Al Downing

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1961-1977)

Al Downing was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1977 for 4 teams, including the New York Yankees, a span of 17 seasons. Across 405 career appearances, he went 123-107 with a 3.22 ERA and 1,639 strikeouts. He also batted .127 with 2 home runs. Al Downing was an All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 9000.1.

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 123–107
ERA 3.22
WHIP 1.27
SO 1,639
Pitcher PIV 9000.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / L
Height / Weight
5'11" / 175 lb
Born
6/28/1941 in Trenton, NJ, USA
MLB Debut
1961-07-19
Last Game
1977-07-13
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Alphonso Erwin Downing

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Al Downing — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
123 107 405 317 73 24 3 2268.1 1,946 811 177 933 1,639 3.22 9000.1

Career ERA 3.22 vs. league average 3.60 across their career seasons — 10.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Al Downing Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1961 NYA AL 0 1 5 1 0 0 0 9.0 7 8 12 12 8.00 4.03 (-99%) 0.0
1962 NYA AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 1 0.00 — 0.0
1963 NYA AL 13 5 24 22 10 4 0 175.2 114 50 80 171 2.56 3.46 (+26%) 4744.0
1964 NYA AL 13 8 37 35 11 1 2 244.0 201 94 120 217 3.47 3.58 (+3%) 2049.0
1965 NYA AL 12 14 35 32 8 2 0 212.0 185 80 105 179 3.40 3.50 (+3%) 968.1
1966 NYA AL 10 11 30 30 1 0 0 200.0 178 79 79 152 3.56 3.52 (-1%) -1045.1
1967 NYA AL 14 10 31 28 10 4 0 201.2 158 59 61 171 2.63 3.30 (+20%) 3284.8
1968 NYA AL 3 3 15 12 1 0 0 61.1 54 24 20 40 3.52 2.98 (-18%) -934.7
1969 NYA AL 7 5 30 15 5 1 0 130.2 117 49 49 85 3.38 3.61 (+7%) 289.8
1970 OAK AL 3 3 10 6 1 0 0 41.0 39 18 22 26 3.95 3.89 (-2%) -771.4
1970 ML4 AL 2 10 17 16 1 0 0 94.1 79 35 59 53 3.34 3.89 (+14%) -1658.1
1971 LAN NL 20 9 37 36 12 5 0 262.1 245 78 84 136 2.68 3.47 (+23%) 1843.0
1972 LAN NL 9 9 31 30 7 4 0 202.2 196 67 67 117 2.98 3.26 (+9%) 476.7
1973 LAN NL 9 9 30 28 5 2 0 193.0 155 71 68 124 3.31 3.75 (+12%) 566.8
1974 LAN NL 5 6 21 16 1 1 0 98.1 94 40 45 63 3.66 3.63 (-1%) -146.0
1975 LAN NL 2 1 22 6 0 0 1 74.2 59 24 28 39 2.89 3.71 (+22%) -152.6
1976 LAN NL 1 2 17 3 0 0 0 46.2 43 20 18 30 3.86 3.51 (-10%) 205.5
1977 LAN NL 0 1 12 1 0 0 0 20.0 22 15 16 23 6.75 4.00 (-69%) -719.8
Career · 18 seasons 123 107 405 317 73 24 3 2,268.1 1,946 811 933 1,639 3.22 — 9,000

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

Al Downing — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
409 717 36 91 12 3 2 51 0 37 293 .127 .169 .160 .330 -4,295

Career AVG .127 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 49.6% below league average.

Career OBP .169 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 46.8% below league average.

Career SLG .160 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 57.0% below league average.

Career OPS .330 vs. league average .692 across their career seasons — 52.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Al Downing Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1961 NYA AL 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1962 NYA AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1963 NYA AL 24 58 4 6 2 0 0 2 0 3 31 .103 .246 (-58%) .308 (-52%) .371 (-63%) .680 (-58%) -509.5
1964 NYA AL 40 85 5 15 1 1 0 7 0 4 33 .176 .250 (-30%) .312 (-32%) .377 (-44%) .690 (-38%) -499.6
1965 NYA AL 36 74 4 8 2 0 1 7 0 3 30 .108 .245 (-56%) .310 (-54%) .371 (-53%) .682 (-53%) -605.2
1966 NYA AL 30 70 4 7 0 1 0 7 0 4 30 .100 .248 (-60%) .309 (-52%) .376 (-66%) .685 (-60%) -634.2
1967 NYA AL 31 66 5 8 1 0 1 2 0 5 29 .121 .242 (-50%) .306 (-40%) .357 (-49%) .663 (-45%) -437.6
1968 NYA AL 15 17 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 10 .176 — — — — 0.0
1969 NYA AL 30 44 2 6 1 0 0 5 0 2 17 .136 — — — — 0.0
1970 OAK AL 10 11 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 .182 — — — — 0.0
1970 ML4 AL 17 24 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 12 .083 — — — — 0.0
1971 LAN NL 37 92 4 16 2 0 0 10 0 6 28 .174 .249 (-30%) .316 (-29%) .365 (-46%) .682 (-38%) -529.0
1972 LAN NL 31 66 2 8 1 1 0 2 0 1 27 .121 .243 (-50%) .310 (-57%) .353 (-53%) .664 (-55%) -546.6
1973 LAN NL 30 57 2 5 2 0 0 3 0 5 18 .088 .256 (-66%) .325 (-50%) .378 (-68%) .703 (-60%) -532.7
1974 LAN NL 21 29 3 5 0 0 0 2 0 1 11 .172 — — — — 0.0
1975 LAN NL 22 16 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 8 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 LAN NL 17 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 LAN NL 12 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 18 seasons 409 717 36 91 12 3 2 51 0 37 293 .127 — — — — -4,295

