Hersh Freeman

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1952-1958)

Hersh Freeman was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1958 for the Boston Red Sox, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Chicago Cubs, a span of 7 seasons. Across 204 career appearances, he went 30-16 with a 3.74 ERA, 158 strikeouts, and 37 saves. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 4610.3.

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

W–L 30–16
ERA 3.74
WHIP 1.38
SO 158
Pitcher PIV 4610.3
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 220 lb
Born
7/1/1928 in Gadsden, AL, USA
Died
1/17/2004 in Orlando, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1952-09-10
Last Game
1958-06-07

Full name: Hershell Baskin Freeman

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Career Pitching Statistics

Hersh Freeman — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
30 16 204 3 1 0 37 359.0 387 149 25 109 158 3.74 4610.3

Career ERA 3.74 vs. league average 3.92 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Hersh Freeman Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1952 BOS AL 1 0 4 1 1 0 0 13.2 13 5 5 5 3.29 3.70 (+11%) -76.7
1953 BOS AL 1 4 18 2 0 0 0 39.0 50 24 17 15 5.54 4.14 (-34%) 335.3
1955 BOS AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1.2 1 0 1 1 0.00 — 0.0
1955 CIN NL 7 4 52 0 0 0 11 91.2 94 22 30 37 2.16 4.00 (+46%) 2255.2
1956 CIN NL 14 5 64 0 0 0 18 108.2 112 41 34 50 3.40 3.96 (+14%) 3642.2
1957 CIN NL 7 2 52 0 0 0 8 83.2 90 42 14 36 4.52 3.83 (-18%) -1145.9
1958 CIN NL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 7.2 4 3 5 7 3.52 — 0.0
1958 CHN NL 0 1 9 0 0 0 0 13.0 23 12 3 7 8.31 3.86 (-115%) -399.8
Career · 8 seasons 30 16 204 3 1 0 37 359.0 387 149 109 158 3.74 — 4,610

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

Hersh Freeman — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
205 63 4 9 3 0 1 5 0 5 12 .143 .206 .238 .444 0

Career AVG .143 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 44.7% below league average.

Career OBP .206 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 37.4% below league average.

Career SLG .238 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 39.0% below league average.

Career OPS .444 vs. league average .720 across their career seasons — 38.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Hersh Freeman — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1952 BOS AL 4 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .500 — — — — 0.0
1953 BOS AL 18 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .091 — — — — 0.0
1955 BOS AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1955 CIN NL 53 18 3 3 1 0 1 3 0 1 3 .167 — — — — 0.0
1956 CIN NL 64 18 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 3 4 .056 — — — — 0.0
1957 CIN NL 52 10 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .200 — — — — 0.0
1958 CIN NL 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1958 CHN NL 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 205 63 4 9 3 0 1 5 0 5 12 .143 — — — — 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 (409 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Hersh Freeman — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home109344613.176
Away96290302.103

Pitching — Home / Away

Hersh Freeman — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home108187.12138955764.28
Away96172.01745955843.09

Last 10 Games — Batting

Hersh Freeman — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1958-06-07 CHCPITL 000000000
1958-06-01 CHCLADL 000000000
1958-05-31 CHCLADL 000000000
1958-05-25 CHCATLL 000000000
1958-05-20 CHCPITL 000000000
1958-05-17 CHCSFGL 000000000
1958-05-15 CHCLADL 100000000
1958-05-12 CHCSTLL 000000000
1958-05-11 CHCSTLL 000000000
1958-05-06 CINCHCL 100000001

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Hersh Freeman — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1958-06-07 CHCPIT — 0.0311000
1958-06-01 CHCLAD — 1.0000020
1958-05-31 CHCLAD — 0.2200000
1958-05-25 CHCATL — 2.0200010
1958-05-20 CHCPIT — 2.0544022
1958-05-17 CHCSFG — 2.2544021
1958-05-15 CHCLAD L 2.0222100
1958-05-12 CHCSTL — 2.2210200
1958-05-11 CHCSTL — 0.0200000
1958-05-06 CINCHC — 5.1200250

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Hersh Freeman — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
P 204 0 19 63 0 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Hersh Freeman — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1952 BOS P 4 0 0 4 0 0
1953 BOS P 18 0 0 7 0 0
1955 BOS P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1955 CIN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1955 CIN P 52 0 4 20 0 4
1956 CIN P 64 0 8 15 0 2
1957 CIN P 52 0 5 12 0 1
1958 CIN P 3 0 1 2 0 0
1958 CHN P 9 0 1 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Hersh Freeman — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 204
Third Base 1

College History

Hersh Freeman — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL 1947

Award Voting History

Hersh Freeman — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1956 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 25.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Hersh Freeman (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Will McEnaney
    12-17, 3.76 ERA
  2. 97
    Bud Byerly
    22-22, 3.70 ERA
  3. 91
    Tom Buskey
    21-27, 3.66 ERA
  4. 91
    Claude Jonnard
    14-12, 3.79 ERA
  5. 88
    Ken Burkhart
    27-20, 3.84 ERA
  6. 85
    Bob Lacey
    20-29, 3.67 ERA

Hersh Freeman: the record in brief

Hersh Freeman played a first major league game on September 10, 1952 and a last one on June 7, 1958. Club by club, the record runs the Boston Red Sox (1952 through 1955), the Cincinnati Redlegs (1955 to 1958), and the Chicago Cubs (1958). Freeman, a pitcher by primary position, both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 6 feet, 3 inches and 220 pounds. The birth record reads July 1, 1928, in Gadsden, AL, USA. Freeman's death is recorded on January 17, 2004, in Orlando, FL, USA. Hersh Freeman was the playing name; the full given name is Hershell Baskin.

Across 204 games (3 starts), Freeman recorded 30 wins against 16 losses with a 3.74 ERA. The totals include 158 strikeouts and 37 saves. Freeman's 3.74 ERA was close to the 3.92 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 14 wins of 1956. Freeman saved 18 games in 1956, the season high.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hersh Freeman

What years did Hersh Freeman play?
Hersh Freeman played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1958.
Was Hersh Freeman a pitcher?
Yes. Hersh Freeman pitched in the major leagues, recording 30 wins and 158 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Hersh Freeman hit?
Hersh Freeman hit 1 career home run with 9 hits.
What teams did Hersh Freeman play for?
Hersh Freeman played for 3 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1952–1953, 1955), the Cincinnati Redlegs (1955–1958), and the Chicago Cubs (1958).
What were Hersh Freeman's career stats?
In 204 games, Hersh Freeman went 30-16 with a 3.74 ERA, 158 strikeouts, 359.0 innings pitched, and 37 saves.
What position did Hersh Freeman play?
Hersh Freeman played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Hersh Freeman and how much did he weigh?
Hersh Freeman was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 220 pounds.
What was Hersh Freeman's career ERA?
Hersh Freeman finished with a 3.74 career ERA, going 30-16 with 158 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Hersh Freeman have?
Hersh Freeman recorded 158 career strikeouts.
Is Hersh Freeman in the Hall of Fame?
No. Hersh Freeman has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.