Orel Hershiser

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

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

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
204 150 510 466 68 25 5 3130.3 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.

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 2 189.7 160 56 50 150 2.66 3.81 (+30%) 5683.0
1985 LAN NL 19 3 36 34 9 5 0 239.7 179 54 68 157 2.03 3.89 (+48%) 7287.3
1986 LAN NL 14 14 35 35 8 1 0 231.3 213 99 86 153 3.85 3.97 (+3%) 3717.5
1987 LAN NL 16 16 37 35 10 1 1 264.7 247 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 0 256.7 226 66 77 178 2.31 3.71 (+38%) 6374.4
1990 LAN NL 1 1 4 4 0 0 0 25.3 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 0 210.7 209 86 69 130 3.67 3.75 (+2%) 958.0
1993 LAN NL 12 14 33 33 5 1 0 215.7 201 86 72 141 3.59 4.19 (+14%) 2174.6
1994 LAN NL 6 6 21 21 1 0 0 135.3 146 57 42 72 3.79 4.51 (+16%) 98.8
1995 CLE AL 16 6 26 26 1 1 0 167.3 151 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 0 195.3 199 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 24.7 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

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.

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR 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 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 LAN NL 45 50 4 10 0 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 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 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 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 0 6 0 1 18 .129 .254 (-49%) .317 (-56%) .377 (-53%) .695 (-55%) -725.5
1989 LAN NL 35 77 4 14 4 1 0 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 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1991 LAN NL 21 31 6 8 2 0 0 2 1 3 8 .258 — — — — 0.0
1992 LAN NL 35 68 6 15 5 0 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 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 0 4 1 2 10 .205 — — — — 0.0
1995 CLE AL 26 0 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 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1997 CLE AL 32 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1998 SFN NL 34 66 7 10 2 0 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 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 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 18 seasons 521 810 65 163 29 2 0 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

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

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

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

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1999 NLCS NYN 0 0 2 0 0 4.3 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 11.3 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 7.3 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 24.7 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 15.3 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

SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2603883074021.191
Away2614223589029.211

Pitching — Home / Away

SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home2561603.2145856450510343.17
Away2541526.214816475029803.81

Last 10 Games — Batting

DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
2000-06-26 LADSDPL 000000000
2000-06-24 LADSTLL 000000000
2000-06-16 LADSTLL 200000000
2000-05-09 LADAZL 000000000
2000-05-07 LADHOUL 100000001
2000-04-29 LADMIAW 000000000
2000-04-23 LADCINW 000000000
2000-04-19 LADHOUL 000000000
2000-04-14 LADCINW 200000001
2000-04-05 LADWSNL 200000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
2000-06-26 LADSDP L 1.2688311
2000-06-24 LADSTL L 1.1322011
2000-06-16 LADSTL L 4.0655311
2000-05-09 LADAZ L 0.1355101
2000-05-07 LADHOU — 3.0533120
2000-04-29 LADMIA — 1.0000010
2000-04-23 LADCIN — 1.0211010
2000-04-19 LADHOU L 1.1477200
2000-04-14 LADCIN W 6.0611221
2000-04-05 LADWSN — 5.0744240

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 510 467 332 569 51 44

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.

Position Games
Pitcher 511

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

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 Career Earnings $37,582,001

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Bowling Green State University Bowling Green OH 1977, 1978, 1979

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.

  1. 98
    Bob Welch
    211-146, 3.47 ERA
  2. 57
    Tim Hudson
    222-133, 3.49 ERA
  3. 48
    Vida Blue
    209-161, 3.27 ERA
  4. 33
    Milt Pappas
    209-164, 3.40 ERA
  5. 30
    Dave Stieb
    176-137, 3.44 ERA
  6. 30
    Ken Holtzman
    174-150, 3.49 ERA

Compare Orel Hershiser

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Hershiser's closest peers by position and era.

vs David Cone
vs Tom Glavine
vs Shane Reynolds
vs Eddie Murray
vs Jose Rijo
vs Alejandro Peña

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

See Orel Hershiser in Another Era

What would Hershiser's 1985 season look like in a different era's run environment? Try the cross-era translation with a live slider.

Translate Orel Hershiser's peak season across eras →

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.