What years did Orel Hershiser play?

Orel Hershiser played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 2000.

Was Orel Hershiser a pitcher?

Yes. Orel Hershiser pitched in the major leagues, recording 204 wins and 2014 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Orel Hershiser hit?

Orel Hershiser hit 0 career home runs with 163 hits.

What teams did Orel Hershiser play for?

Orel Hershiser played for 4 teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers (1983–1994, 2000), the Cleveland Indians (1995–1997), the San Francisco Giants (1998), and the New York Mets (1999).

How many Cy Young Awards did Orel Hershiser win?

Orel Hershiser won 1 Cy Young Award, in 1988.

What awards did Orel Hershiser win?

Orel Hershiser won the Cy Young Award (1988), the World Series MVP award (1988), the Gold Glove (1988), and the Silver Slugger award (1993). He was selected to 3 All-Star Games.

What were Orel Hershiser's career stats?

In 510 games, Orel Hershiser went 204-150 with a 3.48 ERA, 2,014 strikeouts, 3,130.1 innings pitched, and 5 saves. At the plate he had 163 hits and 0 home runs.

What was Orel Hershiser's salary?

Orel Hershiser's last recorded salary was $2,000,000, in 2000. His highest recorded salary was $4,333,333, in 1992, and his lowest was $212,000, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 2000.

What position did Orel Hershiser play?

Orel Hershiser played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Orel Hershiser and how much did he weigh?

Orel Hershiser was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 190 pounds.

What was Orel Hershiser's career ERA?

Orel Hershiser finished with a 3.48 career ERA, going 204-150 with 2,014 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Orel Hershiser have?

Orel Hershiser recorded 2,014 career strikeouts.

Is Orel Hershiser in the Hall of Fame?

No. Orel Hershiser has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Orel Hershiser

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1983-2000)

Orel Hershiser was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 2000 for 4 teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, a span of 18 seasons. Across 510 career appearances, he went 204-150 with a 3.48 ERA and 2,014 strikeouts. He also batted .201 with 0 home runs. Orel Hershiser was a 3-time All-Star, a Cy Young, a World Series MVP, an ALCS MVP, an NLCS MVP, a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger, and a Babe Ruth Award. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 37275.7.

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 October 15, 2026

W–L 204–150

ERA 3.48

WHIP 1.26

SO 2,014

Pitcher PIV 37275.7

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'3" / 190 lb
Born: 9/16/1958 in Buffalo, NY, USA
MLB Debut: 1983-09-01
Last Game: 2000-06-26
Awards: 3× All-Star · Cy Young · World Series MVP · ALCS MVP · NLCS MVP · Gold Glove · Silver Slugger · Babe Ruth Award

Full name: Orel Leonard Hershiser

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Career Pitching Statistics

Orel Hershiser — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
204	150	510	466	68	25	5	3130.1	2,939	1,211	235	1,007	2,014	3.48	37275.7

Career ERA 3.48 vs. league average 4.17 across their career seasons — 16.5% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Orel Hershiser Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1983	LAN	NL	0	0	8	0	0	0	1	8.0	7	3	6	5	3.38	—	0.0
1984	LAN	NL	11	8	45	20	8	4	2	189.2	160	56	50	150	2.66	3.81 (+30%)	5683.0
1985	LAN	NL	19	3	36	34	9	5	0	239.2	179	54	68	157	2.03	3.89 (+48%)	7287.3
1986	LAN	NL	14	14	35	35	8	1	0	231.1	213	99	86	153	3.85	3.97 (+3%)	3717.5
1987	LAN	NL	16	16	37	35	10	1	1	264.2	247	90	74	190	3.06	4.29 (+29%)	7552.1
1988	LAN	NL	23	8	35	34	15	8	1	267.0	208	67	73	178	2.26	3.73 (+40%)	3918.1
1989	LAN	NL	15	15	35	33	8	4	0	256.2	226	66	77	178	2.31	3.71 (+38%)	6374.4
1990	LAN	NL	1	1	4	4	0	0	0	25.1	26	12	4	16	4.26	3.86 (-10%)	770.9
1991	LAN	NL	7	2	21	21	0	0	0	112.0	112	43	32	73	3.46	3.91 (+12%)	2921.2
1992	LAN	NL	10	15	33	33	1	0	0	210.2	209	86	69	130	3.67	3.75 (+2%)	958.0
1993	LAN	NL	12	14	33	33	5	1	0	215.2	201	86	72	141	3.59	4.19 (+14%)	2174.6
1994	LAN	NL	6	6	21	21	1	0	0	135.1	146	57	42	72	3.79	4.51 (+16%)	98.8
1995	CLE	AL	16	6	26	26	1	1	0	167.1	151	72	51	111	3.87	4.45 (+13%)	168.9
1996	CLE	AL	15	9	33	33	1	0	0	206.0	238	97	58	125	4.24	4.61 (+8%)	1655.0
1997	CLE	AL	14	6	32	32	1	0	0	195.1	199	97	69	107	4.47	4.39 (-2%)	-2848.1
1998	SFN	NL	11	10	34	34	0	0	0	202.0	200	99	85	126	4.41	4.43 (avg)	-1672.9
1999	NYN	NL	13	12	32	32	0	0	0	179.0	175	91	77	89	4.58	4.71 (+3%)	358.6
2000	LAN	NL	1	5	10	6	0	0	0	24.2	42	36	14	13	13.14	4.77 (-175%)	-1841.5
Career · 18 seasons			204	150	510	466	68	25	5	3,130.1	2,939	1,211	1,007	2,014	3.48	—	37,276

