What years did Burleigh Grimes play?

Burleigh Grimes played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1934.

Was Burleigh Grimes a pitcher?

Yes. Burleigh Grimes pitched in the major leagues, recording 270 wins and 1512 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Burleigh Grimes hit?

Burleigh Grimes hit 2 career home runs with 380 hits.

What teams did Burleigh Grimes play for?

Burleigh Grimes played for 7 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1916–1917, 1928–1929, 1934), the Brooklyn Robins (1918–1926), the New York Giants (1927), the Boston Braves (1930), the St. Louis Cardinals (1930–1931, 1933–1934), the Chicago Cubs (1932–1933), and the New York Yankees (1934).

What were Burleigh Grimes's career stats?

In 616 games, Burleigh Grimes went 270-212 with a 3.53 ERA, 1,512 strikeouts, 4,180.0 innings pitched, and 18 saves. At the plate he had 380 hits and 2 home runs.

What position did Burleigh Grimes play?

Burleigh Grimes played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Burleigh Grimes and how much did he weigh?

Burleigh Grimes was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 175 pounds.

What was Burleigh Grimes's career ERA?

Burleigh Grimes finished with a 3.53 career ERA, going 270-212 with 1,512 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Burleigh Grimes have?

Burleigh Grimes recorded 1,512 career strikeouts.

Burleigh Grimes

Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1916-1934)

Burleigh Grimes was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1934 for 7 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 19 seasons. Across 616 career appearances, he went 270-212 with a 3.53 ERA and 1,512 strikeouts. He also batted .248 with 2 home runs. Burleigh Grimes was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 18820.5.

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 October 15, 2026

⭐ Hall of Fame 1964

W–L 270–212

ERA 3.53

WHIP 1.37

SO 1,512

Pitcher PIV 18820.5

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 5'10" / 175 lb
Born: 8/18/1893 in Emerald, WI, USA
Died: 12/6/1985 in Clear Lake, WI, USA
MLB Debut: 1916-09-10
Last Game: 1934-09-20
Hall of Fame: Inducted 1964 (BBWAA)

Full name: Burleigh Arland Grimes

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Career Pitching Statistics

Burleigh Grimes — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
270	212	616	497	314	35	18	4180.0	4,412	1,638	148	1,295	1,512	3.53	18820.5

Career ERA 3.53 vs. league average 3.93 across their career seasons — 10.4% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Burleigh Grimes Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1916	PIT	NL	2	3	6	5	4	0	0	45.2	40	12	10	20	2.36	2.78 (+15%)	392.0
1917	PIT	NL	3	16	37	17	8	1	0	194.0	186	76	70	72	3.53	2.69 (-31%)	-1742.2
1918	BRO	NL	19	9	40	30	19	7	1	270.0	210	64	76	113	2.13	2.83 (+25%)	2440.9
1919	BRO	NL	10	11	25	21	13	1	0	181.1	179	70	60	82	3.47	3.09 (-13%)	1409.7
1920	BRO	NL	23	11	40	33	25	5	2	303.2	271	75	67	131	2.22	3.45 (+35%)	4847.5
1921	BRO	NL	22	13	37	35	30	2	0	302.1	313	95	76	136	2.83	4.02 (+30%)	5574.9
1922	BRO	NL	17	14	36	34	18	1	1	259.0	324	137	84	99	4.76	4.18 (-14%)	-1026.1
1923	BRO	NL	21	18	39	38	33	2	0	327.0	356	130	100	119	3.58	4.03 (+11%)	3068.8
1924	BRO	NL	22	13	38	36	30	1	1	310.2	351	132	91	135	3.82	4.13 (+7%)	1871.0
1925	BRO	NL	12	19	33	31	19	0	0	246.2	305	138	102	73	5.04	4.55 (-11%)	-3543.3
1926	BRO	NL	12	13	30	29	18	1	0	225.1	238	93	88	64	3.71	4.11 (+10%)	808.0
1927	NY1	NL	19	8	39	34	15	2	2	259.2	274	102	87	102	3.54	4.08 (+13%)	863.0
1928	PIT	NL	25	14	48	37	28	4	3	330.2	311	110	77	97	2.99	4.13 (+28%)	3665.1
1929	PIT	NL	17	7	33	29	18	2	2	232.2	245	81	70	62	3.13	4.60 (+32%)	1345.9
1930	BSN	NL	3	5	11	9	1	0	0	49.0	72	40	22	15	7.35	4.80 (-53%)	-964.0
1930	SLN	NL	13	6	22	19	10	1	0	152.1	174	51	43	58	3.01	4.80 (+37%)	2367.6
1931	SLN	NL	17	9	29	28	17	3	0	212.1	240	86	59	67	3.65	4.10 (+11%)	-299.5
1932	CHN	NL	6	11	30	18	5	1	1	141.1	174	75	50	36	4.78	4.13 (-16%)	-1093.0
1933	CHN	NL	3	6	17	7	3	1	3	69.2	71	27	29	12	3.49	3.86 (+10%)	-654.2
1933	SLN	NL	0	1	4	3	0	0	1	13.2	15	8	8	4	5.27	3.86 (-37%)	-477.1
1934	SLN	NL	2	1	4	0	0	0	0	7.2	5	3	2	1	3.52	—	0.0
1934	NYA	AL	1	2	10	0	0	0	1	18.0	22	11	14	5	5.50	4.29 (-28%)	-393.1
1934	PIT	NL	1	2	8	4	0	0	0	27.1	36	22	10	9	7.24	4.29 (-69%)	358.9
Career · 23 seasons			270	212	616	497	314	35	18	4,180.0	4,412	1,638	1,295	1,512	3.53	—	18,821

