Eli Grba

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1959-1963)

Eli Grba was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1963 for the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a span of 5 seasons. Across 135 career appearances, he went 28-33 with a 4.48 ERA and 255 strikeouts.

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 28–33
ERA 4.48
WHIP 1.49
SO 255
Pitcher PIV -11276.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 205 lb
Born
8/9/1934 in Chicago, IL, USA
Died
1/14/2019 in Florence, AL, USA
MLB Debut
1959-07-10
Last Game
1963-08-04
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Career Pitching Statistics

Eli Grba — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
28 33 135 75 10 0 4 536.1 513 267 62 284 255 4.48 -11276.7

Career ERA 4.48 vs. league average 3.82 across their career seasons — 17.2% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Eli Grba — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1959 NYA AL 2 5 19 6 0 0 0 50.1 52 36 39 23 6.44 3.90 (-65%) -2012.4
1960 NYA AL 6 4 24 9 1 0 1 80.2 65 33 46 32 3.68 3.82 (+4%) -2323.2
1961 LAA AL 11 13 40 30 8 0 2 211.2 197 100 114 105 4.25 4.03 (-6%) -4589.5
1962 LAA AL 8 9 40 29 1 0 1 176.1 185 89 75 90 4.54 3.96 (-15%) -1551.3
1963 LAA AL 1 2 12 1 0 0 0 17.1 14 9 10 5 4.67 3.46 (-35%) -800.4
Career · 5 seasons 28 33 135 75 10 0 4 536.1 513 267 284 255 4.48 — -11,277

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

Eli Grba — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
143 160 15 35 5 0 4 19 0 14 42 .219 .284 .325 .609 -306

Career AVG .219 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 14.1% below league average.

Career OBP .284 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 11.7% below league average.

Career SLG .325 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 16.3% below league average.

Career OPS .609 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — 14.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Eli Grba — 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
1959 NYA AL 19 14 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 .214 — — — — 0.0
1960 NYA AL 27 21 1 5 0 0 1 1 0 2 7 .238 — — — — 0.0
1961 LAA AL 42 64 8 15 3 0 2 11 0 6 17 .234 .258 (-9%) .328 (-7%) .399 (-6%) .727 (-6%) -70.8
1962 LAA AL 42 58 5 12 1 0 1 7 0 4 14 .207 .257 (-20%) .326 (-21%) .393 (-30%) .719 (-26%) -234.7
1963 LAA AL 13 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 143 160 15 35 5 0 4 19 0 14 42 .219 — — — — -306

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

Eli Grba — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Eli Grba — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1960 WS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (278 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Eli Grba — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home666551226.185
Away77941023213.245

Pitching — Home / Away

Eli Grba — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home60250.02481341321194.82
Away75286.12641331521354.18

Last 10 Games — Batting

Eli Grba — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1963-08-04 LAACHWL 000000010
1963-07-31 LAACLEL 100000000
1963-07-24 LAANYYL 000000000
1963-07-22 LAANYYL 000000000
1963-07-21 LAADETL 000000000
1963-04-29 LAATEXW 000000000
1963-04-27 LAABALL 000000000
1963-04-26 LAABALW 000000000
1963-04-24 LAADETL 100000001
1963-04-22 LAATEXL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Eli Grba — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1963-08-04 LAACHW — 2.1322100
1963-07-31 LAACLE L 2.1444111
1963-07-24 LAANYY — 1.1100100
1963-07-22 LAANYY — 2.0100100
1963-07-21 LAADET — 1.0222110
1963-04-29 LAATEX — 0.2000200
1963-04-27 LAABAL — 1.0000110
1963-04-26 LAABAL W 2.0000010
1963-04-24 LAADET L 2.1111011
1963-04-22 LAATEX — 2.0100000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Eli Grba — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 135 75 34 89 11 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Eli Grba — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1959 NYA P 19 6 3 9 1 0
1960 NYA P 24 9 9 9 1 1
1961 LAA P 40 30 11 31 2 2
1962 LAA P 40 29 9 37 7 3
1963 LAA P 12 1 2 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Eli Grba — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 135

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Eli Grba (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bob Cain
    37-44, 4.50 ERA
  2. 97
    Ken Reynolds
    7-29, 4.46 ERA
  3. 94
    Bob Brown
    16-21, 4.48 ERA
  4. 94
    Don Carrithers
    28-32, 4.45 ERA
  5. 93
    Barry Moore
    26-37, 4.16 ERA
  6. 92
    Damian Moss
    22-19, 4.50 ERA

Eli Grba: the record in brief

July 10, 1959 and August 4, 1963 bracket Eli Grba's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the New York Yankees (1959 through 1960) and the Los Angeles Angels (1961 to 1963). Listed as a pitcher, Grba threw and hit right-handed. The recorded size is 6 feet, 2 inches and 205 pounds. The birth record reads August 9, 1934, in Chicago, IL, USA. Grba died on January 14, 2019, in Florence, AL, USA.

Grba's career pitching line is 28 wins, 33 losses and a 4.48 ERA over 135 appearances. The totals include 255 strikeouts and 10 complete games. Against a 3.82 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.48 mark was 17.2% worse. No season topped the 11 wins of 1961. 1961 was Grba's sharpest full season, a 4.25 ERA against the league's 4.03.

Every defensive appearance on record for Grba, 135 games, came at pitcher. The fielding table credits Grba with 34 putouts, 89 assists and 11 errors on the mound.

Frequently Asked Questions about Eli Grba

What years did Eli Grba play?
Eli Grba played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1963.
Was Eli Grba a pitcher?
Yes. Eli Grba pitched in the major leagues, recording 28 wins and 255 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Eli Grba hit?
Eli Grba hit 4 career home runs with 35 hits.
What was Eli Grba's career batting average?
Eli Grba batted .219 over his career, with 35 hits in 160 at bats.
How many RBI did Eli Grba have?
Eli Grba drove in 19 runs in his career.
What was Eli Grba's career ERA?
Eli Grba finished with a 4.48 career ERA, going 28-33 with 255 strikeouts.