Sam Gray
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1924-1933)
Sam Gray was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1924 to 1933 for the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Browns, a span of 10 seasons. Across 379 career appearances, he went 111-115 with a 4.18 ERA, 730 strikeouts, and 22 saves. He also batted .191 with 2 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 1664.2.
- 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
- 5'10" / 175 lb
- Died
- 4/16/1953 in McKinney, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1924-04-19
- Last Game
- 1933-09-18
Full name: Samuel David Gray
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | PHA | AL | 8 | 7 | 34 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 151.2 | 169 | 67 | 89 | 54 | 3.98 | 4.13 (+4%) | -2557.9 |
| 1925 | PHA | AL | 16 | 8 | 32 | 28 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 203.2 | 199 | 74 | 63 | 80 | 3.27 | 4.55 (+28%) | 324.4 |
| 1926 | PHA | AL | 11 | 12 | 38 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 150.2 | 164 | 61 | 50 | 82 | 3.64 | 4.11 (+11%) | 1067.2 |
| 1927 | PHA | AL | 9 | 6 | 37 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 133.1 | 153 | 68 | 51 | 49 | 4.59 | 4.08 (-12%) | 342.5 |
| 1928 | SLA | AL | 20 | 12 | 35 | 31 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 262.2 | 256 | 93 | 86 | 102 | 3.19 | 4.13 (+23%) | 1931.6 |
| 1929 | SLA | AL | 18 | 15 | 43 | 37 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 305.0 | 336 | 126 | 96 | 109 | 3.72 | 4.60 (+19%) | 2028.4 |
| 1930 | SLA | AL | 4 | 15 | 27 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 167.2 | 215 | 117 | 52 | 51 | 6.28 | 4.80 (-31%) | -2175.8 |
| 1931 | SLA | AL | 11 | 24 | 43 | 37 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 258.0 | 323 | 146 | 54 | 88 | 5.09 | 4.10 (-24%) | -252.5 |
| 1932 | SLA | AL | 7 | 12 | 52 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 206.2 | 250 | 104 | 53 | 79 | 4.53 | 4.13 (-10%) | 2235.4 |
| 1933 | SLA | AL | 7 | 4 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 112.0 | 131 | 51 | 45 | 36 | 4.10 | 3.86 (-6%) | -1279.2 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 111 | 115 | 379 | 231 | 101 | 16 | 22 | 1,951.1 | 2,196 | 907 | 639 | 730 | 4.18 | — | 1,664 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 379 | 648 | 49 | 124 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 49 | 1 | 41 | 146 | .191 | .241 | .241 | .481 | -3,437 |
Career AVG .191 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — 32.2% below league average.
Career OBP .241 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 30.1% below league average.
Career SLG .241 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — 39.5% below league average.
Career OPS .481 vs. league average .742 across their career seasons — 35.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | PHA | AL | 34 | 57 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .175 | .283 (-38%) | .345 (-45%) | .389 (-41%) | .734 (-43%) | -410.9 |
| 1925 | PHA | AL | 32 | 67 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 17 | .179 | .288 (-38%) | .349 (-27%) | .407 (-52%) | .756 (-40%) | -437.8 |
| 1926 | PHA | AL | 38 | 51 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 10 | .216 | .279 (-23%) | .345 (-17%) | .390 (-30%) | .735 (-24%) | -196.3 |
| 1927 | PHA | AL | 37 | 42 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 | .190 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | SLA | AL | 35 | 101 | 6 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 24 | .188 | .280 (-33%) | .342 (-36%) | .395 (-37%) | .737 (-37%) | -612.4 |
| 1929 | SLA | AL | 43 | 103 | 8 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 18 | .184 | .289 (-36%) | .353 (-35%) | .415 (-42%) | .769 (-39%) | -685.8 |
| 1930 | SLA | AL | 27 | 54 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 17 | .204 | .293 (-31%) | .354 (-34%) | .429 (-40%) | .784 (-37%) | -349.9 |
| 1931 | SLA | AL | 43 | 79 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 16 | .177 | .276 (-36%) | .338 (-25%) | .388 (-45%) | .726 (-36%) | -436.7 |
| 1932 | SLA | AL | 52 | 62 | 2 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 17 | .210 | .275 (-24%) | .335 (-27%) | .391 (-34%) | .726 (-31%) | -306.9 |
| 1933 | SLA | AL | 38 | 32 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | .219 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 379 | 648 | 49 | 124 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 49 | 1 | 41 | 146 | .191 | — | — | — | — | -3,437 | ||
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 (758 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 185 | 313 | 20 | 63 | 0 | 23 | .201 |