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Al Downing — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Al Downing — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1974 NLCS LAN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1974 WS LAN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1964 WS NYA 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000
1963 WS NYA 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Al Downing — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 3 6 3 0 20.1 21 11 8 14 4.87

Playoff Pitching by Year

Al Downing — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1974 NLCS LAN 0 0 1 0 0 4.0 1 0 1 0 0.00
1974 WS LAN 0 1 1 1 0 3.2 4 1 4 3 2.45
1964 WS NYA 0 1 3 1 0 7.2 9 7 2 5 8.22
1963 WS NYA 0 1 1 1 0 5.0 7 3 1 6 5.40

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (814 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Al Downing — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2013301446123.139
Away2083872245128.116

Pitching — Home / Away

Al Downing — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1971158.19783654458312.84
Away2081111.09684464888083.61

Last 10 Games — Batting

Al Downing — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1977-07-13 LADHOUL 000000000
1977-07-10 LADSDPL 000000000
1977-06-26 LADCINL 000000000
1977-06-25 LADCINL 000000000
1977-05-28 LADCINL 000000000
1977-05-22 LADPITL 100000000
1977-05-16 LADPHIL 000000000
1977-05-13 LADNYNL 000000000
1977-05-07 LADPHIL 000000000
1977-05-01 LADWSNL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Al Downing — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1977-07-13 LADHOU — 0.0000100
1977-07-10 LADSDP — 1.2444210
1977-06-26 LADCIN — 1.0111111
1977-06-25 LADCIN — 1.1111001
1977-05-28 LADCIN — 1.2100030
1977-05-22 LADPIT — 3.0322231
1977-05-16 LADPHI — 3.0433340
1977-05-13 LADNYN — 2.0200120
1977-05-07 LADPHI L 2.0333211
1977-05-01 LADWSN — 0.1000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Al Downing — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 405 317 72 368 18 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Al Downing — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1961 NYA P 5 1 0 2 0 0
1962 NYA P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1963 NYA P 24 22 7 18 1 1
1964 NYA P 37 35 6 39 0 0
1965 NYA P 35 32 6 36 2 4
1966 NYA P 30 30 4 16 3 2
1967 NYA P 31 28 9 27 1 2
1968 NYA P 15 12 2 9 0 0
1969 NYA P 30 15 3 14 1 1
1970 OAK P 10 6 1 15 0 2
1970 ML4 P 17 16 8 15 3 0
1971 LAN P 37 36 7 40 1 2
1972 LAN P 31 30 5 54 1 5
1973 LAN P 30 28 8 34 3 1
1974 LAN P 21 16 2 20 1 2
1975 LAN P 22 6 4 17 0 0
1976 LAN P 17 3 0 9 0 1
1977 LAN P 12 1 0 3 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Al Downing Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 405

Awards & Honors

Al Downing — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1971 TSN Comeback Player of the Year

Award Voting History

Al Downing — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1971 Cy Young Award NL 3rd 40.0 120 1
1971 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 36.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Al Downing (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bill Singer
    118-127, 3.39 ERA
  2. 92
    Gary Peters
    124-103, 3.25 ERA
  3. 91
    Ray Culp
    122-101, 3.58 ERA
  4. 90
    Earl Wilson
    121-109, 3.69 ERA
  5. 88
    Jim Maloney
    134-84, 3.19 ERA
  6. 86
    Jose Rijo
    116-91, 3.24 ERA

Al Downing: the record in brief

Between the debut on July 19, 1961 and the final game on July 13, 1977, Al Downing built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the New York Yankees (1961 through 1969), the Oakland Athletics (1970), the Milwaukee Brewers (1970), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1971 to 1977). Listed as a pitcher, Downing hit right-handed while throwing left-handed. The recorded size is 5'11" and 175 pounds. The birth record reads June 28, 1941, in Trenton, NJ, USA. Al Downing was the playing name; the full given name is Alphonso Erwin.

The pitching table credits Downing with a 123-107 record and a 3.22 ERA in 405 games. The totals include 1,639 strikeouts, 73 complete games, and 24 shutouts. The leagues Downing pitched in allowed 3.60 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 10.7% better than average. 1971 brought Downing a season-high 20 wins. The strikeout high was 217 in 1964.

Frequently Asked Questions about Al Downing

What years did Al Downing play?
Al Downing played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1977.
Was Al Downing a pitcher?
Yes. Al Downing pitched in the major leagues, recording 123 wins and 1639 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Al Downing hit?
Al Downing hit 2 career home runs with 91 hits.
What was Al Downing's career batting average?
Al Downing batted .127 over his career, with 91 hits in 717 at bats.
How many RBI did Al Downing have?
Al Downing drove in 51 runs in his career.
What was Al Downing's career ERA?
Al Downing finished with a 3.22 career ERA, going 123-107 with 1,639 strikeouts.