Don Gross

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1955-1960)

Don Gross was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1960 for the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 6 seasons. Across 145 career appearances, he went 20-22 with a 3.73 ERA and 230 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 2122.3.

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 20–22
ERA 3.73
WHIP 1.30
SO 230
Pitcher PIV 2122.3
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
5'11" / 186 lb
Born
6/30/1931 in Weidman, MI, USA
Died
8/10/2017 in Weidman, MI, USA
MLB Debut
1955-07-21
Last Game
1960-05-25

Full name: Donald John Gross

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Career Pitching Statistics

Don Gross — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
20 22 145 37 9 1 10 398.0 400 165 45 117 230 3.73 2122.3

Career ERA 3.73 vs. league average 3.90 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Gross — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1955 CIN NL 4 5 17 11 2 1 0 67.1 79 31 16 33 4.14 4.00 (-4%) -455.5
1956 CIN NL 3 0 19 7 2 0 0 69.1 69 15 20 47 1.95 3.96 (+51%) 2273.6
1957 CIN NL 7 9 43 16 5 0 1 148.1 152 71 33 73 4.31 3.83 (-12%) -770.6
1958 PIT NL 5 7 40 3 0 0 7 74.2 67 33 38 59 3.98 3.86 (-3%) 1001.5
1959 PIT NL 1 1 21 0 0 0 2 33.0 28 13 10 15 3.55 3.90 (+9%) 73.3
1960 PIT NL 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 5.1 5 2 0 3 3.38 — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 20 22 145 37 9 1 10 398.0 400 165 117 230 3.73 — 2,122

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

Don Gross — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
145 104 4 11 0 1 0 10 0 5 32 .106 .145 .125 .270 0

Career AVG .106 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 58.9% below league average.

Career OBP .145 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 55.5% below league average.

Career SLG .125 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 68.2% below league average.

Career OPS .270 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — 62.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Gross — 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
1955 CIN NL 17 19 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 .158 — — — — 0.0
1956 CIN NL 19 19 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 5 .105 — — — — 0.0
1957 CIN NL 43 46 2 5 0 1 0 6 0 1 14 .109 — — — — 0.0
1958 PIT NL 40 18 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 5 .056 — — — — 0.0
1959 PIT NL 21 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1960 PIT NL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 145 104 4 11 0 1 0 10 0 5 32 .106 — — — — 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 (290 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Don Gross — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home72503501.100
Away73541609.111

Pitching — Home / Away

Don Gross — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home72209.120982541293.53
Away73189.019183631003.95

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Don Gross — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1960-05-25 PITLAD — 2.0211011
1960-05-08 PITSFG — 1.0100010
1960-05-07 PITSFG — 1.0000000
1960-05-06 PITSFG — 1.0000010
1960-04-17 PITCIN — 0.1211000
1959-09-26 PITCIN L 1.2322010
1959-09-21 PITATL — 2.0110010
1959-09-09 PITSFG — 1.0000010
1959-09-07 PITATL — 1.0100010
1959-09-05 PITPHI — 2.0220110

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don Gross — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 145 37 29 72 2 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Don Gross — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1955 CIN P 17 11 3 12 2 1
1956 CIN P 19 7 6 13 0 3
1957 CIN P 43 16 14 22 0 1
1958 PIT P 40 3 5 14 0 1
1959 PIT P 21 0 1 11 0 0
1960 PIT P 5 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don Gross — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 145

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Don Gross (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Rich Monteleone
    24-17, 3.87 ERA
  2. 95
    Barry Lersch
    18-32, 3.82 ERA
  3. 95
    Cris Carpenter
    27-22, 3.91 ERA
  4. 95
    Bob Lacey
    20-29, 3.67 ERA
  5. 94
    Tom Hausman
    15-23, 3.80 ERA
  6. 93
    Dennis Ribant
    24-29, 3.87 ERA

Don Gross: the record in brief

According to the bio, Don Gross debuted on July 21, 1955 and played a final game on May 25, 1960. By club, Gross's seasons break down as the Cincinnati Redlegs (1955 through 1957) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1958 to 1960). Born on June 30, 1931, in Weidman, MI, USA, Gross is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. Gross's listed size is 5'11" and 186 pounds. The bio records the death on August 10, 2017, in Weidman, MI, USA. The given name on file is Donald John Gross.

Across 145 games (37 starts), Gross recorded 20 wins against 22 losses with a 3.73 ERA. Also on Gross's record: 230 strikeouts and 10 saves. Gross's 3.73 ERA was close to the 3.90 league figure for those seasons. 1957 brought Gross a season-high 7 wins. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 4.31 in 1957, when the league's was 3.83.

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Gross

What years did Don Gross play?
Don Gross played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1960.
Was Don Gross a pitcher?
Yes. Don Gross pitched in the major leagues, recording 20 wins and 230 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Don Gross hit?
Don Gross hit 0 career home runs with 11 hits.
What teams did Don Gross play for?
Don Gross played for 2 teams: the Cincinnati Redlegs (1955–1957) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1958–1960).
What were Don Gross's career stats?
In 145 games, Don Gross went 20-22 with a 3.73 ERA, 230 strikeouts, 398.0 innings pitched, and 10 saves.
What position did Don Gross play?
Don Gross played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Don Gross and how much did he weigh?
Don Gross was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 186 pounds.
What was Don Gross's career ERA?
Don Gross finished with a 3.73 career ERA, going 20-22 with 230 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Don Gross have?
Don Gross recorded 230 career strikeouts.
Is Don Gross in the Hall of Fame?
No. Don Gross has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.