Vern Kennedy

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1934-1945)

Vern Kennedy was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1945 for 7 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 12 seasons. Across 344 career appearances, he went 104-132 with a 4.67 ERA and 691 strikeouts. He also batted .244 with 4 home runs. Vern Kennedy was a 2-time All-Star.

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 104–132
ERA 4.67
WHIP 1.59
SO 691
Pitcher PIV -31542.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 175 lb
Born
3/20/1907 in Kansas City, MO, USA
Died
1/28/1993 in Mendon, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1934-09-18
Last Game
1945-09-27
Awards
2× All-Star

Full name: Lloyd Vernon Kennedy

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Career Pitching Statistics

Vern Kennedy — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
104 132 344 263 126 7 5 2025.2 2,173 1,052 130 1,049 691 4.67 -31542.2

Career ERA 4.67 vs. league average 4.05 across their career seasons — 15.5% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Vern Kennedy Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1934 CHA AL 0 2 3 3 1 0 0 19.1 21 8 9 7 3.72 4.29 (+13%) -132.4
1935 CHA AL 11 11 31 25 16 2 1 211.2 211 92 95 65 3.91 4.35 (+10%) -3578.5
1936 CHA AL 21 9 35 34 20 1 0 274.1 282 141 147 99 4.63 4.59 (-1%) -2095.3
1937 CHA AL 14 13 32 30 15 1 0 221.0 238 125 124 114 5.09 4.34 (-17%) -2749.2
1938 DET AL 12 9 33 26 11 0 2 190.1 215 107 113 53 5.06 4.35 (-16%) -4154.9
1939 DET AL 0 3 4 4 1 0 0 21.0 25 15 9 9 6.43 4.28 (-50%) -961.8
1939 SLA AL 9 17 33 27 12 1 0 191.2 229 122 115 55 5.73 4.28 (-34%) -5975.3
1940 SLA AL 12 17 34 32 18 0 0 222.1 263 138 122 70 5.59 4.21 (-33%) -5000.0
1941 SLA AL 2 4 6 6 2 0 0 45.0 44 22 27 6 4.40 3.94 (-12%) -2077.1
1941 WS1 AL 1 7 17 7 2 0 0 66.1 77 42 39 22 5.70 3.94 (-45%) -1723.7
1942 CLE AL 4 8 28 12 4 0 1 108.0 99 49 50 37 4.08 3.57 (-14%) 385.9
1943 CLE AL 10 7 28 17 8 1 0 146.2 130 40 59 63 2.45 3.50 (+30%) 409.6
1944 CLE AL 2 5 12 10 2 0 0 59.0 66 33 37 17 5.03 3.57 (-41%) -602.8
1944 PHI NL 1 5 12 7 3 0 0 55.1 60 26 20 23 4.23 3.57 (-18%) -85.0
1945 PHI NL 0 3 12 3 0 0 0 36.0 43 22 14 13 5.50 3.67 (-50%) -195.2
1945 CIN NL 5 12 24 20 11 1 1 157.2 170 70 69 38 4.00 3.67 (-9%) -3006.5
Career · 16 seasons 104 132 344 263 126 7 5 2,025.2 2,173 1,052 1,049 691 4.67 — -31,542

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

Vern Kennedy — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
373 743 80 181 27 5 4 61 1 15 123 .244 .260 .310 .569 -2,015

Career AVG .244 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — 9.4% below league average.

Career OBP .260 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 22.7% below league average.

Career SLG .310 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 18.3% below league average.

Career OPS .569 vs. league average .715 across their career seasons — 20.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Vern Kennedy 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
1934 CHA AL 3 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .286 — — — — 0.0
1935 CHA AL 31 73 5 18 3 1 0 10 0 1 18 .247 .279 (-12%) .342 (-25%) .399 (-21%) .742 (-23%) -290.7
1936 CHA AL 36 113 12 32 8 0 0 11 0 1 13 .283 .283 (avg) .349 (-17%) .404 (-12%) .753 (-15%) -300.3
1937 CHA AL 32 87 12 20 1 1 2 9 0 0 17 .230 .276 (-17%) .342 (-30%) .398 (-16%) .740 (-23%) -343.2
1938 DET AL 37 79 10 23 3 0 0 8 0 1 11 .291 .272 (+7%) .341 (-12%) .392 (-16%) .734 (-14%) -192.6
1939 DET AL 4 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .286 — — — — 0.0
1939 SLA AL 34 67 9 10 4 0 0 6 0 3 10 .149 .274 (-46%) .342 (-46%) .393 (-47%) .735 (-46%) 0.0
1940 SLA AL 35 84 12 25 3 1 2 12 0 3 13 .298 .267 (+11%) .335 (-4%) .387 (+11%) .722 (+4%) 28.5
1941 SLA AL 6 15 2 6 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 .400 — — — — 0.0
1941 WS1 AL 18 21 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 .143 — — — — 0.0
1942 CLE AL 33 30 3 6 1 0 0 0 1 2 9 .200 — — — — 0.0
1943 CLE AL 38 52 8 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 .231 .255 (-10%) .324 (-29%) .346 (-22%) .671 (-26%) -214.6
1944 CLE AL 15 23 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .087 — — — — 0.0
1944 PHI NL 14 21 3 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 .286 — — — — 0.0
1945 PHI NL 13 11 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .182 — — — — 0.0
1945 CIN NL 24 53 1 12 4 0 0 1 0 1 13 .226 .260 (-13%) .328 (-27%) .354 (-15%) .683 (-21%) 0.0
Career · 16 seasons 373 743 80 181 27 5 4 61 1 15 123 .244 — — — — -1,313

