Tom Hilgendorf
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1969-1975)
Tom Hilgendorf was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1975 for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 7 seasons. Across 184 career appearances, he went 19-14 with a 3.04 ERA and 173 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
- B / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 187 lb
- Died
- 3/25/2021 in Iowa City, IA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1969-08-15
- Last Game
- 1975-09-28
Full name: Thomas Eugene Hilgendorf
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | SLN | NL | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6.1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.42 | — | 0.0 |
| 1970 | SLN | NL | 0 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20.2 | 22 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 3.92 | 3.89 (-1%) | 320.9 |
| 1972 | CLE | AL | 3 | 1 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 47.0 | 51 | 14 | 21 | 25 | 2.68 | 3.26 (+18%) | -758.6 |
| 1973 | CLE | AL | 5 | 3 | 48 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 94.2 | 87 | 33 | 36 | 58 | 3.14 | 3.75 (+16%) | -156.5 |
| 1974 | CLE | AL | 4 | 3 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 48.1 | 58 | 26 | 17 | 23 | 4.84 | 3.63 (-33%) | -882.3 |
| 1975 | PHI | NL | 7 | 3 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 96.2 | 81 | 23 | 38 | 52 | 2.14 | 3.71 (+42%) | 449.1 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 19 | 14 | 184 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 313.2 | 302 | 106 | 127 | 173 | 3.04 | — | -1,027 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 184 | 27 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .185 | .207 | .259 | .466 | 0 |
Career AVG .185 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 26.8% below league average.
Career OBP .207 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 35.8% below league average.
Career SLG .259 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 30.3% below league average.
Career OPS .466 vs. league average .694 across their career seasons — 32.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | SLN | NL | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1970 | SLN | NL | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | CLE | AL | 19 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .077 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | CLE | AL | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | CLE | AL | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | PHI | NL | 53 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 184 | 27 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .185 | — | — | — | — | 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 (368 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 85 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .091 |
| Away | 99 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | .250 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 85 | 147.2 | 132 | 51 | 58 | 89 | 3.11 |
| Away | 99 | 166.1 | 171 | 55 | 69 | 84 | 2.98 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-09-28 | PHI | NYN | — | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-09-26 | PHI | NYN | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1975-09-22 | PHI | PIT | — | 0.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-09-20 | PHI | NYN | — | 1.1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1975-09-19 | PHI | NYN | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975-09-16 | PHI | STL | W | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975-09-15 | PHI | STL | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-09-07 | PHI | CHC | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975-09-02 | PHI | WSN | — | 0.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975-09-01 | PHI | WSN | — | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 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 | 184 |
Tom Hilgendorf: the record in brief
Tom Hilgendorf played a first major league game on August 15, 1969 and a last one on September 28, 1975. Club by club, the record runs the St. Louis Cardinals (1969 to 1970), the Cleveland Indians (1972 to 1974), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1975). Hilgendorf played primarily as a pitcher and switch-hit and threw left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on March 10, 1942, in Clinton, IA, USA and a listed size of 187 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The bio records the death on March 25, 2021, in Iowa City, IA, USA. The bio lists the given name Thomas Eugene.
Hilgendorf's career pitching line is 19 wins, 14 losses and a 3.04 ERA over 184 appearances. The totals include 173 strikeouts and 14 saves. Against a 3.64 league ERA for the same years, Hilgendorf was 16.5% better. The best win total was 7, in 1975. 1973 produced Hilgendorf's most strikeouts, 58. In 1975, one of the busiest seasons, Hilgendorf posted a 2.14 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.71.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tom Hilgendorf
- What years did Tom Hilgendorf play?
- Tom Hilgendorf played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1975.
- Was Tom Hilgendorf a pitcher?
- Yes. Tom Hilgendorf pitched in the major leagues, recording 19 wins and 173 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Tom Hilgendorf hit?
- Tom Hilgendorf hit 0 career home runs with 5 hits.
- What teams did Tom Hilgendorf play for?
- Tom Hilgendorf played for 3 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1969–1970), the Cleveland Indians (1972–1974), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1975).
- What were Tom Hilgendorf's career stats?
- In 184 games, Tom Hilgendorf went 19-14 with a 3.04 ERA, 173 strikeouts, 313.2 innings pitched, and 14 saves.
- What position did Tom Hilgendorf play?
- Tom Hilgendorf played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Tom Hilgendorf and how much did he weigh?
- Tom Hilgendorf was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 187 pounds.
- What was Tom Hilgendorf's career ERA?
- Tom Hilgendorf finished with a 3.04 career ERA, going 19-14 with 173 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Tom Hilgendorf have?
- Tom Hilgendorf recorded 173 career strikeouts.
- Is Tom Hilgendorf in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Tom Hilgendorf has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.