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

Orel Hershiser — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
521	810	65	163	29	2	0	50	8	27	182	.201	.230	.242	.472	-4,000

Career AVG .201 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 23.3% below league average.

Career OBP .230 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 30.5% below league average.

Career SLG .242 vs. league average .404 across their career seasons — 40.1% below league average.

Career OPS .472 vs. league average .735 across their career seasons — 35.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Orel Hershiser Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1983	LAN	NL	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1984	LAN	NL	45	50	4	10	0	0	2	0	3	14	.200	.259 (-23%)	.322 (-20%)	.384 (-48%)	.707 (-35%)	-258.5
1985	LAN	NL	37	76	5	15	1	0	4	1	4	20	.197	.257 (-23%)	.323 (-24%)	.390 (-46%)	.714 (-36%)	-416.1
1986	LAN	NL	37	71	4	17	3	0	8	0	1	17	.239	.257 (-7%)	.325 (-23%)	.395 (-29%)	.720 (-26%)	-301.4
1987	LAN	NL	40	90	10	19	5	0	7	2	2	17	.211	.262 (-20%)	.331 (-31%)	.415 (-36%)	.746 (-34%)	-504.1
1988	LAN	NL	36	85	1	11	2	1	6	0	1	18	.129	.254 (-49%)	.317 (-56%)	.377 (-53%)	.695 (-55%)	-725.5
1989	LAN	NL	35	77	4	14	4	1	2	0	4	25	.182	.254 (-28%)	.319 (-31%)	.375 (-31%)	.694 (-31%)	-393.1
1990	LAN	NL	4	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1991	LAN	NL	21	31	6	8	2	0	2	1	3	8	.258	—	—	—	—	0.0
1992	LAN	NL	35	68	6	15	5	0	5	1	1	10	.221	.255 (-14%)	.322 (-29%)	.377 (-22%)	.699 (-25%)	-292.7
1993	LAN	NL	34	73	11	26	4	0	6	0	2	5	.356	.265 (+34%)	.332 (+12%)	.403 (+2%)	.735 (+7%)	82.8
1994	LAN	NL	22	44	4	9	0	0	4	1	2	10	.205	—	—	—	—	0.0
1995	CLE	AL	26	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1996	CLE	AL	33	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1997	CLE	AL	32	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1998	SFN	NL	34	66	7	10	2	0	1	1	3	16	.152	.266 (-43%)	.335 (-40%)	.420 (-57%)	.755 (-49%)	-537.9
1999	NYN	NL	32	62	3	9	1	0	3	1	1	18	.145	.271 (-46%)	.344 (-55%)	.433 (-63%)	.778 (-60%)	-653.7
2000	LAN	NL	10	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 18 seasons			521	810	65	163	29	2	50	8	27	182	.201	—	—	—	—	-4,000

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

Orel Hershiser — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
22	24	3	5	2	0	0	3	1	5	.208

Playoff Batting by Year

Orel Hershiser — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1999	NLCS	NYN	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1999	NLDS2	NYN	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1997	ALCS	CLE	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1997	ALDS1	CLE	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1997	WS	CLE	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000
1996	ALDS1	CLE	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1995	ALCS	CLE	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1995	ALDS1	CLE	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1995	WS	CLE	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1988	NLCS	LAN	4	9	1	0	0	1	1	2	.000
1988	WS	LAN	2	3	1	3	2	1	0	0	1.000
1985	NLCS	LAN	2	7	1	2	0	1	0	2	.286

Playoff Career Pitching

Orel Hershiser — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
8	3	22	18	1	132.0	103	38	43	97	2.59

