Dave Ferriss
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1945-1950)
Dave Ferriss was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1950 for the Boston Red Sox, a span of 6 seasons. Across 144 career appearances, he went 65-30 with a 3.64 ERA and 296 strikeouts. He also batted .250 with 1 home runs. Dave Ferriss was a 2-time All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 607.3.
- 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
- 6'2" / 208 lb
- Died
- 11/24/2016 in Cleveland, MS, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1945-04-29
- Last Game
- 1950-04-18
- Awards
- 2× All-Star
Full name: David Meadow Ferriss
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | BOS | AL | 21 | 10 | 35 | 31 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 264.2 | 263 | 87 | 85 | 94 | 2.96 | 3.67 (+19%) | 2256.3 |
| 1946 | BOS | AL | 25 | 6 | 40 | 35 | 26 | 6 | 3 | 274.0 | 274 | 99 | 71 | 106 | 3.25 | 3.59 (+9%) | 2204.4 |
| 1947 | BOS | AL | 12 | 11 | 33 | 28 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 218.1 | 241 | 98 | 92 | 64 | 4.04 | 3.97 (-2%) | -1812.4 |
| 1948 | BOS | AL | 7 | 3 | 31 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 115.1 | 127 | 67 | 61 | 30 | 5.23 | 4.10 (-27%) | -2041.0 |
| 1949 | BOS | AL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4.05 | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | BOS | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 18.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 65 | 30 | 144 | 103 | 67 | 12 | 8 | 880.0 | 914 | 356 | 314 | 296 | 3.64 | — | 607 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 194 | 372 | 44 | 93 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 52 | 0 | 37 | 46 | .250 | .318 | .333 | .651 | -352 |
Career AVG .250 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .318 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.
Career SLG .333 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 11.1% below league average.
Career OPS .651 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — 8.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | BOS | AL | 61 | 120 | 16 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 11 | .267 | .260 (+2%) | .328 (+12%) | .354 (+3%) | .683 (+7%) | 194.3 |
| 1946 | BOS | AL | 45 | 115 | 12 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 19 | .209 | .256 (-19%) | .328 (-27%) | .358 (-27%) | .687 (-27%) | -495.4 |
| 1947 | BOS | AL | 52 | 99 | 11 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 7 | 10 | .273 | .262 (+4%) | .336 (-5%) | .376 (+2%) | .712 (-1%) | -51.1 |
| 1948 | BOS | AL | 31 | 37 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | .243 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1949 | BOS | AL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | BOS | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 194 | 372 | 44 | 93 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 52 | 0 | 37 | 46 | .250 | — | — | — | — | -352 | ||
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 (338 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 95 | 186 | 23 | 51 | 0 | 30 | .274 |
| Away | 99 | 186 | 21 | 42 | 1 | 23 | .226 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 70 | 435.1 | 488 | 201 | 158 | 146 | 4.16 |
| Away | 74 | 444.2 | 426 | 155 | 157 | 151 | 3.14 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-04-18 | BOS | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-03 | BOS | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-04-23 | BOS | NYY | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-04-22 | BOS | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-04-19 | BOS | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-10-03 | BOS | NYY | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-26 | BOS | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-24 | BOS | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-22 | BOS | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-19 | BOS | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-04-18 | BOS | NYY | — | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-06-03 | BOS | CLE | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-04-23 | BOS | NYY | — | 2.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949-04-22 | BOS | NYY | — | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-04-19 | BOS | PHA | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-10-03 | BOS | NYY | SV | 2.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-26 | BOS | NYY | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-24 | BOS | NYY | — | 2.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-22 | BOS | CLE | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-19 | BOS | DET | L | 3.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 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 | 144 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P3 |
| 1946 | TSN All-Star | P |
| 1945 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P2 |
| 1945 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P3 |
| 1945 | TSN All-Star | P |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State University | Mississippi State | MS | 1939, 1940, 1941 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 7th | 94.0 | 336 | 1 |
| 1945 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 4th | 148.0 | 336 | 2 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Dave Ferriss (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Dave Ferriss: the record in brief
The profile opens with Dave Ferriss's first major league game on April 29, 1945; the last one listed came on April 18, 1950. The team column never changes: it is the Boston Red Sox from 1945 to 1950. Listed as a pitcher, Ferriss threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Height and weight on file: 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds. The birth record reads December 5, 1921, in Shaw, MS, USA. Ferriss died on November 24, 2016, in Cleveland, MS, USA. Ferriss's full given name, per the bio, is David Meadow Ferriss.
Ferriss pitched in 144 games, starting 103, and finished with a 65-30 record and 3.64 ERA. The same table counts 296 strikeouts, 67 complete games, and 12 shutouts. The leagues Ferriss pitched in allowed 3.95 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 7.9% better than average. Ferriss won 25 games in 1946, the most of any season listed.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dave Ferriss
- What years did Dave Ferriss play?
- Dave Ferriss played in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1950.
- Was Dave Ferriss a pitcher?
- Yes. Dave Ferriss pitched in the major leagues, recording 65 wins and 296 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Dave Ferriss hit?
- Dave Ferriss hit 1 career home run with 93 hits.
- What teams did Dave Ferriss play for?
- Dave Ferriss played for one team, the Boston Red Sox (1945–1950).
- What awards did Dave Ferriss win?
- Dave Ferriss was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
- What were Dave Ferriss's career stats?
- In 144 games, Dave Ferriss went 65-30 with a 3.64 ERA, 296 strikeouts, 880.0 innings pitched, and 8 saves. At the plate he had 93 hits and 1 home runs.
- What position did Dave Ferriss play?
- Dave Ferriss played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Dave Ferriss and how much did he weigh?
- Dave Ferriss was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 208 pounds.
- What was Dave Ferriss's career ERA?
- Dave Ferriss finished with a 3.64 career ERA, going 65-30 with 296 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Dave Ferriss have?
- Dave Ferriss recorded 296 career strikeouts.
- Is Dave Ferriss in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Dave Ferriss has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Dave Ferriss make?
- Dave Ferriss was selected to 2 All-Star Games.