Dick Kelley

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1964-1971)

Dick Kelley was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1971 for the Milwaukee Braves, the Atlanta Braves, and the San Diego Padres, a span of 8 seasons. Across 188 career appearances, he went 18-30 with a 3.39 ERA and 369 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 413.0.

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 18–30
ERA 3.39
WHIP 1.29
SO 369
Pitcher PIV 413.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / L
Height / Weight
5'11" / 174 lb
Born
1/8/1940 in Brighton, MA, USA
Died
12/11/1991 in Northridge, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1964-04-15
Last Game
1971-09-28

Full name: Richard Anthony Kelley

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Career Pitching Statistics

Dick Kelley — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
18 30 188 61 5 5 5 519.2 453 196 39 215 369 3.39 413.0

Career ERA 3.39 vs. league average 3.43 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dick Kelley — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1964 ML1 NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 2 4 3 2 18.00 — 0.0
1965 ML1 NL 1 1 21 4 0 0 0 45.0 37 15 20 31 3.00 3.50 (+14%) -470.7
1966 ATL NL 7 5 20 13 2 2 0 81.0 75 29 21 50 3.22 3.52 (+8%) 717.9
1967 ATL NL 2 9 39 9 1 1 2 98.0 88 41 42 75 3.77 3.30 (-14%) -202.2
1968 ATL NL 2 4 31 11 1 1 1 98.0 86 30 45 73 2.76 2.98 (+8%) 369.8
1969 SDN NL 4 8 27 23 1 1 0 136.0 113 54 61 96 3.57 3.61 (+1%) 30.3
1971 SDN NL 2 3 48 1 0 0 2 59.2 52 23 23 42 3.47 3.47 (avg) -32.1
Career · 7 seasons 18 30 188 61 5 5 5 519.2 453 196 215 369 3.39 — 413

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

Dick Kelley — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
189 125 3 12 2 0 0 3 0 4 70 .096 .124 .112 .236 0

Career AVG .096 vs. league average .246 across their career seasons — 61.0% below league average.

Career OBP .124 vs. league average .311 across their career seasons — 60.1% below league average.

Career SLG .112 vs. league average .366 across their career seasons — 69.4% below league average.

Career OPS .236 vs. league average .677 across their career seasons — 65.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dick Kelley — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1964 ML1 NL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1965 ML1 NL 22 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 .000 — — — — 0.0
1966 ATL NL 20 28 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 .036 — — — — 0.0
1967 ATL NL 39 16 2 4 1 0 0 1 0 1 11 .250 — — — — 0.0
1968 ATL NL 31 23 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 12 .043 — — — — 0.0
1969 SDN NL 27 47 0 5 1 0 0 2 0 0 24 .106 — — — — 0.0
1971 SDN NL 48 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333 — — — — 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 189 125 3 12 2 0 0 3 0 4 70 .096 — — — — 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 (377 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Dick Kelley — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home87672601.090
Away102581602.103

Pitching — Home / Away

Dick Kelley — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home86273.2212881091752.89
Away102246.12411071061943.91

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Dick Kelley — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1971-09-28 SDPSFG — 0.2000000
1971-09-24 SDPHOU — 1.2000200
1971-09-10 SDPLAD — 0.0122100
1971-09-08 SDPCIN — 0.1000000
1971-09-05 SDPATL — 2.0000110
1971-08-29 SDPWSN — 3.0200100
1971-08-23 SDPPHI — 2.0100140
1971-08-22 SDPNYN — 1.0100010
1971-08-20 SDPNYN — 0.0100000
1971-08-15 SDPPHI W 1.0200010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dick Kelley — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 188 61 27 91 4 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dick Kelley — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1964 ML1 P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1965 ML1 P 21 4 1 8 1 0
1966 ATL P 20 13 0 8 2 1
1967 ATL P 39 9 5 20 0 1
1968 ATL P 31 11 7 20 1 3
1969 SDN P 27 23 9 27 0 1
1971 SDN P 48 1 5 8 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dick Kelley — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 188

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Dick Kelley (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Alexi Ogando
    33-19, 3.50 ERA
  2. 96
    Jose Santiago
    34-29, 3.74 ERA
  3. 95
    Bob Humphreys
    27-21, 3.36 ERA
  4. 95
    Fred Breining
    27-20, 3.34 ERA
  5. 94
    Wes Stock
    27-13, 3.60 ERA
  6. 93
    Vicente Romo
    32-33, 3.36 ERA

Dick Kelley: the record in brief

The profile opens with Dick Kelley's first major league game on April 15, 1964; the last one listed came on September 28, 1971. Club by club, the record runs the Milwaukee Braves (1964 through 1965), the Atlanta Braves (1966 through 1968), and the San Diego Padres (1969 through 1971). Kelley, born on January 8, 1940, in Brighton, MA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and hit right-handed while throwing left-handed. The bio gives 5-foot-11 and 174 pounds. Kelley died on December 11, 1991, in Northridge, CA, USA. Dick Kelley was the playing name; the full given name is Richard Anthony.

The pitching table credits Kelley with a 18-30 record and a 3.39 ERA in 188 games. The totals include 369 strikeouts and 5 shutouts. Kelley's 3.39 ERA was close to the 3.43 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 7 wins of 1966. The strikeout high was 96 in 1969. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.76 in 1968, when the league's was 2.98.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dick Kelley

What years did Dick Kelley play?
Dick Kelley played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1971.
Was Dick Kelley a pitcher?
Yes. Dick Kelley pitched in the major leagues, recording 18 wins and 369 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Dick Kelley hit?
Dick Kelley hit 0 career home runs with 12 hits.
What teams did Dick Kelley play for?
Dick Kelley played for 2 teams: the Atlanta Braves (1964–1968) and the San Diego Padres (1969, 1971).
What were Dick Kelley's career stats?
In 188 games, Dick Kelley went 18-30 with a 3.39 ERA, 369 strikeouts, 519.2 innings pitched, and 5 saves.
What position did Dick Kelley play?
Dick Kelley played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Dick Kelley and how much did he weigh?
Dick Kelley was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 174 pounds.
What was Dick Kelley's career ERA?
Dick Kelley finished with a 3.39 career ERA, going 18-30 with 369 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Dick Kelley have?
Dick Kelley recorded 369 career strikeouts.
Is Dick Kelley in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dick Kelley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.