Playoff Pitching by Year

Orel Hershiser — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1999	NLCS	NYN	0	0	2	0	0	4.1	1	0	3	5	0.00
1999	NLDS2	NYN	0	0	1	0	0	1.0	0	0	0	1	0.00
1997	ALCS	CLE	0	0	1	1	0	7.0	4	0	1	7	0.00
1997	ALDS1	CLE	0	0	2	2	0	11.1	14	5	2	4	3.97
1997	WS	CLE	0	2	2	2	0	10.0	15	13	6	5	11.70
1996	ALDS1	CLE	0	0	1	1	0	5.0	7	3	3	3	5.40
1995	ALCS	CLE	2	0	2	2	0	14.0	9	2	3	15	1.29
1995	ALDS1	CLE	1	0	1	1	0	7.1	3	0	2	7	0.00
1995	WS	CLE	1	1	2	2	0	14.0	8	4	4	13	2.57
1988	NLCS	LAN	1	0	4	3	1	24.2	18	3	7	15	1.09
1988	WS	LAN	2	0	2	2	0	18.0	7	2	6	17	1.00
1985	NLCS	LAN	1	0	2	2	0	15.1	17	6	6	5	3.52

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1031 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Orel Hershiser — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	260	388	30	74	0	21	.191
Away	261	422	35	89	0	29	.211

Pitching — Home / Away

Orel Hershiser — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	256	1603.2	1458	564	505	1034	3.17
Away	254	1526.2	1481	647	502	980	3.81

Last 10 Games — Batting

Orel Hershiser — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	SO
2000-06-26	LAD	SDP	L	0	0
2000-06-24	LAD	STL	L	0	0
2000-06-16	LAD	STL	L	2	0
2000-05-09	LAD	AZ	L	0	0
2000-05-07	LAD	HOU	L	1	1
2000-04-29	LAD	MIA	W	0	0
2000-04-23	LAD	CIN	W	0	0
2000-04-19	LAD	HOU	L	0	0
2000-04-14	LAD	CIN	W	2	1
2000-04-05	LAD	WSN	L	2	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Orel Hershiser — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
2000-06-26	LAD	SDP	L	1.2	6	8	8	3	1	1
2000-06-24	LAD	STL	L	1.1	3	2	2	0	1	1
2000-06-16	LAD	STL	L	4.0	6	5	5	3	1	1
2000-05-09	LAD	AZ	L	0.1	3	5	5	1	0	1
2000-05-07	LAD	HOU	—	3.0	5	3	3	1	2	0
2000-04-29	LAD	MIA	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2000-04-23	LAD	CIN	—	1.0	2	1	1	0	1	0
2000-04-19	LAD	HOU	L	1.1	4	7	7	2	0	0
2000-04-14	LAD	CIN	W	6.0	6	1	1	2	2	1
2000-04-05	LAD	WSN	—	5.0	7	4	4	2	4	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Orel Hershiser — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	510	467	332	569	51	44

Season-by-Season Fielding

Orel Hershiser — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1983	LAN	P	8	0	0	2	0	1
1984	LAN	P	45	20	17	28	5	2
1985	LAN	P	36	34	20	45	7	4
1986	LAN	P	35	35	22	36	3	6
1987	LAN	P	37	35	37	34	5	6
1988	LAN	P	35	34	32	60	6	6
1989	LAN	P	35	33	24	51	4	2
1990	LAN	P	4	4	1	3	0	0
1991	LAN	P	21	21	12	18	1	1
1992	LAN	P	33	33	28	41	3	2
1993	LAN	P	33	33	20	43	3	1
1994	LAN	P	21	22	22	24	2	3
1995	CLE	P	26	26	16	31	2	1
1996	CLE	P	33	33	20	47	2	3
1997	CLE	P	32	32	20	29	4	2
1998	SFN	P	34	34	21	36	1	3
1999	NYN	P	32	32	19	35	3	1
2000	LAN	P	10	6	1	6	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Orel Hershiser Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	511

Awards & Honors

Orel Hershiser — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1998	Pitcher of the Month	May
1996	Pitcher of the Month	June
1995	ALCS MVP
1993	Silver Slugger	P
1988	Babe Ruth Award	P
1988	Cy Young Award
1988	Gold Glove	P
1988	NLCS MVP
1988	Pitcher of the Month	April
1988	Pitcher of the Month	September
1988	Player of the Week	Week of 1988-09-30
1988	TSN All-Star	RHP
1988	TSN Major League Player of the Year
1988	TSN Pitcher of the Year
1988	World Series MVP
1987	Pitcher of the Month	June
1987	Player of the Week	Week of 1987-06-12
1986	Player of the Week	Week of 1986-08-01
1984	Pitcher of the Month	July
1984	Player of the Week	Week of 1984-07-13

Salary History

Orel Hershiser's recorded salaries total $37,582,001 over 16 seasons, 1985 to 2000. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Hershiser's career ran from 1983 to 2000. His seasons before 1985 are not included.

