Don Heinkel

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1988-1989)

Don Heinkel was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 1989 for the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 2 seasons. Across 28 career appearances, he went 1-1 with a 4.74 ERA and 46 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 352.1.

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 1–1
ERA 4.74
WHIP 1.42
SO 46
Pitcher PIV 352.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 185 lb
Born
10/20/1959 in Racine, WI, USA
MLB Debut
1988-04-07
Last Game
1989-05-18

Full name: Donald Elliott Heinkel

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Career Pitching Statistics

Don Heinkel — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
1 1 28 5 0 0 1 62.2 70 33 6 19 46 4.74 352.1

Career ERA 4.74 vs. league average 3.72 across their career seasons — 27.3% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Heinkel — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1988 DET AL 0 0 21 0 0 0 1 36.1 30 16 12 30 3.96 3.73 (-6%) 102.0
1989 SLN NL 1 1 7 5 0 0 0 26.1 40 17 7 16 5.81 3.71 (-57%) 250.1
Career · 2 seasons 1 1 28 5 0 0 1 62.2 70 33 19 46 4.74 — 352

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 Heinkel — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
28 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 .000 .250 .000 .250 0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .250 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 21.6% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS .250 vs. league average .695 across their career seasons — 64.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Heinkel — 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
1988 DET AL 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 SLN NL 7 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 2 seasons 28 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 .000 — — — — 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 (56 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Don Heinkel — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1540000.000
Away1320000.000

Pitching — Home / Away

Don Heinkel — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1537.1431812254.34
Away1325.127157215.33

Last 10 Games — Batting

Don Heinkel — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1989-05-18 STLHOUW 000000010
1989-05-03 STLLADL 200000001
1989-04-28 STLLADW 000000010
1989-04-23 STLWSNL 100000000
1989-04-19 STLPITL 100000001
1989-04-15 STLNYNW 200000001
1989-04-09 STLPHIW 000000000
1988-09-13 DETTORL 000000000
1988-09-10 DETNYYL 000000000
1988-09-02 DETMILL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Don Heinkel — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1989-05-18 STLHOU — 3.2633210
1989-05-03 STLLAD — 5.0733050
1989-04-28 STLLAD W 5.2733140
1989-04-23 STLWSN — 1.2533031
1989-04-19 STLPIT L 3.1653110
1989-04-15 STLNYN — 5.0822211
1989-04-09 STLPHI — 2.0100110
1988-09-13 DETTOR — 3.2211240
1988-09-10 DETNYY — 1.1200020
1988-09-02 DETMIL — 1.0222001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don Heinkel — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 28 5 6 6 0 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Don Heinkel — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1988 DET P 21 0 3 3 0 1
1989 SLN P 7 5 3 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don Heinkel — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 28

Salary History

Don Heinkel's recorded salaries total $85,000 over 1 season, in 1989. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Heinkel's career ran from 1988 to 1989. No salary is recorded for 1988.

Don Heinkel — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1989 SLN NL $85,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $85,000

College History

Don Heinkel — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Wichita State University Wichita KS 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982

Don Heinkel: the record in brief

April 7, 1988 and May 18, 1989 bracket Don Heinkel's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Detroit Tigers (1988) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1989). Heinkel is listed as a pitcher at 6'0" and 185 pounds. Heinkel threw right-handed and batted left-handed, per the bio block. Heinkel was born on October 20, 1959, in Racine, WI, USA. The given name on file is Donald Elliott Heinkel.

Heinkel's career pitching line is 1 win, 1 loss and a 4.74 ERA over 28 appearances. Also on Heinkel's record: 46 strikeouts. Against a 3.72 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.74 mark was 27.3% worse. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.96 in 1988, when the league's was 3.73. By Pitcher PIV, Baseball Data Hub's measure of run prevention relative to each season's league, Heinkel's career adds up to 352.1.

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Heinkel

What years did Don Heinkel play?
Don Heinkel played in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 1989.
Was Don Heinkel a pitcher?
Yes. Don Heinkel pitched in the major leagues, recording 1 wins and 46 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Don Heinkel hit?
Don Heinkel hit 0 career home runs.
What teams did Don Heinkel play for?
Don Heinkel played for 2 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1988) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1989).
What were Don Heinkel's career stats?
In 28 games, Don Heinkel went 1-1 with a 4.74 ERA, 46 strikeouts, 62.2 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
How much did Don Heinkel earn in his career?
Don Heinkel's recorded salaries total $85,000 over 1 season, in 1989. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Heinkel's career ran from 1988 to 1989. No salary is recorded for 1988.
What was Don Heinkel's salary?
Don Heinkel's recorded salary was $85,000 in 1989.
What position did Don Heinkel play?
Don Heinkel played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Don Heinkel and how much did he weigh?
Don Heinkel was listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds.
What was Don Heinkel's career ERA?
Don Heinkel finished with a 4.74 career ERA, going 1-1 with 46 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Don Heinkel have?
Don Heinkel recorded 46 career strikeouts.
Is Don Heinkel in the Hall of Fame?
No. Don Heinkel has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.