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

Burleigh Grimes — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
632	1,535	157	380	62	11	2	168	15	69	241	.248	.282	.306	.588	-4,069

Career AVG .248 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — 10.6% below league average.

Career OBP .282 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 16.7% below league average.

Career SLG .306 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — 20.3% below league average.

Career OPS .588 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — 18.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Burleigh Grimes Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1916	PIT	NL	6	17	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	.176	—	—	—	—	0.0
1917	PIT	NL	42	69	7	16	3	0	0	4	2	2	18	.232	.248 (-7%)	.312 (-19%)	.323 (-15%)	.635 (-17%)	-179.7
1918	BRO	NL	41	90	5	18	2	1	0	4	2	3	14	.200	.255 (-22%)	.318 (-29%)	.326 (-25%)	.645 (-27%)	-373.1
1919	BRO	NL	26	69	8	17	4	0	0	12	1	0	10	.246	.262 (-6%)	.322 (-24%)	.347 (-13%)	.670 (-18%)	-205.1
1920	BRO	NL	43	111	9	34	8	3	0	16	2	8	21	.306	.271 (+13%)	.331 (+8%)	.363 (+19%)	.694 (+14%)	230.3
1921	BRO	NL	37	114	10	27	6	0	1	11	1	2	16	.237	.286 (-17%)	.344 (-26%)	.395 (-20%)	.739 (-23%)	-437.0
1922	BRO	NL	36	93	15	22	3	1	0	11	2	9	15	.237	.285 (-17%)	.345 (-12%)	.397 (-27%)	.743 (-20%)	-297.3
1923	BRO	NL	40	126	15	30	3	1	0	15	0	7	15	.238	.282 (-16%)	.344 (-18%)	.390 (-29%)	.734 (-24%)	-479.5
1924	BRO	NL	40	124	11	37	3	0	0	7	1	5	13	.298	.283 (+5%)	.345 (-4%)	.389 (-17%)	.734 (-11%)	-210.6
1925	BRO	NL	34	96	12	24	4	1	1	14	0	8	25	.250	.288 (-13%)	.349 (-12%)	.407 (-16%)	.756 (-14%)	-226.2
1926	BRO	NL	31	81	4	18	4	0	0	9	2	4	8	.222	.279 (-21%)	.345 (-25%)	.390 (-30%)	.735 (-28%)	-374.4
1927	NY1	NL	39	96	10	18	4	0	0	6	0	5	16	.188	.282 (-34%)	.344 (-34%)	.392 (-42%)	.736 (-38%)	-599.1
1928	PIT	NL	48	131	17	42	8	1	0	16	1	4	15	.321	.280 (+14%)	.342 (-1%)	.395 (avg)	.737 (avg)	-22.3
1929	PIT	NL	33	91	11	26	3	3	0	12	0	4	10	.286	.289 (-1%)	.353 (-11%)	.415 (-7%)	.769 (-9%)	-161.1
1930	BSN	NL	11	16	3	3	1	0	0	3	0	1	2	.188	—	—	—	—	0.0
1930	SLN	NL	23	57	9	15	4	0	0	10	0	5	12	.263	.293 (-10%)	.354 (-9%)	.429 (-22%)	.784 (-16%)	0.0
1931	SLN	NL	29	76	4	14	0	0	0	8	0	1	10	.184	.276 (-33%)	.338 (-42%)	.388 (-53%)	.726 (-48%)	-578.6
1932	CHN	NL	30	44	4	11	1	0	0	5	1	0	9	.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1933	CHN	NL	17	20	1	3	0	0	0	4	0	1	4	.150	—	—	—	—	0.0
1933	SLN	NL	4	5	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
1934	SLN	NL	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1934	NYA	AL	10	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1934	PIT	NL	8	7	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.143	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 23 seasons			632	1,535	157	380	62	11	2	168	15	69	241	.248	—	—	—	—	-3,914