Orel Hershiser — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
2000	LAN	NL	$2,000,000
1999	NYN	NL	$2,500,000
1998	SFN	NL	$3,720,000
1997	CLE	AL	$3,100,000
1996	CLE	AL	$1,750,000
1995	CLE	AL	$1,500,000
1994	LAN	NL	$3,333,334
1993	LAN	NL	$4,333,333
1992	LAN	NL	$4,333,333
1991	LAN	NL	$3,166,667
1990	LAN	NL	$1,966,667
1989	LAN	NL	$2,766,667
1988	LAN	NL	$1,100,000
1987	LAN	NL	$800,000
1986	LAN	NL	$1,000,000
1985	LAN	NL	$212,000
Total recorded salary (partial)			$37,582,001

College History

Orel Hershiser — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
Bowling Green State University	Bowling Green	OH	1977, 1978, 1979

Award Voting History

Orel Hershiser — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1989	Cy Young Award	NL	4th	7.0	120	1
1988	Cy Young Award	NL	1st	120.0	120	24
1988	Most Valuable Player	NL	6th	111.0	336	0
1987	Cy Young Award	NL	4th	14.0	120	2
1985	Cy Young Award	NL	3rd	17.0	120	0
1985	Most Valuable Player	NL	16th	9.0	336	0
1984	Rookie of the Year	NL	3rd	15.0	120	0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Orel Hershiser (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Orel Hershiser

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See Orel Hershiser in Another Era

Translate Orel Hershiser's peak season across eras →

Orel Hershiser: the record in brief

September 1, 1983 and June 26, 2000 bracket Orel Hershiser's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Los Angeles Dodgers (1983 through 2000), the Cleveland Indians (1995 to 1997), the San Francisco Giants (1998), and the New York Mets (1999). At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Hershiser is listed as a pitcher. The bio says Hershiser both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is September 16, 1958, in Buffalo, NY, USA. The bio lists the given name Orel Leonard.

The pitching table credits Hershiser with a 204-150 record and a 3.48 ERA in 510 games. Also on Hershiser's record: 2,014 strikeouts, 68 complete games, and 25 shutouts. That 3.48 ERA compares with a 4.17 league average across the same seasons, 16.5% better. No season topped the 23 wins of 1988. The strikeout high was 190 in 1987. In 1985, one of the busiest seasons, Hershiser posted a 2.03 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.89.

Frequently Asked Questions about Orel Hershiser

What years did Orel Hershiser play?: Orel Hershiser played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 2000.
Was Orel Hershiser a pitcher?: Yes. Orel Hershiser pitched in the major leagues, recording 204 wins and 2014 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Orel Hershiser hit?: Orel Hershiser hit 0 career home runs with 163 hits.
What teams did Orel Hershiser play for?: Orel Hershiser played for 4 teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers (1983–1994, 2000), the Cleveland Indians (1995–1997), the San Francisco Giants (1998), and the New York Mets (1999).
How many Cy Young Awards did Orel Hershiser win?: Orel Hershiser won 1 Cy Young Award, in 1988.
What awards did Orel Hershiser win?: Orel Hershiser won the Cy Young Award (1988), the World Series MVP award (1988), the Gold Glove (1988), and the Silver Slugger award (1993). He was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
What were Orel Hershiser's career stats?: In 510 games, Orel Hershiser went 204-150 with a 3.48 ERA, 2,014 strikeouts, 3,130.1 innings pitched, and 5 saves. At the plate he had 163 hits and 0 home runs.
How much did Orel Hershiser earn in his career?: Orel Hershiser's recorded salaries total $37,582,001 over 16 seasons, 1985 to 2000. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Hershiser's career ran from 1983 to 2000. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
What was Orel Hershiser's salary?: Orel Hershiser's last recorded salary was $2,000,000, in 2000. His highest recorded salary was $4,333,333, in 1992, and his lowest was $212,000, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 2000.
What position did Orel Hershiser play?: Orel Hershiser played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Orel Hershiser and how much did he weigh?: Orel Hershiser was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 190 pounds.
What was Orel Hershiser's career ERA?: Orel Hershiser finished with a 3.48 career ERA, going 204-150 with 2,014 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Orel Hershiser have?: Orel Hershiser recorded 2,014 career strikeouts.
Is Orel Hershiser in the Hall of Fame?: No. Orel Hershiser has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.