Ben Flowers
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1951-1956)
Ben Flowers was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1956 for 4 teams, including the Boston Red Sox, a span of 6 seasons. Across 76 career appearances, he went 3-7 with a 4.49 ERA and 86 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 903.8.
- 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
- 6'4" / 195 lb
- Died
- 2/18/2009 in Wilson, NC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1951-09-29
- Last Game
- 1956-09-21
Full name: Bennett Flowers
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | BOS | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1953 | BOS | AL | 1 | 4 | 32 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 79.1 | 87 | 34 | 24 | 36 | 3.86 | 4.14 (+7%) | 1059.4 |
| 1955 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1955 | SLN | NL | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.1 | 27 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 3.62 | 4.00 (+9%) | 844.1 |
| 1956 | SLN | NL | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 6.94 | 3.96 (-75%) | 15.3 |
| 1956 | PHI | NL | 0 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41.0 | 54 | 26 | 10 | 22 | 5.71 | 3.96 (-44%) | -1015.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 3 | 7 | 76 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 168.1 | 190 | 84 | 54 | 86 | 4.49 | — | 904 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | 36 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .111 | .135 | .167 | .302 | 0 |
Career AVG .111 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 57.3% below league average.
Career OBP .135 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 59.5% below league average.
Career SLG .167 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — 57.6% below league average.
Career OPS .302 vs. league average .727 across their career seasons — 58.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | BOS | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1953 | BOS | AL | 32 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .158 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1955 | DET | AL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1955 | SLN | NL | 4 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .100 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | SLN | NL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | PHI | NL | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 76 | 36 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 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 (152 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 45 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | .148 |
| Away | 31 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 45 | 114.2 | 132 | 57 | 43 | 53 | 4.47 |
| Away | 31 | 53.2 | 58 | 28 | 11 | 33 | 4.70 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-09-21 | PHI | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-19 | PHI | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-16 | PHI | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-13 | PHI | ATL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-11 | PHI | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-08 | PHI | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1956-09-05 | PHI | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-04 | PHI | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-02 | PHI | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-02 | PHI | PIT | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-09-21 | PHI | NY1 | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1956-09-19 | PHI | CIN | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-16 | PHI | CHC | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-13 | PHI | ATL | L | 0.1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-11 | PHI | STL | — | 2.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-08 | PHI | PIT | L | 4.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1956-09-05 | PHI | NY1 | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-04 | PHI | NY1 | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-02 | PHI | PIT | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-02 | PHI | PIT | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 | 76 |
Ben Flowers: the record in brief
Ben Flowers played a first major league game on September 29, 1951 and a last one on September 21, 1956. Club by club, the record runs the Boston Red Sox (1951 through 1953), the Detroit Tigers (1955), the St. Louis Cardinals (1955 to 1956), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1956). Flowers, born on June 15, 1927, in Goldsboro, NC, USA, is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6 feet, 4 inches and 195 pounds. The bio records the death on February 18, 2009, in Wilson, NC, USA. Ben Flowers was the playing name; the full given name is Bennett.
Flowers went 3-7 with a 4.49 ERA in 76 games, 13 of them starts. The same table counts 86 strikeouts. Against a 4.04 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.49 mark was 11.3% worse. In 1953, one of the busiest seasons, Flowers posted a 3.86 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.14.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Flowers
- What years did Ben Flowers play?
- Ben Flowers played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1956.
- Was Ben Flowers a pitcher?
- Yes. Ben Flowers pitched in the major leagues, recording 3 wins and 86 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Ben Flowers hit?
- Ben Flowers hit 0 career home runs with 4 hits.
- What was Ben Flowers's career batting average?
- Ben Flowers batted .111 over his career, with 4 hits in 36 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ben Flowers have?
- Ben Flowers drove in 1 runs in his career.
- What was Ben Flowers's career ERA?
- Ben Flowers finished with a 4.49 career ERA, going 3-7 with 86 strikeouts.