Walter Johnson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1907-1927)

Walter Johnson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1927 for the Washington Senators, a span of 21 seasons. Across 802 career appearances, he went 417-279 with a 2.17 ERA, 3,509 strikeouts, and 34 saves. He also batted .235 with 24 home runs. Walter Johnson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936 and was a 2-time MVP and a 3-time Pitching Triple Crown. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 124020.5.

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

⭐ Hall of Fame 1936
W–L 417–279
ERA 2.17
WHIP 1.06
SO 3,509
Pitcher PIV 124020.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 200 lb
Born
11/6/1887 in Humboldt, KS, USA
Died
12/10/1946 in Washington, DC, USA
MLB Debut
1907-08-02
Last Game
1927-09-30
Hall of Fame
Inducted 1936 (BBWAA)
Awards
2× MVP · 3× Pitching Triple Crown

Full name: Walter Perry Johnson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Walter Johnson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
417 279 802 666 531 110 34 5914.2 4,913 1,424 97 1,363 3,509 2.17 124020.5

Career ERA 2.17 vs. league average 3.38 across their career seasons — 35.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Walter 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
1907 WS1 AL 5 9 14 12 11 2 0 110.1 100 23 20 71 1.88 2.50 (+25%) 2522.4
1908 WS1 AL 14 14 36 30 23 6 1 256.1 194 47 53 160 1.65 2.40 (+31%) 5226.6
1909 WS1 AL 13 25 40 36 27 4 1 296.1 247 73 84 164 2.22 2.55 (+13%) 2902.0
1910 WS1 AL 25 17 45 42 38 8 1 370.0 262 56 76 313 1.36 2.79 (+51%) 13805.9
1911 WS1 AL 25 13 40 37 36 6 1 322.1 292 68 70 207 1.90 3.37 (+44%) 7012.4
1912 WS1 AL 33 12 50 37 34 7 2 369.0 259 57 76 303 1.39 3.36 (+59%) 13229.0
1913 WS1 AL 36 7 48 36 29 11 2 346.0 232 44 38 243 1.14 3.07 (+63%) 10622.2
1914 WS1 AL 28 18 51 40 33 9 1 371.2 287 71 74 225 1.72 2.93 (+41%) 8960.4
1915 WS1 AL 27 13 47 39 35 7 4 336.2 258 58 56 203 1.55 2.90 (+46%) 8893.6
1916 WS1 AL 25 20 48 38 36 3 1 369.2 290 78 82 228 1.90 2.78 (+32%) 9053.5
1917 WS1 AL 23 16 47 34 30 8 3 326.0 248 80 68 188 2.21 2.69 (+18%) 6203.7
1918 WS1 AL 23 13 39 29 29 8 3 326.0 241 46 70 162 1.27 2.83 (+55%) 6432.3
1919 WS1 AL 20 14 39 29 27 7 2 290.1 235 48 51 147 1.49 3.09 (+52%) 7703.1
1920 WS1 AL 8 10 21 15 12 4 3 143.2 135 50 27 78 3.13 3.45 (+9%) 2285.1
1921 WS1 AL 17 14 35 32 25 1 1 264.0 265 103 92 143 3.51 4.02 (+13%) 3661.7
1922 WS1 AL 15 16 41 31 23 4 4 280.0 283 93 99 105 2.99 4.18 (+28%) 1687.1
1923 WS1 AL 17 12 42 34 18 3 4 261.1 263 101 73 130 3.48 4.03 (+14%) 3302.9
1924 WS1 AL 23 7 38 38 20 6 0 277.2 233 84 77 158 2.72 4.13 (+34%) 4789.8
1925 WS1 AL 20 7 30 29 16 3 0 229.0 217 78 78 108 3.07 4.55 (+33%) 2295.6
1926 WS1 AL 15 16 33 33 22 2 0 260.2 259 105 73 125 3.63 4.11 (+12%) 3102.7
1927 WS1 AL 5 6 18 15 7 1 0 107.2 113 61 26 48 5.10 4.08 (-25%) 328.6
Career · 21 seasons 417 279 802 666 531 110 34 5,914.2 4,913 1,424 1,363 3,509 2.17 — 124,021

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

Walter Johnson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
933 2,324 241 547 94 41 24 255 13 110 419 .235 .274 .342 .616 -3,830

Career AVG .235 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 11.6% below league average.

Career OBP .274 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 16.9% below league average.