| Away | 194 | 336 | 29 | 61 | 2 | 30 | .182 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 185 | 955.0 | 1030 | 436 | 312 | 376 | 4.11 |
| Away | 194 | 993.0 | 1157 | 475 | 328 | 357 | 4.31 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933-09-18 | SLA | MIN | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1933-09-09 | SLA | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-09-08 | SLA | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-09-04 | SLA | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-08-29 | SLA | BOS | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-08-15 | SLA | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-08-06 | SLA | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-08-01 | SLA | CLE | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1933-07-29 | SLA | CHW | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1933-07-25 | SLA | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933-09-18 | SLA | MIN | W | 8.0 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1933-09-09 | SLA | NYY | — | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1933-09-08 | SLA | NYY | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1933-09-04 | SLA | CLE | L | 2.2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-08-29 | SLA | BOS | — | 5.0 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 1933-08-15 | SLA | NYY | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1933-08-06 | SLA | CHW | — | 2.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1933-08-01 | SLA | CLE | W | 7.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 1933-07-29 | SLA | CHW | W | 8.1 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1933-07-25 | SLA | DET | — | 5.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | PHA | P | 34 | 0 | 5 | 31 | 1 | 2 |
| 1925 | PHA | P | 32 | 0 | 8 | 37 | 3 | 1 |
| 1926 | PHA | P | 38 | 0 | 5 | 29 | 7 | 2 |
| 1927 | PHA | P | 37 | 0 | 8 | 32 | 3 | 2 |
| 1928 | SLA | P | 35 | 0 | 20 | 67 | 2 | 6 |
| 1929 | SLA | P | 43 | 0 | 9 | 61 | 3 | 4 |
| 1930 | SLA | P | 27 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 5 | 2 |
| 1931 | SLA | P | 43 | 0 | 11 | 49 | 8 | 0 |
| 1932 | SLA | P | 52 | 0 | 9 | 39 | 4 | 1 |
| 1933 | SLA | P | 38 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 2 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 379 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P3 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Sam Gray (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Sam Gray: the record in brief
April 19, 1924 and September 18, 1933 bracket Sam Gray's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Gray's seasons break down as the Philadelphia Athletics (1924 through 1927) and the St. Louis Browns (1928 to 1933). Gray played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on October 15, 1897, in Van Alstyne, TX, USA and a listed size of 175 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. Gray died on April 16, 1953, in McKinney, TX, USA. The bio lists the given name Samuel David.
Across 379 games (231 starts), Gray recorded 111 wins against 115 losses with a 4.18 ERA. Also on Gray's record: 730 strikeouts, 101 complete games, 16 shutouts, and 22 saves. Gray's 4.18 ERA was close to the 4.25 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 20, in 1928. The strikeout high was 109 in 1929. 1928 was Gray's sharpest full season, a 3.19 ERA against the league's 4.13.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Gray
- What years did Sam Gray play?
- Sam Gray played in Major League Baseball from 1924 to 1933.
- Was Sam Gray a pitcher?
- Yes. Sam Gray pitched in the major leagues, recording 111 wins and 730 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Sam Gray hit?
- Sam Gray hit 2 career home runs with 124 hits.
- What teams did Sam Gray play for?
- Sam Gray played for 2 teams: the Philadelphia Athletics (1924–1927) and the St. Louis Browns (1928–1933).
- What were Sam Gray's career stats?
- In 379 games, Sam Gray went 111-115 with a 4.18 ERA, 730 strikeouts, 1,951.1 innings pitched, and 22 saves. At the plate he had 124 hits and 2 home runs.
- What position did Sam Gray play?
- Sam Gray played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Sam Gray and how much did he weigh?
- Sam Gray was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 175 pounds.
- What was Sam Gray's career ERA?
- Sam Gray finished with a 4.18 career ERA, going 111-115 with 730 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Sam Gray have?
- Sam Gray recorded 730 career strikeouts.
- Is Sam Gray in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Sam Gray has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.