Rich Hand
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1970-1973)
Rich Hand was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1973 for the Cleveland Guardians, the Texas Rangers, and the California Angels, a span of 4 seasons. Across 104 career appearances, he went 24-39 with a 4.01 ERA and 278 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 195 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1970-04-09
- Last Game
- 1973-09-26
Full name: Richard Allen Hand
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | CLE | AL | 6 | 13 | 35 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 159.2 | 132 | 68 | 69 | 110 | 3.83 | 3.89 (+1%) | -3770.5 |
| 1971 | CLE | AL | 2 | 6 | 15 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60.2 | 74 | 39 | 38 | 26 | 5.79 | 3.47 (-67%) | -2256.7 |
| 1972 | TEX | AL | 10 | 14 | 30 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 170.2 | 139 | 63 | 103 | 109 | 3.32 | 3.26 (-2%) | -2709.4 |
| 1973 | TEX | AL | 2 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 41.2 | 49 | 25 | 19 | 14 | 5.40 | 3.75 (-44%) | -295.5 |
| 1973 | CAL | AL | 4 | 3 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54.2 | 58 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 3.62 | 3.75 (+3%) | -711.9 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 24 | 39 | 104 | 78 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 487.1 | 452 | 217 | 250 | 278 | 4.01 | — | -9,744 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 105 | 109 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 31 | .147 | .181 | .183 | .365 | -280 |
Career AVG .147 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — 41.5% below league average.
Career OBP .181 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 43.4% below league average.
Career SLG .183 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 50.6% below league average.
Career OPS .365 vs. league average .691 across their career seasons — 47.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | CLE | AL | 35 | 41 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .146 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | CLE | AL | 16 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | TEX | AL | 30 | 52 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 | .154 | .243 (-37%) | .310 (-36%) | .353 (-35%) | .664 (-35%) | -280.2 |
| 1973 | TEX | AL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | CAL | AL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 105 | 109 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 31 | .147 | — | — | — | — | -280 | ||
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 (209 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 51 | 45 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 | .178 |
| Away | 54 | 64 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 4 | .125 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 50 | 232.1 | 220 | 106 | 127 | 118 | 4.11 |
| Away | 54 | 255.0 | 232 | 111 | 123 | 160 | 3.92 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-09-26 | LAA | TEX | — | 7.0 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 1973-09-21 | LAA | TEX | W | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1973-09-13 | LAA | KCR | L | 6.1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1973-09-08 | LAA | KCR | W | 5.2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1973-09-02 | LAA | CHW | — | 1.2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-08-12 | LAA | BOS | — | 1.1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1973-08-08 | LAA | MIL | — | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1973-06-26 | LAA | KCR | — | 5.2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 1973-06-24 | LAA | MIN | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1973-06-23 | LAA | MIN | W | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 104 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Puget Sound | Tacoma | WA | 1967, 1968, 1969 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Rich Hand (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Rich Hand: the record in brief
Rich Hand played a first major league game on April 9, 1970 and a last one on September 26, 1973. The season rows list, in order, the Cleveland Indians (1970 through 1971), the Texas Rangers (1972 to 1973), and the California Angels (1973). At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Hand is listed as a pitcher. The bio says Hand batted and threw right-handed. Hand was born on July 10, 1948, in Bellevue, WA, USA. The given name on file is Richard Allen Hand.
Hand pitched in 104 games, starting 78, and finished with a 24-39 record and 4.01 ERA. Also on Hand's record: 278 strikeouts. The league ERA over Hand's seasons was 3.59, so the 4.01 figure ran 11.5% worse than average. The best win total was 10, in 1972. 1970 produced Hand's most strikeouts, 110. 1972 was Hand's sharpest full season, a 3.32 ERA against the league's 3.26.
The position breakdown shows 104 games, all at pitcher. The fielding table credits Hand with 33 putouts, 68 assists and 7 errors on the mound.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rich Hand
- What years did Rich Hand play?
- Rich Hand played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1973.
- Was Rich Hand a pitcher?
- Yes. Rich Hand pitched in the major leagues, recording 24 wins and 278 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Rich Hand hit?
- Rich Hand hit 0 career home runs with 16 hits.
- What teams did Rich Hand play for?
- Rich Hand played for 3 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1970–1971), the Texas Rangers (1972–1973), and the California Angels (1973).
- What were Rich Hand's career stats?
- In 104 games, Rich Hand went 24-39 with a 4.01 ERA, 278 strikeouts, 487.1 innings pitched, and 3 saves.
- What position did Rich Hand play?
- Rich Hand played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Rich Hand and how much did he weigh?
- Rich Hand was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 195 pounds.
- What was Rich Hand's career ERA?
- Rich Hand finished with a 4.01 career ERA, going 24-39 with 278 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Rich Hand have?
- Rich Hand recorded 278 career strikeouts.
- Is Rich Hand in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Rich Hand has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.