Joe Grzenda

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1961-1972)

Joe Grzenda was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1972 for 6 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 12 seasons. Across 219 career appearances, he went 14-13 with a 4.00 ERA and 173 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 1227.4.

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 14–13
ERA 4.00
WHIP 1.44
SO 173
Pitcher PIV 1227.4
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / L
Height / Weight
6'2" / 180 lb
Born
6/8/1937 in Scranton, PA, USA
Died
7/12/2019 in Covington Township, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1961-04-26
Last Game
1972-09-23

Full name: Joseph Charles Grzenda

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Career Pitching Statistics

Joe Grzenda — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
14 13 219 3 0 0 14 308.0 323 137 20 120 173 4.00 1227.4

Career ERA 4.00 vs. league average 3.58 across their career seasons — 11.9% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Grzenda Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1961 DET AL 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 5.2 9 5 2 0 7.94 — 0.0
1964 KC1 AL 0 2 20 0 0 0 0 25.0 34 15 13 17 5.40 3.58 (-51%) -240.3
1966 KC1 AL 0 2 21 0 0 0 0 22.0 28 8 12 14 3.27 3.52 (+7%) 6.3
1967 NYN NL 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 16.2 14 4 8 9 2.16 3.30 (+35%) 93.8
1969 MIN AL 4 1 38 0 0 0 3 48.2 52 21 17 24 3.88 3.61 (-7%) -106.5
1970 WS2 AL 3 6 49 3 0 0 6 84.2 86 47 34 38 5.00 3.89 (-29%) -834.5
1971 WS2 AL 5 2 46 0 0 0 5 70.1 54 15 17 56 1.92 3.47 (+45%) 2626.7
1972 SLN NL 1 0 30 0 0 0 0 35.0 46 22 17 15 5.66 3.26 (-73%) -318.1
Career · 8 seasons 14 13 219 3 0 0 14 308.0 323 137 120 173 4.00 — 1,227

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

Joe Grzenda — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
219 30 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 19 .067 .125 .067 .192 0

Career AVG .067 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 73.3% below league average.

Career OBP .125 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — 60.5% below league average.

Career SLG .067 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 82.1% below league average.

Career OPS .192 vs. league average .689 across their career seasons — 72.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Grzenda — 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
1961 DET AL 4 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1964 KC1 AL 20 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1966 KC1 AL 21 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1967 NYN NL 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1969 MIN AL 38 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 .000 — — — — 0.0
1970 WS2 AL 49 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 .000 — — — — 0.0
1971 WS2 AL 46 7 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 .143 — — — — 0.0
1972 SLN NL 30 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 219 30 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 19 .067 — — — — 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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Joe Grzenda — 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

Joe Grzenda — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1969 ALCS MIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Joe Grzenda — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 0.2 0 0 0 0 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Joe Grzenda — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1969 ALCS MIN 0 0 1 0 0 0.2 0 0 0 0 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (438 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Joe Grzenda — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home115140100.071
Away104161101.062

Pitching — Home / Away

Joe Grzenda — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home115166.11697466944.00
Away104141.21546354794.00

Last 10 Games — Batting

Joe Grzenda — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1972-09-23 STLCHCL 000000000
1972-09-10 STLNYNL 000000000
1972-09-08 STLNYNW 000000000
1972-09-03 STLLADL 000000000
1972-08-11 STLPITL 000000000
1972-08-09 STLNYNL 000000000
1972-08-08 STLNYNW 100000000
1972-08-04 STLPHIL 000000000
1972-07-31 STLCHCL 000000000
1972-07-30 STLCHCL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Joe Grzenda — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1972-09-23 STLCHC — 1.0455111
1972-09-10 STLNYN — 0.1000000
1972-09-08 STLNYN — 1.0100000
1972-09-03 STLLAD — 2.0411010
1972-08-11 STLPIT — 1.0222200
1972-08-09 STLNYN — 1.0111110
1972-08-08 STLNYN — 1.0200010
1972-08-04 STLPHI — 1.0000010
1972-07-31 STLCHC — 1.2200000
1972-07-30 STLCHC — 0.1000100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Joe Grzenda — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 219 3 6 66 0 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joe Grzenda — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1961 DET P 4 0 1 2 0 0
1964 KC1 P 20 0 0 10 0 0
1966 KC1 P 21 0 0 6 0 1
1967 NYN P 11 0 0 1 0 0
1969 MIN P 38 0 0 14 0 1
1970 WS2 P 49 3 3 16 0 1
1971 WS2 P 46 0 0 11 0 0
1972 SLN P 30 0 2 6 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Joe Grzenda — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 219

Joe Grzenda: the record in brief

Joe Grzenda's major league career runs from a debut on April 26, 1961 to a final game on September 23, 1972. Grzenda played for the Detroit Tigers (1961), the Kansas City Athletics (1964 to 1966), the New York Mets (1967), the Minnesota Twins (1969), the Washington Senators (1970 through 1971), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1972). At 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, Grzenda is listed as a pitcher. Grzenda hit right-handed while throwing left-handed, per the bio block. Grzenda was born on June 8, 1937, in Scranton, PA, USA. Grzenda's death is recorded on July 12, 2019, in Covington Township, PA, USA. Grzenda's full given name, per the bio, is Joseph Charles Grzenda.

Across 219 games (3 starts), Grzenda recorded 14 wins against 13 losses with a 4.00 ERA. Also on Grzenda's record: 173 strikeouts and 14 saves. Against a 3.58 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.00 mark was 11.9% worse. 1971 brought Grzenda a season-high 5 wins.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Grzenda

What years did Joe Grzenda play?
Joe Grzenda played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1972.
Was Joe Grzenda a pitcher?
Yes. Joe Grzenda pitched in the major leagues, recording 14 wins and 173 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Joe Grzenda hit?
Joe Grzenda hit 0 career home runs with 2 hits.
What teams did Joe Grzenda play for?
Joe Grzenda played for 6 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1961), the Kansas City Athletics (1964, 1966), the New York Mets (1967), the Minnesota Twins (1969), the Washington Senators (1970–1971), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1972).
What were Joe Grzenda's career stats?
In 219 games, Joe Grzenda went 14-13 with a 4.00 ERA, 173 strikeouts, 308.0 innings pitched, and 14 saves.
What position did Joe Grzenda play?
Joe Grzenda played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Joe Grzenda and how much did he weigh?
Joe Grzenda was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 180 pounds.
What was Joe Grzenda's career ERA?
Joe Grzenda finished with a 4.00 career ERA, going 14-13 with 173 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Joe Grzenda have?
Joe Grzenda recorded 173 career strikeouts.
Is Joe Grzenda in the Hall of Fame?
No. Joe Grzenda has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.