Oscar Gamble
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1969-1985)
Oscar Gamble was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1985 for 7 teams, including the Chicago Cubs, a span of 17 seasons. In 1,584 career games, he hit .265 with 1,195 hits, 200 home runs, and 666 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 13,684.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 160 lb
- Died
- 1/31/2018 in Birmingham, AL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1969-08-27
- Last Game
- 1985-08-08
Full name: Oscar Charles Gamble
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,584 | 4,502 | 656 | 1,195 | 188 | 31 | 200 | 666 | 47 | 610 | 546 | .265 | .356 | .454 | .811 | 13,684 |
Career AVG .265 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .356 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — +10.2% above league average.
Career SLG .454 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — +19.6% above league average.
Career OPS .811 vs. league average .703 across their career seasons — +15.3% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | CHN | NL | 24 | 71 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 12 | .225 | .248 (-9%) | .320 (avg) | .369 (-16%) | .689 (-8%) | -72.8 |
| 1970 | PHI | NL | 88 | 275 | 31 | 72 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 5 | 27 | 37 | .262 | .253 (+3%) | .325 (+1%) | .385 (-10%) | .711 (-5%) | -194.4 |
| 1971 | PHI | NL | 92 | 280 | 24 | 62 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 23 | 5 | 21 | 35 | .221 | .249 (-11%) | .316 (-13%) | .365 (-9%) | .682 (-11%) | -528.1 |
| 1972 | PHI | NL | 74 | 135 | 17 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 19 | 16 | .237 | .243 (-3%) | .310 (+7%) | .353 (-8%) | .664 (-1%) | 10.3 |
| 1973 | CLE | AL | 113 | 390 | 56 | 104 | 11 | 3 | 20 | 44 | 3 | 34 | 37 | .267 | .256 (+4%) | .325 (+1%) | .378 (+23%) | .703 (+13%) | 853.6 |
| 1974 | CLE | AL | 135 | 454 | 74 | 132 | 16 | 4 | 19 | 59 | 5 | 48 | 51 | .291 | .256 (+13%) | .324 (+12%) | .369 (+27%) | .693 (+20%) | 1772.8 |
| 1975 | CLE | AL | 121 | 348 | 60 | 91 | 16 | 3 | 15 | 45 | 11 | 53 | 39 | .261 | .257 (+2%) | .327 (+10%) | .374 (+21%) | .701 (+16%) | 1156.5 |
| 1976 | NYA | AL | 110 | 340 | 43 | 79 | 13 | 1 | 17 | 57 | 5 | 38 | 38 | .232 | .255 (-9%) | .320 (-1%) | .360 (+18%) | .681 (+9%) | 573.0 |
| 1977 | CHA | AL | 137 | 408 | 75 | 121 | 22 | 2 | 31 | 83 | 1 | 54 | 54 | .297 | .264 (+12%) | .329 (+17%) | .401 (+47%) | .730 (+33%) | 2805.3 |
| 1978 | SDN | NL | 126 | 375 | 46 | 103 | 15 | 3 | 7 | 47 | 1 | 51 | 45 | .275 | .257 (+7%) | .323 (+13%) | .378 (+2%) | .702 (+7%) | 685.5 |
| 1979 | TEX | AL | 64 | 161 | 27 | 54 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 32 | 2 | 37 | 15 | .335 | .265 (+26%) | .329 (+39%) | .397 (+31%) | .727 (+35%) | 1204.9 |
| 1979 | NYA | AL | 36 | 113 | 21 | 44 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 32 | 0 | 13 | 13 | .389 | .265 (+47%) | .329 (+37%) | .397 (+85%) | .727 (+63%) | 1204.9 |
| 1980 | NYA | AL | 78 | 194 | 40 | 54 | 10 | 2 | 14 | 50 | 2 | 28 | 21 | .278 | .264 (+5%) | .326 (+15%) | .387 (+46%) | .714 (+32%) | 1133.2 |
| 1981 | NYA | AL | 80 | 189 | 24 | 45 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 27 | 0 | 35 | 23 | .238 | .255 (-7%) | .320 (+11%) | .368 (+19%) | .688 (+16%) | 602.5 |
| 1982 | NYA | AL | 108 | 316 | 49 | 86 | 21 | 2 | 18 | 57 | 6 | 58 | 47 | .272 | .261 (+4%) | .324 (+20%) | .388 (+34%) | .712 (+28%) | 1785.5 |
| 1983 | NYA | AL | 74 | 180 | 26 | 47 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 25 | 23 | .261 | .260 (avg) | .324 (+11%) | .389 (+17%) | .714 (+14%) | 512.6 |
| 1984 | NYA | AL | 54 | 125 | 17 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 27 | 1 | 25 | 18 | .184 | .259 (-29%) | .322 (-2%) | .384 (+14%) | .707 (+7%) | 183.8 |
| 1985 | CHA | AL | 70 | 148 | 20 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 34 | 22 | .203 | .257 (-21%) | .323 (+9%) | .390 (-19%) | .714 (-6%) | -21.6 |
| Career · 18 seasons | 1,584 | 4,502 | 656 | 1,195 | 188 | 31 | 200 | 666 | 47 | 610 | 546 | .265 | — | — | — | — | 13,668 | ||
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.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | AEDIV | NYA | 4 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .556 |
| 1981 | ALCS | NYA | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | .167 |
| 1981 | WS | NYA | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .333 |
| 1980 | ALCS | NYA | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .200 |
| 1976 | ALCS | NYA | 3 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .250 |
