Sammy Ellis
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1962-1969)
Sammy Ellis was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1969 for the Cincinnati Reds, the California Angels, and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 8 seasons. Across 229 career appearances, he went 63-58 with a 4.15 ERA and 677 strikeouts. He also batted .104 with 0 home runs. Sammy Ellis was an All-Star.
- 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 / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 175 lb
- Died
- 5/13/2016 in Temple Terrace, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1962-04-14
- Last Game
- 1969-06-08
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Samuel Joseph Ellis
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | CIN | NL | 2 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.0 | 29 | 21 | 29 | 27 | 6.75 | 3.96 (-71%) | -1913.3 |
| 1964 | CIN | NL | 10 | 3 | 52 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 122.1 | 101 | 35 | 28 | 125 | 2.57 | 3.58 (+28%) | 4237.7 |
| 1965 | CIN | NL | 22 | 10 | 44 | 39 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 263.2 | 222 | 111 | 104 | 183 | 3.79 | 3.50 (-8%) | 232.5 |
| 1966 | CIN | NL | 12 | 19 | 41 | 36 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 221.0 | 226 | 130 | 78 | 154 | 5.29 | 3.52 (-50%) | -4412.9 |
| 1967 | CIN | NL | 8 | 11 | 32 | 27 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 175.2 | 197 | 75 | 67 | 80 | 3.84 | 3.30 (-16%) | -3817.9 |
| 1968 | CAL | AL | 9 | 10 | 42 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 164.0 | 150 | 72 | 56 | 93 | 3.95 | 2.98 (-32%) | -4702.6 |
| 1969 | CHA | AL | 0 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29.1 | 42 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 5.83 | 3.61 (-61%) | -1665.2 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 63 | 58 | 229 | 140 | 35 | 3 | 18 | 1,004.0 | 967 | 463 | 378 | 677 | 4.15 | — | -12,042 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 231 | 299 | 19 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 18 | 134 | .104 | .160 | .114 | .274 | -1,849 |
Career AVG .104 vs. league average .247 across their career seasons — 58.0% below league average.
Career OBP .160 vs. league average .312 across their career seasons — 48.8% below league average.
Career SLG .114 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — 69.2% below league average.
Career OPS .274 vs. league average .682 across their career seasons — 59.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | CIN | NL | 8 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1964 | CIN | NL | 52 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | .083 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1965 | CIN | NL | 44 | 96 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 44 | .125 | .245 (-49%) | .310 (-46%) | .371 (-61%) | .682 (-54%) | -780.8 |
| 1966 | CIN | NL | 43 | 70 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 28 | .114 | .248 (-54%) | .309 (-48%) | .376 (-66%) | .685 (-58%) | -606.2 |
| 1967 | CIN | NL | 32 | 49 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 23 | .082 | — | — | — | — | -462.4 |
| 1968 | CAL | AL | 42 | 44 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | .045 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1969 | CHA | AL | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 231 | 299 | 19 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 18 | 134 | .104 | — | — | — | — | -1,849 | ||
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 (460 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 124 | 161 | 14 | 18 | 0 | 3 | .112 |
| Away | 107 | 138 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 4 | .094 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 122 | 562.1 | 490 | 227 | 192 | 394 | 3.63 |
| Away | 107 | 441.2 | 477 | 236 | 186 | 283 | 4.81 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-06-08 | CHW | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-06-03 | CHW | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-06-01 | CHW | TEX | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-05-30 | CHW | TEX | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-05-16 | CHW | TEX | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1969-05-11 | CHW | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1969-05-04 | CHW | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-05-01 | CHW | KCR | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-04-22 | CHW | LAA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-04-12 | CHW | MIL | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-06-08 | CHW | NYY | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969-06-03 | CHW | BOS | — | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-06-01 | CHW | TEX | — | 2.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1969-05-30 | CHW | TEX | — | 2.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969-05-16 | CHW | TEX | — | 5.2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 1969-05-11 | CHW | CLE | — | 4.2 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1969-05-04 | CHW | MIN | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1969-05-01 | CHW | KCR | L | 0.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969-04-22 | CHW | LAA | L | 5.0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1969-04-12 | CHW | MIL | L | 5.0 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 229 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State University | Mississippi State | MS | 1961 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 16th | 13.0 | 280 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Sammy Ellis (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Sammy Ellis: the record in brief
April 14, 1962 and June 8, 1969 bracket Sammy Ellis's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Ellis's seasons break down as the Cincinnati Reds (1962 through 1967), the California Angels (1968), and the Chicago White Sox (1969). Listed as a pitcher, Ellis hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Height and weight on file: 175 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Ellis was born on February 11, 1941, in Youngstown, OH, USA. The bio records the death on May 13, 2016, in Temple Terrace, FL, USA. Sammy Ellis was the playing name; the full given name is Samuel Joseph.
Ellis pitched in 229 games, starting 140, and finished with a 63-58 record and 4.15 ERA. The same table counts 677 strikeouts, 35 complete games, and 18 saves. Against a 3.50 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.15 mark was 18.7% worse. Ellis won 22 games in 1965, the most of any season listed. Ellis saved 14 games in 1964, the season high.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sammy Ellis
- What years did Sammy Ellis play?
- Sammy Ellis played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1969.
- Was Sammy Ellis a pitcher?
- Yes. Sammy Ellis pitched in the major leagues, recording 63 wins and 677 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Sammy Ellis hit?
- Sammy Ellis hit 0 career home runs with 31 hits.
- What teams did Sammy Ellis play for?
- Sammy Ellis played for 3 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1962, 1964–1967), the California Angels (1968), and the Chicago White Sox (1969).
- Did Sammy Ellis win a Cy Young Award?
- No. Sammy Ellis did not win the Cy Young Award.
- What awards did Sammy Ellis win?
- Sammy Ellis was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Sammy Ellis's career stats?
- In 229 games, Sammy Ellis went 63-58 with a 4.15 ERA, 677 strikeouts, 1,004.0 innings pitched, and 18 saves. At the plate he had 31 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Sammy Ellis play?
- Sammy Ellis played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Sammy Ellis and how much did he weigh?
- Sammy Ellis was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 175 pounds.
- What was Sammy Ellis's career ERA?
- Sammy Ellis finished with a 4.15 career ERA, going 63-58 with 677 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Sammy Ellis have?
- Sammy Ellis recorded 677 career strikeouts.
- Is Sammy Ellis in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Sammy Ellis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Sammy Ellis make?
- Sammy Ellis was selected to 1 All-Star Game.