Career SLG .342 vs. league average .358 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .616 vs. league average .687 across their career seasons — 10.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Walter 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
1907 WS1 AL 14 36 3 4 0 1 0 1 0 1 10 .111 — — — — 0.0
1908 WS1 AL 36 79 7 13 3 2 0 5 0 6 23 .165 .240 (-32%) .298 (-16%) .306 (-17%) .605 (-17%) -180.1
1909 WS1 AL 40 101 6 13 3 0 1 6 0 1 21 .129 .244 (-47%) .306 (-55%) .312 (-40%) .618 (-47%) -690.9
1910 WS1 AL 45 137 14 24 6 1 2 12 2 4 34 .175 .249 (-30%) .317 (-37%) .326 (-15%) .644 (-26%) -573.2
1911 WS1 AL 42 128 18 30 5 3 1 15 1 0 39 .234 .266 (-12%) .336 (-30%) .356 (-4%) .693 (-17%) -396.7
1912 WS1 AL 55 144 16 38 6 4 2 20 2 7 41 .264 .268 (-2%) .335 (-11%) .358 (+12%) .694 (+1%) -45.5
1913 WS1 AL 54 134 12 35 5 6 2 14 2 5 14 .261 .259 (+1%) .325 (-10%) .345 (+25%) .670 (+8%) 86.1
1914 WS1 AL 55 136 23 30 4 1 3 16 2 10 27 .221 .255 (-14%) .322 (-15%) .339 (-2%) .661 (-9%) -197.8
1915 WS1 AL 64 147 14 34 7 4 2 17 0 8 34 .231 .250 (-8%) .318 (-13%) .332 (+13%) .651 (avg) -73.6
1916 WS1 AL 58 142 13 32 2 4 1 7 0 11 28 .225 .248 (-9%) .314 (-9%) .326 (-3%) .640 (-6%) -144.3
1917 WS1 AL 57 130 15 33 12 1 0 15 1 9 30 .254 .248 (+2%) .312 (avg) .323 (+12%) .635 (+6%) 95.8
1918 WS1 AL 65 150 10 40 4 4 1 18 2 9 18 .267 .255 (+4%) .318 (+1%) .326 (+12%) .645 (+7%) 130.6
1919 WS1 AL 56 125 13 24 1 3 1 8 1 12 17 .192 .262 (-27%) .322 (-19%) .347 (-22%) .670 (-20%) -385.3
1920 WS1 AL 33 64 6 17 1 3 1 7 0 3 10 .266 .271 (-2%) .331 (-10%) .363 (+16%) .694 (+4%) 3.6
1921 WS1 AL 38 111 10 30 7 0 0 10 0 6 14 .270 .286 (-6%) .344 (-11%) .395 (-16%) .739 (-13%) -245.0
1922 WS1 AL 43 108 8 22 3 0 1 15 0 2 12 .204 .285 (-29%) .345 (-37%) .397 (-35%) .743 (-36%) -643.3
1923 WS1 AL 42 93 11 18 3 3 0 13 0 4 15 .194 .282 (-32%) .344 (-34%) .390 (-26%) .734 (-30%) -481.2
1924 WS1 AL 39 113 18 32 9 0 1 14 0 3 11 .283 .283 (avg) .345 (-11%) .389 (avg) .734 (-5%) -121.5
1925 WS1 AL 36 97 12 42 6 1 2 20 0 3 6 .433 .288 (+50%) .349 (+30%) .407 (+42%) .756 (+36%) 615.4
1926 WS1 AL 35 103 6 20 5 0 1 12 0 3 11 .194 .279 (-31%) .345 (-37%) .390 (-30%) .735 (-34%) -583.0
1927 WS1 AL 26 46 6 16 2 0 2 10 0 3 4 .348 — — — — 0.0
Career · 21 seasons 933 2,324 241 547 94 41 24 255 13 110 419 .235 — — — — -3,830

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

Walter Johnson — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 20 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 .100

Playoff Batting by Year

Walter Johnson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1925 WS WS1 3 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .091
1924 WS WS1 3 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .111

Playoff Career Pitching

Walter Johnson — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
3 3 6 5 0 50.0 56 14 15 35 2.52

Playoff Pitching by Year

Walter Johnson — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1925 WS WS1 2 1 3 3 0 26.0 26 6 4 15 2.08
1924 WS WS1 1 2 3 2 0 24.0 30 8 11 20 3.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1739 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Walter Johnson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home46811501202695115.234
Away469117911827919137.237

Pitching — Home / Away

Walter Johnson — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home3973063.2244962366119091.83
Away4052853.0247071071616262.24

Last 10 Games — Batting

Walter Johnson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1927-09-30 MINNYYL 100000000
1927-09-22 MINSLAW 111001100
1927-09-15 MINDETL 100000001
1927-09-11 MINCHWW 000000000
1927-09-08 MINCHWL 100000000
1927-09-05 MINPHAL 000000000
1927-08-28 MINCHWL 100000000
1927-08-26 MINCLEL 010000110
1927-08-25 MINCLEL 101000000
1927-08-22 MINDETL 311001100

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Walter Johnson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1927-09-22 MINSLA — 3.1965020
1927-09-11 MINCHW — 2.0100200
1927-09-05 MINPHA — 1.0000000
1927-08-28 MINCHW — 3.0100000
1927-08-22 MINDET L 8.0773512
1927-08-18 MINSLA — 6.0633220
1927-08-08 MINCLE L 5.1655240
1927-08-02 MINDET — 8.1866160
1927-07-28 MINCHW W 9.0621310
1927-07-22 MINSLA L 3.0777121

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Walter Johnson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 13 0 16 1 1 0
P 802 120 276 1351 52 72

