Syl Johnson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1922-1940)

Syl Johnson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1922 to 1940 for 4 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 19 seasons. Across 542 career appearances, he went 112-117 with a 4.06 ERA, 920 strikeouts, and 43 saves. He also batted .181 with 4 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 9924.6.

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 112–117
ERA 4.06
WHIP 1.28
SO 920
Pitcher PIV 9924.6
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 180 lb
Born
12/31/1900 in Portland, OR, USA
Died
2/20/1985 in Portland, OR, USA
MLB Debut
1922-04-24
Last Game
1940-09-14

Full name: Sylvester W. Johnson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Syl Johnson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
112 117 542 210 82 11 43 2165.2 2,290 977 173 488 920 4.06 9924.6

Career ERA 4.06 vs. league average 4.27 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Syl Johnson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1922 DET AL 7 3 29 8 3 0 1 97.0 99 40 30 29 3.71 4.18 (+11%) -987.9
1923 DET AL 12 7 37 18 7 0 0 176.1 181 78 47 93 3.98 4.03 (+1%) 1457.0
1924 DET AL 5 4 29 9 2 0 3 104.0 117 57 42 55 4.93 4.13 (-20%) -980.4
1925 DET AL 0 2 6 0 0 0 0 13.0 11 5 10 5 3.46 4.55 (+24%) -516.3
1926 SLN NL 0 3 19 6 1 0 1 49.0 54 23 15 10 4.22 4.11 (-3%) -478.9
1927 SLN NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3.0 3 2 0 2 6.00 — 0.0
1928 SLN NL 8 4 34 6 2 0 3 120.0 117 52 33 66 3.90 4.13 (+6%) 1738.3
1929 SLN NL 13 7 42 19 12 3 3 182.1 186 73 56 80 3.60 4.60 (+22%) 1482.0
1930 SLN NL 12 10 32 24 9 2 2 187.2 215 97 38 92 4.65 4.80 (+3%) 2935.1
1931 SLN NL 11 9 32 24 12 2 2 186.0 186 62 29 82 3.00 4.10 (+27%) 3451.5
1932 SLN NL 5 14 32 22 7 0 2 164.2 199 90 35 70 4.92 4.13 (-19%) 145.1
1933 SLN NL 3 3 35 1 0 0 3 84.0 89 40 16 28 4.29 3.86 (-11%) -315.6
1934 CIN NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 6.2 9 2 0 0 2.70 — 0.0
1934 PHI NL 5 9 42 10 4 3 3 133.2 122 52 24 54 3.50 4.29 (+18%) -146.5
1935 PHI NL 10 8 37 18 8 1 6 174.2 182 69 31 89 3.56 4.35 (+18%) 2154.9
1936 PHI NL 5 7 39 8 1 0 7 111.0 129 53 29 48 4.30 4.59 (+6%) 164.7
1937 PHI NL 4 10 32 15 4 0 3 138.0 155 77 22 46 5.02 4.34 (-16%) -2081.2
1938 PHI NL 2 7 22 6 2 0 0 83.0 87 39 11 21 4.23 4.35 (+3%) 1555.9
1939 PHI NL 8 8 22 14 6 0 2 111.0 112 47 15 37 3.81 4.28 (+11%) 791.8
1940 PHI NL 2 2 17 2 2 0 2 40.2 37 19 5 13 4.20 4.21 (avg) -444.9
Career · 20 seasons 112 117 542 210 82 11 43 2,165.2 2,290 977 488 920 4.06 — 9,925

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

Syl Johnson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
542 702 51 127 18 5 4 53 1 23 214 .181 .209 .238 .447 -2,094

Career AVG .181 vs. league average .280 across their career seasons — 35.5% below league average.

Career OBP .209 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 39.2% below league average.

Career SLG .238 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — 40.0% below league average.

Career OPS .447 vs. league average .740 across their career seasons — 39.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Syl Johnson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1922 DET AL 29 36 5 8 0 1 0 1 0 0 10 .222 — — — — 0.0
1923 DET AL 37 62 6 10 1 2 1 5 0 1 19 .161 .282 (-43%) .344 (-46%) .390 (-26%) .734 (-35%) -377.5
1924 DET AL 29 34 1 7 2 0 0 3 0 2 6 .206 — — — — 0.0
1925 DET AL 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1926 SLN NL 19 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 .000 — — — — 0.0
1927 SLN NL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1928 SLN NL 34 38 5 6 1 0 0 1 0 3 18 .158 — — — — 0.0
1929 SLN NL 42 60 4 7 2 1 1 5 0 1 23 .117 .289 (-60%) .353 (-63%) .415 (-44%) .769 (-53%) -554.3
1930 SLN NL 32 70 9 15 4 0 0 5 1 4 28 .214 .293 (-27%) .354 (-28%) .429 (-37%) .784 (-33%) -394.5
1931 SLN NL 32 60 4 14 2 1 0 7 0 3 16 .233 .276 (-16%) .338 (-20%) .388 (-23%) .726 (-22%) -216.1
1932 SLN NL 32 51 0 10 1 0 0 5 0 0 13 .196 .275 (-29%) .335 (-42%) .391 (-45%) .726 (-43%) -355.2
1933 SLN NL 35 21 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 .238 — — — — 0.0
1934 CIN NL 2 2 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 .500 — — — — 0.0
1934 PHI NL 42 41 8 8 1 0 0 3 0 3 13 .195 — — — — 0.0
1935 PHI NL 37 58 6 14 2 0 1 7 0 2 12 .241 .279 (-14%) .342 (-22%) .399 (-18%) .742 (-20%) -196.2
1936 PHI NL 39 36 1 9 1 0 0 3 0 0 7 .250 — — — — 0.0
1937 PHI NL 32 48 1 7 1 0 0 3 0 0 15 .146 — — — — 0.0
1938 PHI NL 22 29 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 .034 — — — — 0.0
1939 PHI NL 22 33 0 5 0 0 0 2 0 2 11 .152 — — — — 0.0
1940 PHI NL 17 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 20 seasons 542 702 51 127 18 5 4 53 1 23 214 .181 — — — — -2,094

