table lists each season from 1989 to 1994.

What position did John Dopson play?

John Dopson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was John Dopson and how much did he weigh?

John Dopson was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 205 pounds.

What was John Dopson's career ERA?

John Dopson finished with a 4.27 career ERA, going 30-47 with 386 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did John Dopson have?

John Dopson recorded 386 career strikeouts.

Is John Dopson in the Hall of Fame?

No. John Dopson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

John Dopson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1985-1994)

John Dopson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1994 for the Montreal Expos, the Boston Red Sox, and the California Angels, a span of 10 seasons. Across 144 career appearances, he went 30-47 with a 4.27 ERA and 386 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 October 24, 2026

W–L 30–47

ERA 4.27

WHIP 1.40

SO 386

Pitcher PIV -6184.5

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: L / R
Height / Weight: 6'4" / 205 lb
Born: 7/14/1963 in Baltimore, MD, USA
MLB Debut: 1985-09-04
Last Game: 1994-06-22

Full name: John Robert Dopson

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Career Pitching Statistics

John Dopson — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
30	47	144	119	4	1	1	725.1	752	344	74	264	386	4.27	-6184.5

Career ERA 4.27 vs. league average 3.93 across their career seasons — 8.6% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Dopson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1985	MON	NL	0	2	4	3	0	0	0	13.0	25	16	4	4	11.08	3.89 (-184%)	-1007.0
1988	MON	NL	3	11	26	26	1	0	0	168.2	150	57	58	101	3.04	3.73 (+19%)	-182.4
1989	BOS	AL	12	8	29	28	2	0	0	169.1	166	75	69	95	3.99	3.71 (-7%)	-1114.0
1990	BOS	AL	0	0	4	4	0	0	0	17.2	13	4	9	9	2.04	3.86 (+47%)	-409.9
1991	BOS	AL	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.0	2	2	1	0	18.00	—	0.0
1992	BOS	AL	7	11	25	25	0	0	0	141.1	159	64	38	55	4.08	3.75 (-9%)	-2374.8
1993	BOS	AL	7	11	34	28	1	1	0	155.2	170	86	59	89	4.97	4.19 (-19%)	-646.2
1994	CAL	AL	1	4	21	5	0	0	1	58.2	67	40	26	33	6.14	4.51 (-36%)	-450.1
Career · 8 seasons			30	47	144	119	4	1	1	725.1	752	344	264	386	4.27	—	-6,184

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

John Dopson — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
144	55	0	3	1	0	0	1	0	3	34	.055	.103	.073	.176	-610

Career AVG .055 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 78.9% below league average.

Career OBP .103 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 68.2% below league average.

Career SLG .073 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 81.3% below league average.

Career OPS .176 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — 75.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Dopson — Season-by-Season Batting
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1985	MON	NL	4	4	0	0	0	2	3	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1988	MON	NL	26	51	3	1	1	1	31	.059	.254 (-77%)	.317 (-76%)	.377 (-79%)	.695 (-78%)	-610.0
1989	BOS	AL	29	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1990	BOS	AL	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1991	BOS	AL	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1992	BOS	AL	25	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1993	BOS	AL	34	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1994	CAL	AL	21	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 8 seasons			144	55	3	1	1	3	34	.055	—	—	—	—	-610

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 (288 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

John Dopson — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	80	25	0	3	0	1	.120
Away	64	30	0	0	0	0	.000

Pitching — Home / Away

John Dopson — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	80	410.2	423	177	144	211	3.88
Away	64	314.2	329	167	120	175	4.78