| 1976 | WS | NYA | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .125 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1584 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 804 | 2200 | 329 | 581 | 112 | 354 | .264 |
| Away | 780 | 2302 | 327 | 614 | 88 | 312 | .267 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-08-08 | CHW | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-08-04 | CHW | NYY | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985-08-03 | CHW | NYY | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-08-02 | CHW | NYY | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985-08-01 | CHW | BOS | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985-07-26 | CHW | BAL | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1985-07-25 | CHW | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985-07-24 | CHW | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-07-21 | CHW | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-07-20 | CHW | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 818 | 724 | 1412 | 59 | 35 | 17 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | CHN | OF | 24 | 21 | 41 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1970 | PHI | OF | 74 | 71 | 148 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| 1971 | PHI | OF | 80 | 67 | 125 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 1972 | PHI | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | PHI | OF | 35 | 32 | 54 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1973 | CLE | OF | 37 | 34 | 67 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1974 | CLE | OF | 13 | 12 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | CLE | OF | 82 | 75 | 146 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
| 1976 | NYA | OF | 104 | 87 | 199 | 10 | 4 | 3 |
| 1977 | CHA | OF | 49 | 41 | 73 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1978 | SDN | OF | 107 | 106 | 172 | 12 | 4 | 3 |
| 1979 | TEX | OF | 21 | 18 | 41 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1979 | NYA | OF | 27 | 27 | 47 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 1980 | NYA | OF | 49 | 41 | 65 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1981 | NYA | OF | 43 | 31 | 77 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | NYA | OF | 29 | 26 | 59 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1983 | NYA | OF | 32 | 27 | 64 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 1984 | NYA | OF | 12 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 275 |
| Center Field | 79 |
| Right Field | 474 |
| Designated Hitter | 561 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Player of the Week | Week of 1982-05-28 |
| 1980 | Player of the Week | Week of 1980-09-07 |
| 1979 | Player of the Week | Week of 1979-09-28 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 29th | 1.0 | 392 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Oscar Gamble (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Oscar Gamble: the record in brief
August 27, 1969 and August 8, 1985 bracket Oscar Gamble's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Chicago Cubs (1969), the Philadelphia Phillies (1970 through 1972), the Cleveland Indians (1973 through 1975), the New York Yankees (1976 to 1984), the Chicago White Sox (1977 to 1985), the San Diego Padres (1978), and the Texas Rangers (1979). Gamble played primarily as an outfielder and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Born on December 20, 1949, in Ramer, AL, USA, Gamble was listed at 160 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Gamble's death is recorded on January 31, 2018, in Birmingham, AL, USA. Gamble's full given name, per the bio, is Oscar Charles Gamble.
Gamble collected 1,195 hits in 4,502 at bats across 1,584 games, good for a .265 batting average, plus 200 homers, 666 runs batted in, and 47 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .356 clip and slugging .454, Gamble finished with a .811 OPS.
Frequently Asked Questions about Oscar Gamble
- What years did Oscar Gamble play?
- Oscar Gamble played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1985.
- Was Oscar Gamble a pitcher?
- No. Oscar Gamble was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Oscar Gamble hit?
- Oscar Gamble hit 200 career home runs with 1195 hits.
- What was Oscar Gamble's career batting average?
- Oscar Gamble batted .265 over his career, with 1,195 hits in 4,502 at bats.
- How many RBI did Oscar Gamble have?
- Oscar Gamble drove in 666 runs in his career.
- Is Oscar Gamble in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Oscar Gamble has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.