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

Syl Johnson — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Syl Johnson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1931 WS SLN 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000
1930 WS SLN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1928 WS SLN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Syl Johnson — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 7 1 0 16.0 18 8 5 11 4.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Syl Johnson — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1931 WS SLN 0 1 3 1 0 9.0 10 3 1 6 3.00
1930 WS SLN 0 0 2 0 0 5.0 4 4 3 4 7.20
1928 WS SLN 0 0 2 0 0 2.0 4 1 1 1 4.50

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1084 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Syl Johnson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2673192363128.197
Away2753822864326.168

Pitching — Home / Away

Syl Johnson — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home2671035.011215062575024.40
Away2751130.011724792334233.82

Last 10 Games — Batting

Syl Johnson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1940-09-14 PHICHCW 200000001
1940-09-07 PHIBSNL 100000000
1940-09-06 PHIBROL 000000000
1940-08-26 PHICINW 400000001
1940-08-21 PHICHCW 000000000
1940-08-18 PHINY1W 000000000
1940-08-14 PHIBROW 000000000
1940-08-06 PHIBSNL 000000000
1940-08-06 PHIBSNL 000000000
1940-08-04 PHIPITL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Syl Johnson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1940-09-14 PHICHC W 9.0533122
1940-09-07 PHIBSN L 3.0210010
1940-09-06 PHIBRO — 2.0000010
1940-08-26 PHICIN W 9.0311150
1940-08-21 PHICHC SV 1.0000000
1940-08-18 PHINY1 SV 1.1100000
1940-08-14 PHIBRO — 2.0222000
1940-08-06 PHIBSN — 2.0544011
1940-08-06 PHIBSN — 1.0000000
1940-08-04 PHIPIT — 1.0211000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Syl Johnson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 542 0 63 291 13 13

Season-by-Season Fielding

Syl Johnson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1922 DET P 29 0 3 17 2 0
1923 DET P 37 0 5 17 1 0
1924 DET P 29 0 2 17 0 0
1925 DET P 6 0 2 4 0 0
1926 SLN P 19 0 0 10 0 1
1927 SLN P 2 0 1 0 0 0
1928 SLN P 34 0 3 20 1 2
1929 SLN P 42 0 5 19 1 0
1930 SLN P 32 0 4 21 1 1
1931 SLN P 32 0 3 24 3 2
1932 SLN P 32 0 3 30 0 1
1933 SLN P 35 0 1 12 0 0
1934 CIN P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1934 PHI P 42 0 5 10 1 1
1935 PHI P 37 0 6 20 2 1
1936 PHI P 39 0 4 13 0 0
1937 PHI P 32 0 8 25 1 2
1938 PHI P 22 0 2 9 0 0
1939 PHI P 22 0 3 17 0 1
1940 PHI P 17 0 3 6 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Syl Johnson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 542

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Syl Johnson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Gerry Staley
    134-111, 3.70 ERA
  2. 96
    Dick Drago
    108-117, 3.62 ERA
  3. 91
    Dennis Lamp
    96-96, 3.93 ERA
  4. 86
    Harry Staley
    136-119, 3.81 ERA
  5. 85
    Rick Honeycutt
    109-143, 3.72 ERA
  6. 83
    Henry Porter
    96-107, 3.70 ERA

Syl Johnson: the record in brief

According to the bio, Syl Johnson debuted on April 24, 1922 and played a final game on September 14, 1940. Club by club, the record runs the Detroit Tigers (1922 through 1925), the St. Louis Cardinals (1926 through 1933), the Cincinnati Reds (1934), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1934 through 1940). Born on December 31, 1900, in Portland, OR, USA, Johnson is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Johnson's listed size is 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds. Johnson died on February 20, 1985, in Portland, OR, USA. The bio lists the given name Sylvester W.

Johnson pitched in 542 games, starting 210, and finished with a 112-117 record and 4.06 ERA. Johnson had 920 strikeouts, 82 complete games, 11 shutouts, and 43 saves. Johnson's 4.06 ERA was close to the 4.27 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 13 wins of 1929. Johnson struck out 93 batters in 1923, a career high.

Frequently Asked Questions about Syl Johnson

What years did Syl Johnson play?
Syl Johnson played in Major League Baseball from 1922 to 1940.
Was Syl Johnson a pitcher?
Yes. Syl Johnson pitched in the major leagues, recording 112 wins and 920 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Syl Johnson hit?
Syl Johnson hit 4 career home runs with 127 hits.
What was Syl Johnson's career batting average?
Syl Johnson batted .181 over his career, with 127 hits in 702 at bats.
How many RBI did Syl Johnson have?
Syl Johnson drove in 53 runs in his career.
What was Syl Johnson's career ERA?
Syl Johnson finished with a 4.06 career ERA, going 112-117 with 920 strikeouts.