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 (717 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Vern Kennedy — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1913454583235.241
Away1823983498226.246

Pitching — Home / Away

Vern Kennedy — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1721009.010565245393544.67
Away1721016.111195305133374.69

Last 10 Games — Batting

Vern Kennedy — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1945-09-27 CINCHCL 200000000
1945-09-22 CINSTLL 000000000
1945-09-16 CINBSNW 100000000
1945-09-13 CINNY1W 000000000
1945-09-12 CINNY1W 000000000
1945-09-09 CINBROW 110000010
1945-09-03 CINCHCL 201000000
1945-08-29 CINSTLW 401000001
1945-08-25 CINPITW 301000000
1945-08-20 CINPHIL 400000002

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Vern Kennedy — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1945-09-27 CINCHC L 8.0853410
1945-09-22 CINSTL — 2.0321210
1945-09-16 CINBSN — 5.0844200
1945-09-13 CINNY1 SV 2.0100000
1945-09-12 CINNY1 — 0.2222300
1945-09-09 CINBRO — 5.0955420
1945-09-03 CINCHC L 7.01277451
1945-08-29 CINSTL W 9.0811011
1945-08-25 CINPIT W 9.0600240
1945-08-20 CINPHI L 8.1944631

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Vern Kennedy — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 344 0 98 439 22 28

Season-by-Season Fielding

Vern Kennedy — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1934 CHA P 3 0 1 6 0 0
1935 CHA P 31 0 8 54 2 3
1936 CHA P 35 0 13 50 2 5
1937 CHA P 32 0 9 40 3 1
1938 DET P 33 0 6 46 3 4
1939 DET P 4 0 1 6 0 1
1939 SLA P 33 0 7 31 1 1
1940 SLA P 34 0 13 50 0 4
1941 SLA P 6 0 2 10 1 1
1941 WS1 P 17 0 2 14 1 0
1942 CLE P 28 0 4 24 3 3
1943 CLE P 28 0 8 36 1 2
1944 CLE P 12 0 6 14 2 1
1944 PHI P 12 0 2 11 1 0
1945 PHI P 12 0 4 11 1 1
1945 CIN P 24 0 12 36 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Vern Kennedy Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 344

Awards & Honors

Vern Kennedy — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star P4

Award Voting History

Vern Kennedy — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1936 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 27.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Vern Kennedy (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bill Dietrich
    108-128, 4.48 ERA
  2. 93
    Herm Wehmeier
    92-108, 4.80 ERA
  3. 89
    Milt Gaston
    97-164, 4.55 ERA
  4. 89
    Sheriff Blake
    87-102, 4.13 ERA
  5. 86
    Vic Sorrell
    92-101, 4.43 ERA
  6. 82
    Jack Kramer
    95-103, 4.24 ERA

Vern Kennedy: the record in brief

September 18, 1934 and September 27, 1945 bracket Vern Kennedy's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Kennedy's seasons break down as the Chicago White Sox (1934 through 1937), the Detroit Tigers (1938 through 1939), the St. Louis Browns (1939 to 1941), the Washington Senators (1941), the Cleveland Indians (1942 to 1944), the Philadelphia Blue Jays (1944), the Philadelphia Phillies (1945), and the Cincinnati Reds (1945). At 175 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame, Kennedy is listed as a pitcher. Kennedy batted left-handed and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is March 20, 1907, in Kansas City, MO, USA. Kennedy died on January 28, 1993, in Mendon, MO, USA. The given name on file is Lloyd Vernon Kennedy.

Kennedy went 104-132 with a 4.67 ERA in 344 games, 263 of them starts. The totals include 691 strikeouts, 126 complete games, and 7 shutouts. The league ERA over Kennedy's seasons was 4.05, so the 4.67 figure ran 15.5% worse than average.

Frequently Asked Questions about Vern Kennedy

What years did Vern Kennedy play?
Vern Kennedy played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1945.
Was Vern Kennedy a pitcher?
Yes. Vern Kennedy pitched in the major leagues, recording 104 wins and 691 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Vern Kennedy hit?
Vern Kennedy hit 4 career home runs with 181 hits.
What teams did Vern Kennedy play for?
Vern Kennedy played for 7 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1934–1937), the Detroit Tigers (1938–1939), the St. Louis Browns (1939–1941), the Washington Senators (1941), the Cleveland Indians (1942–1944), the Philadelphia Phillies (1944–1945), and the Cincinnati Reds (1945).
What awards did Vern Kennedy win?
Vern Kennedy was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
What were Vern Kennedy's career stats?
In 344 games, Vern Kennedy went 104-132 with a 4.67 ERA, 691 strikeouts, 2,025.2 innings pitched, and 5 saves. At the plate he had 181 hits and 4 home runs.
What position did Vern Kennedy play?
Vern Kennedy played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Vern Kennedy and how much did he weigh?
Vern Kennedy was listed at 6 feet and 175 pounds.
What was Vern Kennedy's career ERA?
Vern Kennedy finished with a 4.67 career ERA, going 104-132 with 691 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Vern Kennedy have?
Vern Kennedy recorded 691 career strikeouts.
Is Vern Kennedy in the Hall of Fame?
No. Vern Kennedy has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Vern Kennedy make?
Vern Kennedy was selected to 2 All-Star Games.