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

Burleigh Grimes — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
9	19	1	6	0	0	0	2	0	4	.316

Playoff Batting by Year

Burleigh Grimes — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	RBI	SO	AVG
1932	WS	CHN	2	1	0	0	0	1	.000
1931	WS	SLN	2	7	0	2	2	2	.286
1930	WS	SLN	2	5	0	2	0	1	.400
1920	WS	BRO	3	6	1	2	0	0	.333

Playoff Career Pitching

Burleigh Grimes — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
3	4	9	7	0	56.2	49	27	26	28	4.29

Playoff Pitching by Year

Burleigh Grimes — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1932	WS	CHN	0	0	2	0	2.2	7	7	2	0	23.62
1931	WS	SLN	2	0	2	2	17.2	9	4	9	11	2.04
1930	WS	SLN	0	2	2	2	17.0	10	7	6	13	3.71
1920	WS	BRO	1	2	3	3	19.1	23	9	9	4	4.19

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1248 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Burleigh Grimes — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	323	724	94	192	0	97	.265
Away	309	812	63	188	2	72	.232

Pitching — Home / Away

Burleigh Grimes — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	310	2128.0	2234	787	617	793	3.33
Away	306	2048.1	2186	858	681	731	3.77

Last 10 Games — Batting

Burleigh Grimes — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	H	SO
1934-09-20	PIT	BRO	L	0	0	0
1934-09-18	PIT	BRO	L	0	0	0
1934-09-10	PIT	NY1	W	0	0	0
1934-08-28	PIT	BSN	L	0	0	0
1934-08-23	PIT	PHI	W	0	0	0
1934-08-18	PIT	BRO	L	3	1	0
1934-08-14	PIT	NY1	W	2	0	1
1934-08-08	PIT	CHC	L	2	0	0
1934-07-17	NYY	CLE	L	0	0	0
1934-07-14	NYY	DET	L	0	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Burleigh Grimes — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
1934-09-20	PIT	BRO	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
1934-09-18	PIT	BRO	—	1.2	4	1	0	0	1
1934-09-10	PIT	NY1	W	2.0	3	1	1	0	0
1934-08-28	PIT	BSN	L	0.1	4	3	3	0	0
1934-08-23	PIT	PHI	—	1.1	5	4	4	0	0
1934-08-18	PIT	BRO	L	8.1	5	5	5	2	2
1934-08-14	PIT	NY1	—	8.0	6	2	2	4	3
1934-08-08	PIT	CHC	—	4.2	9	8	7	4	2
1934-07-17	NYY	CLE	—	1.0	3	2	2	2	0
1934-07-14	NYY	DET	L	0.1	2	1	1	1	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Burleigh Grimes — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	616	0	225	1252	71	74