Season-by-Season Fielding

Walter Johnson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1907 WS1 P 14 12 5 20 3 1
1908 WS1 P 36 30 4 56 4 3
1909 WS1 P 40 36 15 73 7 2
1910 WS1 P 45 42 23 90 6 3
1911 WS1 P 40 0 14 95 4 8
1912 WS1 P 50 0 15 93 4 4
1913 WS1 OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1913 WS1 P 48 0 21 82 0 7
1914 WS1 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1914 WS1 P 51 0 30 102 5 6
1915 WS1 OF 4 0 1 0 0 0
1915 WS1 P 47 0 22 95 6 7
1916 WS1 P 48 0 17 72 6 2
1917 WS1 P 47 0 16 82 0 2
1918 WS1 OF 4 0 7 1 1 0
1918 WS1 P 39 0 15 70 1 4
1919 WS1 OF 3 0 7 0 0 0
1919 WS1 P 39 0 16 69 1 5
1920 WS1 P 21 0 5 28 1 0
1921 WS1 P 35 0 4 51 1 1
1922 WS1 P 41 0 11 69 0 2
1923 WS1 P 42 0 13 51 2 7
1924 WS1 P 38 0 9 53 0 2
1925 WS1 P 30 0 5 37 0 2
1926 WS1 P 33 0 11 38 1 1
1927 WS1 P 18 0 5 25 0 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Walter Johnson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 802
Second Base 1
Left Field 2
Center Field 7
Right Field 4

Awards & Honors

Walter Johnson — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1925 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1925 TSN All-Star P
1924 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1924 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1924 Most Valuable Player
1924 Pitching Triple Crown
1923 Baseball Magazine All-Star P4
1919 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1918 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1918 Pitching Triple Crown
1917 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1917 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1916 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1916 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1915 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1915 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1914 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1914 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1913 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1913 Most Valuable Player
1913 Pitching Triple Crown
1912 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1911 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1911 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1910 Baseball Magazine All-Star P5
1909 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1909 Baseball Magazine All-Star P6

Award Voting History

Walter Johnson — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1924 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 55.0 64 0
1923 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 1.0 64 0
1922 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 5.0 64 0
1913 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 54.0 64 0
1912 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 28.0 64 0
1911 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 19.0 64 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Warren Spahn HOF
    363-245, 3.09 ERA
  2. 96
    Pete Alexander HOF
    373-208, 2.56 ERA
  3. 95
    Christy Mathewson HOF
    373-188, 2.13 ERA
  4. 91
    Gaylord Perry HOF
    314-265, 3.11 ERA
  5. 89
    Eddie Plank HOF
    326-194, 2.35 ERA
  6. 87
    Phil Niekro HOF
    318-274, 3.35 ERA

Compare Walter Johnson

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

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See Walter Johnson in Another Era

What would Johnson's 1913 season look like in a different era's run environment? Try the cross-era translation with a live slider.

Translate Walter Johnson's peak season across eras →

Walter Johnson: the record in brief

Walter Johnson played a first major league game on August 2, 1907 and a last one on September 30, 1927. All of the seasons listed were played for the Washington Senators. Johnson, born on November 6, 1887, in Humboldt, KS, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 6 feet, 1 inch and 200 pounds. Johnson's death is recorded on December 10, 1946, in Washington, DC, USA. Johnson's full given name, per the bio, is Walter Perry Johnson.

Across 802 games (666 starts), Johnson recorded 417 wins against 279 losses with a 2.17 ERA. Johnson had 3,509 strikeouts, 531 complete games, 110 shutouts, and 34 saves. That 2.17 ERA compares with a 3.38 league average across the same seasons, 35.8% better. 1913 brought Johnson a season-high 36 wins. 1910 produced Johnson's most strikeouts, 313. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 1.14 in 1913, when the league's was 3.07.

Frequently Asked Questions about Walter Johnson

What years did Walter Johnson play?
Walter Johnson played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1927.
Was Walter Johnson a pitcher?
Yes. Walter Johnson pitched in the major leagues, recording 417 wins and 3509 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Walter Johnson hit?
Walter Johnson hit 24 career home runs with 547 hits.
Is Walter Johnson in the Hall of Fame?
Yes. Walter Johnson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.
What teams did Walter Johnson play for?
Walter Johnson played for one team, the Washington Senators (1907–1927).
How many MVP awards did Walter Johnson win?
Walter Johnson won 2 MVP awards, in 1913 and 1924.
What awards did Walter Johnson win?
Walter Johnson won 2 MVP awards (1913 and 1924) and 3 pitching Triple Crowns (1913, 1918, and 1924).
What were Walter Johnson's career stats?
In 802 games, Walter Johnson went 417-279 with a 2.17 ERA, 3,509 strikeouts, 5,914.2 innings pitched, and 34 saves. At the plate he had 547 hits and 24 home runs.
What position did Walter Johnson play?
Walter Johnson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Walter Johnson and how much did he weigh?
Walter Johnson was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds.
What was Walter Johnson's career ERA?
Walter Johnson finished with a 2.17 career ERA, going 417-279 with 3,509 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Walter Johnson have?
Walter Johnson recorded 3,509 career strikeouts.