Jack Harshman
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1948-1960)
Jack Harshman was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1960 for 5 teams, including the New York Giants, a span of 13 seasons. Across 217 career appearances, he went 69-65 with a 3.50 ERA and 741 strikeouts. He also batted .179 with 21 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 7943.2.
- 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
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 178 lb
- Died
- 8/17/2013 in Georgetown, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1948-09-16
- Last Game
- 1960-10-01
Full name: John Elvin Harshman
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | NY1 | NL | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 14.21 | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | CHA | AL | 14 | 8 | 35 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 177.0 | 157 | 58 | 96 | 134 | 2.95 | 3.90 (+24%) | 3617.6 |
| 1955 | CHA | AL | 11 | 7 | 32 | 23 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 179.1 | 144 | 67 | 97 | 116 | 3.36 | 4.00 (+16%) | 347.7 |
| 1956 | CHA | AL | 15 | 11 | 34 | 30 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 226.2 | 183 | 78 | 102 | 143 | 3.10 | 3.96 (+22%) | 3948.9 |
| 1957 | CHA | AL | 8 | 8 | 30 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 151.1 | 142 | 69 | 82 | 83 | 4.10 | 3.83 (-7%) | -2367.4 |
| 1958 | BAL | AL | 12 | 15 | 34 | 29 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 236.1 | 204 | 76 | 75 | 161 | 2.89 | 3.86 (+25%) | 4082.6 |
| 1959 | BAL | AL | 0 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47.1 | 58 | 36 | 28 | 24 | 6.85 | 3.90 (-75%) | -1389.5 |
| 1959 | BOS | AL | 2 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24.2 | 29 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 6.57 | 3.90 (-68%) | 140.0 |
| 1959 | CLE | AL | 5 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 66.0 | 46 | 19 | 13 | 35 | 2.59 | 3.90 (+34%) | 1085.9 |
| 1960 | CLE | AL | 2 | 4 | 15 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54.1 | 50 | 24 | 30 | 25 | 3.98 | 3.82 (-4%) | -1522.5 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 69 | 65 | 217 | 155 | 61 | 12 | 7 | 1,169.1 | 1,025 | 455 | 539 | 741 | 3.50 | — | 7,943 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 258 | 424 | 46 | 76 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 65 | 0 | 72 | 119 | .179 | .294 | .344 | .638 | -286 |
Career AVG .179 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 30.7% below league average.
Career OBP .294 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 11.2% below league average.
Career SLG .344 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 11.6% below league average.
Career OPS .638 vs. league average .720 across their career seasons — 11.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | NY1 | NL | 5 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | NY1 | NL | 9 | 32 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1952 | NY1 | NL | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | CHA | AL | 36 | 56 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 21 | .143 | .261 (-45%) | .333 (-13%) | .390 (-31%) | .723 (-23%) | -192.2 |
| 1955 | CHA | AL | 32 | 60 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 17 | .183 | .258 (-29%) | .332 (-15%) | .393 (-24%) | .726 (-20%) | -200.0 |
| 1956 | CHA | AL | 36 | 71 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 0 | 11 | 21 | .169 | .258 (-35%) | .331 (-16%) | .397 (+10%) | .728 (-2%) | -41.8 |
| 1957 | CHA | AL | 30 | 45 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 17 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 47.5 |
| 1958 | BAL | AL | 47 | 82 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 22 | .195 | .257 (-24%) | .324 (+2%) | .394 (+8%) | .719 (+5%) | 100.8 |
| 1959 | BAL | AL | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1959 | BOS | AL | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1959 | CLE | AL | 21 | 34 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 4 | .206 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1960 | CLE | AL | 15 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .176 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 258 | 424 | 46 | 76 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 65 | 0 | 72 | 119 | .179 | — | — | — | — | -286 | ||
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 (475 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 129 | 216 | 25 | 40 | 13 | 39 | .185 |
| Away | 129 | 208 | 21 | 36 | 8 | 27 | .173 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 107 | 622.0 | 547 | 234 | 271 | 376 | 3.39 |
| Away | 110 | 547.1 | 478 | 222 | 267 | 364 | 3.65 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-10-01 | CLE | CHW | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-09-27 | CLE | KC1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1960-09-17 | CLE | KC1 | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-09-08 | CLE | BAL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-09-04 | CLE | KC1 | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1960-08-30 | CLE | BAL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-08-27 | CLE | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-08-21 | CLE | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-08-16 | CLE | KC1 | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1960-08-11 | CLE | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-10-01 | CLE | CHW | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-09-27 | CLE | KC1 | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960-09-17 | CLE | KC1 | — | 7.0 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 1960-09-08 | CLE | BAL | — | 0.1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1960-09-04 | CLE | KC1 | W | 8.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1960-08-30 | CLE | BAL | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-08-27 | CLE | NYY | L | 4.1 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 1960-08-21 | CLE | DET | — | 3.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1960-08-16 | CLE | KC1 | — | 6.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1960-08-11 | CLE | BOS | L | 2.2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 13 | 0 | 103 | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 217 | 153 | 25 | 175 | 8 | 10 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | NY1 | 1B | 3 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1950 | NY1 | 1B | 9 | 0 | 83 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| 1952 | NY1 | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | CHA | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | CHA | P | 35 | 21 | 2 | 27 | 1 | 1 |
| 1955 | CHA | P | 32 | 23 | 3 | 29 | 1 | 1 |
| 1956 | CHA | P | 34 | 30 | 2 | 29 | 4 | 3 |
| 1957 | CHA | P | 30 | 26 | 3 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| 1958 | BAL | OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958 | BAL | P | 34 | 29 | 5 | 43 | 1 | 1 |
| 1959 | BAL | P | 14 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 2 |
| 1959 | BOS | P | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | CLE | P | 13 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | CLE | P | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 217 |
| First Base | 13 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 24th | 2.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jack Harshman (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jack Harshman: the record in brief
September 16, 1948 and October 1, 1960 bracket Jack Harshman's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Harshman's seasons break down as the New York Giants (1948 to 1952), the Chicago White Sox (1954 to 1957), the Baltimore Orioles (1958 to 1959), the Boston Red Sox (1959), and the Cleveland Indians (1959 to 1960). Born on July 12, 1927, in San Diego, CA, USA, Harshman is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. The bio gives 6'2" and 178 pounds. The bio records the death on August 17, 2013, in Georgetown, TX, USA. Harshman's full given name, per the bio, is John Elvin Harshman.
The pitching table credits Harshman with a 69-65 record and a 3.50 ERA in 217 games. Also on Harshman's record: 741 strikeouts, 61 complete games, and 12 shutouts. Against a 3.87 league ERA for the same years, Harshman was 9.6% better. Harshman won 15 games in 1956, the most of any season listed.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jack Harshman
- What years did Jack Harshman play?
- Jack Harshman played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1960.
- Was Jack Harshman a pitcher?
- Yes. Jack Harshman pitched in the major leagues, recording 69 wins and 741 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jack Harshman hit?
- Jack Harshman hit 21 career home runs with 76 hits.
- What was Jack Harshman's career batting average?
- Jack Harshman batted .179 over his career, with 76 hits in 424 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jack Harshman have?
- Jack Harshman drove in 65 runs in his career.
- What was Jack Harshman's career ERA?
- Jack Harshman finished with a 3.50 career ERA, going 69-65 with 741 strikeouts.