Last 10 Games — Pitching

John Dopson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1994-06-22	LAA	SEA	—	1.1	2	3	3	1	0	1
1994-06-19	LAA	CHW	—	1.2	1	0	0	1	1	0
1994-06-13	LAA	KCR	L	0.1	1	5	5	3	0	0
1994-06-11	LAA	DET	—	2.0	1	0	0	0	2	0
1994-06-09	LAA	DET	—	1.0	2	1	1	0	0	0
1994-06-06	LAA	MIN	—	5.0	4	2	2	0	4	1
1994-05-30	LAA	CLE	—	1.2	1	0	0	0	0	0
1994-05-26	LAA	DET	—	2.0	1	0	0	4	2	0
1994-05-22	LAA	KCR	—	3.1	0	0	0	0	0	0
1994-05-17	LAA	CHW	—	2.2	5	3	3	2	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

John Dopson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	144	119	70	107	4	3

Season-by-Season Fielding

John Dopson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1985	MON	P	4	3	0	2	0	0
1988	MON	P	26	26	10	15	2	1
1989	BOS	P	29	28	20	34	1	1
1990	BOS	P	4	4	1	5	0	0
1991	BOS	P	1	0	0	1	0	0
1992	BOS	P	25	25	19	18	1	1
1993	BOS	P	34	28	17	22	0	0
1994	CAL	P	21	5	3	10	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

John Dopson — Career Games by Position
Position	Games
Pitcher	144

Salary History

John Dopson's recorded salaries total $2,070,000 over 6 seasons, 1989 to 1994. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Dopson's career ran from 1985 to 1994. No salary is recorded for 1985 and 1988.

John Dopson — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
1994	CAL	AL	$400,000
1993	BOS	AL	$750,000
1992	BOS	AL	$265,000
1991	BOS	AL	$265,000
1990	BOS	AL	$265,000
1989	BOS	AL	$125,000
Total recorded salary (partial)			$2,070,000

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

John Dopson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

John Dopson: the record in brief

September 4, 1985 and June 22, 1994 bracket John Dopson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Dopson played for the Montreal Expos (1985 to 1988), the Boston Red Sox (1989 through 1993), and the California Angels (1994). Listed as a pitcher, Dopson hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Height and weight on file: 205 pounds on a 6-foot-4 frame. Dopson was born on July 14, 1963, in Baltimore, MD, USA. Dopson's full given name, per the bio, is John Robert Dopson.

The pitching table credits Dopson with a 30-47 record and a 4.27 ERA in 144 games. Dopson had 386 strikeouts. Against a 3.93 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.27 mark was 8.6% worse. Dopson won 12 games in 1989, the most of any season listed. The strikeout high was 101 in 1988. 1988 was Dopson's sharpest full season, a 3.04 ERA against the league's 3.73.

Frequently Asked Questions about John Dopson

What years did John Dopson play?: John Dopson played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1994.
Was John Dopson a pitcher?: Yes. John Dopson pitched in the major leagues, recording 30 wins and 386 strikeouts.
How many home runs did John Dopson hit?: John Dopson hit 0 career home runs with 3 hits.
What teams did John Dopson play for?: John Dopson played for 3 teams: the Montreal Expos (1985, 1988), the Boston Red Sox (1989–1993), and the California Angels (1994).
What were John Dopson's career stats?: In 144 games, John Dopson went 30-47 with a 4.27 ERA, 386 strikeouts, 725.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
How much did John Dopson earn in his career?: John Dopson's recorded salaries total $2,070,000 over 6 seasons, 1989 to 1994. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Dopson's career ran from 1985 to 1994. No salary is recorded for 1985 and 1988.
What was John Dopson's salary?: John Dopson's last recorded salary was $400,000, in 1994. His highest recorded salary was $750,000, in 1993, and his lowest was $125,000, in 1989. The Salary History table lists each season from 1989 to 1994.
What position did John Dopson play?: John Dopson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was John Dopson and how much did he weigh?: John Dopson was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 205 pounds.
What was John Dopson's career ERA?: John Dopson finished with a 4.27 career ERA, going 30-47 with 386 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did John Dopson have?: John Dopson recorded 386 career strikeouts.
Is John Dopson in the Hall of Fame?: No. John Dopson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.