Ed Farmer
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1971-1983)
Ed Farmer was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1983 for 8 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 13 seasons. Across 370 career appearances, he went 30-43 with a 4.30 ERA, 395 strikeouts, and 75 saves. Ed Farmer 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'5" / 200 lb
- Died
- 4/1/2020 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1971-06-09
- Last Game
- 1983-10-02
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Edward Joseph Farmer
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | CLE | AL | 5 | 4 | 43 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 78.2 | 77 | 38 | 41 | 48 | 4.35 | 3.47 (-25%) | -1823.8 |
| 1972 | CLE | AL | 2 | 5 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 61.1 | 51 | 30 | 27 | 33 | 4.40 | 3.26 (-35%) | -2373.7 |
| 1973 | CLE | AL | 0 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17.1 | 25 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 4.67 | 3.75 (-25%) | -663.5 |
| 1973 | DET | AL | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 45.0 | 52 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 5.00 | 3.75 (-33%) | -422.1 |
| 1974 | PHI | NL | 2 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31.0 | 41 | 29 | 27 | 20 | 8.42 | 3.63 (-132%) | -1837.0 |
| 1977 | BAL | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | ML4 | AL | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11.0 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0.82 | 3.69 (+78%) | -21.9 |
| 1979 | TEX | AL | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33.0 | 30 | 16 | 19 | 25 | 4.36 | 4.00 (-9%) | 73.1 |
| 1979 | CHA | AL | 3 | 7 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 81.1 | 66 | 22 | 34 | 48 | 2.43 | 4.00 (+39%) | 1735.6 |
| 1980 | CHA | AL | 7 | 9 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 99.2 | 92 | 37 | 56 | 54 | 3.34 | 3.84 (+13%) | -810.5 |
| 1981 | CHA | AL | 3 | 3 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 52.2 | 53 | 27 | 34 | 42 | 4.61 | 3.58 (-29%) | -855.4 |
| 1982 | PHI | NL | 2 | 6 | 47 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 76.0 | 66 | 41 | 50 | 58 | 4.86 | 3.86 (-26%) | 688.7 |
| 1983 | PHI | NL | 0 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26.2 | 35 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 6.07 | 3.87 (-57%) | -680.1 |
| 1983 | OAK | AL | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 3.48 | 3.87 (+10%) | 314.3 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 30 | 43 | 370 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 624.0 | 611 | 298 | 345 | 395 | 4.30 | — | -6,676 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 370 | 47 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 22 | .085 | .104 | .085 | .189 | 0 |
Career AVG .085 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 67.0% below league average.
Career OBP .104 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 67.8% below league average.
Career SLG .085 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — 77.7% below league average.
Career OPS .189 vs. league average .704 across their career seasons — 73.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | CLE | AL | 43 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .071 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | CLE | AL | 46 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | CLE | AL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | DET | AL | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | PHI | NL | 14 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | BAL | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | ML4 | AL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | TEX | AL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | CHA | AL | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1980 | CHA | AL | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1981 | CHA | AL | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | PHI | NL | 47 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | PHI | NL | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | OAK | AL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 370 | 47 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 22 | .085 | — | — | — | — | 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 (740 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 179 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .080 |
| Away | 191 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .091 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 179 | 335.0 | 341 | 156 | 160 | 221 | 4.19 |
| Away | 191 | 289.0 | 270 | 142 | 185 | 174 | 4.42 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-10-02 | OAK | KCR | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-09-28 | OAK | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-09-11 | OAK | TOR | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-09-04 | OAK | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-09-03 | OAK | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-07-02 | PHI | NYN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-06-26 | PHI | NYN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1983-06-21 | PHI | WSN | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-06-10 | PHI | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-06-03 | PHI | SDP | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-10-02 | OAK | KCR | — | 4.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1983-09-28 | OAK | CHW | — | 4.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1983-09-11 | OAK | TOR | — | 1.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983-09-04 | OAK | CLE | — | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-09-03 | OAK | CLE | — | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-07-02 | PHI | NYN | L | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983-06-26 | PHI | NYN | L | 4.2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1983-06-21 | PHI | WSN | — | 4.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1983-06-10 | PHI | PIT | L | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983-06-03 | PHI | SDP | L | 0.1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | CLE | P | 43 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 2 |
| 1972 | CLE | P | 46 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 1973 | CLE | P | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | DET | P | 24 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974 | PHI | P | 14 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977 | BAL | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978 | ML4 | P | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | TEX | P | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | CHA | P | 42 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980 | CHA | P | 64 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 4 |
| 1981 | CHA | P | 42 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 1982 | PHI | P | 47 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| 1983 | PHI | P | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | OAK | P | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 370 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ed Farmer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Ed Farmer: the record in brief
June 9, 1971 and October 2, 1983 bracket Ed Farmer's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Cleveland Indians (1971 to 1973), the Detroit Tigers (1973), the Philadelphia Phillies (1974 through 1983), the Baltimore Orioles (1977), the Milwaukee Brewers (1978), the Texas Rangers (1979), the Chicago White Sox (1979 to 1981), and the Oakland Athletics (1983). Farmer is listed as a pitcher at 6'5" and 200 pounds. Farmer batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Farmer was born on October 18, 1949, in Evergreen Park, IL, USA. Farmer died on April 1, 2020, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. The given name on file is Edward Joseph Farmer.
Farmer pitched in 370 games, starting 21, and finished with a 30-43 record and 4.30 ERA. The totals include 395 strikeouts and 75 saves. Against a 3.74 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.30 mark was 15.1% worse. The best win total was 7, in 1980.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ed Farmer
- What years did Ed Farmer play?
- Ed Farmer played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1983.
- Was Ed Farmer a pitcher?
- Yes. Ed Farmer pitched in the major leagues, recording 30 wins and 395 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Ed Farmer hit?
- Ed Farmer hit 0 career home runs with 4 hits.
- What was Ed Farmer's career batting average?
- Ed Farmer batted .085 over his career, with 4 hits in 47 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ed Farmer have?
- Ed Farmer drove in 1 runs in his career.
- What was Ed Farmer's career ERA?
- Ed Farmer finished with a 4.30 career ERA, going 30-43 with 395 strikeouts.