Season-by-Season Fielding

Burleigh Grimes — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1916	PIT	P	6	1	16	3	1
1917	PIT	P	37	9	62	6	3
1918	BRO	P	40	12	94	5	1
1919	BRO	P	25	12	50	3	3
1920	BRO	P	40	17	95	7	2
1921	BRO	P	37	17	89	2	5
1922	BRO	P	36	12	79	6	2
1923	BRO	P	39	16	101	10	6
1924	BRO	P	38	25	91	4	5
1925	BRO	P	33	18	92	7	11
1926	BRO	P	30	4	72	3	1
1927	NY1	P	39	16	71	0	9
1928	PIT	P	48	9	106	4	6
1929	PIT	P	33	10	65	3	5
1930	BSN	P	11	3	10	1	1
1930	SLN	P	22	5	37	0	3
1931	SLN	P	29	16	57	4	3
1932	CHN	P	30	12	33	2	4
1933	CHN	P	17	6	16	0	2
1933	SLN	P	4	0	0	1	0
1934	SLN	P	4	1	2	0	1
1934	NYA	P	10	1	7	0	0
1934	PIT	P	8	3	7	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Burleigh Grimes Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	616

Awards & Honors

Burleigh Grimes — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1929	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P2
1929	TSN All-Star	P
1928	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P3
1924	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P3
1924	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P2
1921	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P1
1920	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P3
1920	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P2
1918	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P2

Award Voting History

Burleigh Grimes — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max
1929	Most Valuable Player	NL	4th	35.0	80
1928	Most Valuable Player	NL	3rd	53.0	80
1927	Most Valuable Player	NL	18th	4.0	80
1924	Most Valuable Player	NL	15th	5.0	80

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Burleigh Grimes (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Burleigh Grimes

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Burleigh Grimes: the record in brief

Between the debut on September 10, 1916 and the final game on September 20, 1934, Burleigh Grimes built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the Pittsburgh Pirates (1916 to 1934), the Brooklyn Robins (1918 through 1926), the New York Giants (1927), the Boston Braves (1930), the St. Louis Cardinals (1930 through 1934), the Chicago Cubs (1932 to 1933), and the New York Yankees (1934). At 5 feet, 10 inches and 175 pounds, Grimes is listed as a pitcher. Grimes both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Grimes was born on August 18, 1893, in Emerald, WI, USA. Grimes's death is recorded on December 6, 1985, in Clear Lake, WI, USA. The given name on file is Burleigh Arland Grimes.

Grimes's career pitching line is 270 wins, 212 losses and a 3.53 ERA over 616 appearances. Grimes had 1,512 strikeouts, 314 complete games, 35 shutouts, and 18 saves. That 3.53 ERA compares with a 3.93 league average across the same seasons, 10.4% better.

Frequently Asked Questions about Burleigh Grimes

What years did Burleigh Grimes play?: Burleigh Grimes played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1934.
Was Burleigh Grimes a pitcher?: Yes. Burleigh Grimes pitched in the major leagues, recording 270 wins and 1512 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Burleigh Grimes hit?: Burleigh Grimes hit 2 career home runs with 380 hits.
Is Burleigh Grimes in the Hall of Fame?: Yes. Burleigh Grimes was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.
What teams did Burleigh Grimes play for?: Burleigh Grimes played for 7 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1916–1917, 1928–1929, 1934), the Brooklyn Robins (1918–1926), the New York Giants (1927), the Boston Braves (1930), the St. Louis Cardinals (1930–1931, 1933–1934), the Chicago Cubs (1932–1933), and the New York Yankees (1934).
What were Burleigh Grimes's career stats?: In 616 games, Burleigh Grimes went 270-212 with a 3.53 ERA, 1,512 strikeouts, 4,180.0 innings pitched, and 18 saves. At the plate he had 380 hits and 2 home runs.
What position did Burleigh Grimes play?: Burleigh Grimes played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Burleigh Grimes and how much did he weigh?: Burleigh Grimes was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 175 pounds.
What was Burleigh Grimes's career ERA?: Burleigh Grimes finished with a 3.53 career ERA, going 270-212 with 1,512 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Burleigh Grimes have?: Burleigh Grimes recorded 1,512 career strikeouts.