What years did Jim Kern play?

Jim Kern played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1986.

Was Jim Kern a pitcher?

Yes. Jim Kern pitched in the major leagues, recording 53 wins and 651 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Jim Kern hit?

Jim Kern hit 0 career home runs.

What teams did Jim Kern play for?

Jim Kern played for 6 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1974–1978, 1986), the Texas Rangers (1979–1981), the Cincinnati Reds (1982), the Chicago White Sox (1982–1983), the Philadelphia Phillies (1984), and the Milwaukee Brewers (1984–1985).

Did Jim Kern win a Cy Young Award?

No. Jim Kern did not win the Cy Young Award.

What awards did Jim Kern win?

Jim Kern was selected to 3 All-Star Games.

What were Jim Kern's career stats?

In 416 games, Jim Kern went 53-57 with a 3.32 ERA, 651 strikeouts, 793.1 innings pitched, and 88 saves.

What was Jim Kern's salary?

Jim Kern's recorded salary was $90,000 in 1986.

What position did Jim Kern play?

Jim Kern played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Jim Kern and how much did he weigh?

Jim Kern was listed at 6 feet 5 inches and 185 pounds.

What was Jim Kern's career ERA?

Jim Kern finished with a 3.32 career ERA, going 53-57 with 651 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Jim Kern have?

Jim Kern recorded 651 career strikeouts.

Is Jim Kern in the Hall of Fame?

No. Jim Kern has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jim Kern

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1974-1986)

Jim Kern was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1986 for 6 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 13 seasons. Across 416 career appearances, he went 53-57 with a 3.32 ERA, 651 strikeouts, and 88 saves. Jim Kern was a 3-time All-Star and a Reliever of the Year. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 8160.4.

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 October 15, 2026

W–L 53–57

ERA 3.32

WHIP 1.40

SO 651

Pitcher PIV 8160.4

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'5" / 185 lb
Born: 3/15/1949 in Gladwin, MI, USA
MLB Debut: 1974-09-06
Last Game: 1986-05-30
Awards: 3× All-Star · Reliever of the Year

Full name: James Lester Kern

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Career Pitching Statistics

Jim Kern — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
53	57	416	14	1	0	88	793.1	670	293	35	444	651	3.32	8160.4

Career ERA 3.32 vs. league average 3.81 across their career seasons — 12.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Kern Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1974	CLE	AL	0	1	4	3	1	0	15.1	16	8	14	11	4.70	3.63 (-29%)	-422.9
1975	CLE	AL	1	2	13	7	0	0	71.2	60	30	45	55	3.77	3.71 (-2%)	-611.9
1976	CLE	AL	10	7	50	2	0	15	117.2	91	31	50	111	2.37	3.51 (+33%)	3449.9
1977	CLE	AL	8	10	60	0	0	18	92.0	85	35	47	91	3.42	4.00 (+14%)	2546.4
1978	CLE	AL	10	10	58	0	0	13	99.1	77	34	58	95	3.08	3.69 (+16%)	1644.9
1979	TEX	AL	13	5	71	0	0	29	143.0	99	25	62	136	1.57	4.00 (+61%)	5059.3
1980	TEX	AL	3	11	38	1	0	2	63.1	65	34	45	40	4.83	3.84 (-26%)	-1100.0
1981	TEX	AL	1	2	23	0	0	6	30.0	21	9	22	20	2.70	3.58 (+25%)	12.5
1982	CIN	NL	3	5	50	0	0	2	76.0	61	24	48	43	2.84	3.86 (+26%)	-396.9
1982	CHA	AL	2	1	13	1	0	3	28.0	20	16	12	23	5.14	3.86 (-33%)	77.9
1983	CHA	AL	0	0	1	0	0	0	0.2	1	0	0	0	0.00	—	0.0
1984	PHI	NL	0	1	8	0	0	0	13.1	20	15	10	8	10.12	3.81 (-166%)	-977.4
1984	ML4	AL	1	0	6	0	0	0	4.2	6	0	3	4	0.00	—	0.0
1985	ML4	AL	0	1	5	0	0	0	11.0	14	8	5	3	6.55	3.89 (-68%)	-217.5
1986	CLE	AL	1	1	16	0	0	0	27.1	34	24	23	11	7.90	3.97 (-99%)	-904.0
Career · 15 seasons			53	57	416	14	1	88	793.1	670	293	444	651	3.32	—	8,160

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

Jim Kern — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
416	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	.000	.100	.000	.100	0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .100 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 69.2% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS .100 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — 85.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Kern Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1974	CLE	AL	4	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1975	CLE	AL	13	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1976	CLE	AL	50	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1977	CLE	AL	60	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1978	CLE	AL	58	1	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1979	TEX	AL	71	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1980	TEX	AL	38	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1981	TEX	AL	23	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1982	CIN	NL	50	7	1	5	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1982	CHA	AL	13	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1983	CHA	AL	1	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1984	PHI	NL	8	1	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1984	ML4	AL	6	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1985	ML4	AL	5	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1986	CLE	AL	16	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 15 seasons			416	9	1	7	.000	—	—	—	—	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 (832 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Kern — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	213	4	0	0	0	0	.000
Away	203	5	0	0	0	0	.000

Pitching — Home / Away

Jim Kern — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	213	442.1	382	170	216	354	3.46
Away	203	351.0	288	123	228	297	3.15

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Jim Kern — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1986-05-30	CLE	MIL	—	0.2	2	4	4	2	0	0
1986-05-28	CLE	BOS	—	0.0	1	1	1	1	0	0
1986-05-25	CLE	TOR	—	6.0	6	3	3	3	3	0
1986-05-18	CLE	TOR	—	4.0	4	4	4	2	1	1
1986-05-16	CLE	TOR	—	2.1	0	0	0	3	0	0
1986-05-12	CLE	TEX	—	1.1	6	8	7	3	1	0
1986-05-10	CLE	CHW	—	0.2	1	1	0	1	0	0
1986-04-30	CLE	TEX	—	1.1	1	0	0	0	1	0
1986-04-29	CLE	TEX	W	1.2	1	0	0	1	0	0
1986-04-27	CLE	NYY	—	0.0	0	0	0	1	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Kern — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	416	14	43	115	16	7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Kern — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1974	CLE	P	4	3	0	1	0	0
1975	CLE	P	13	7	4	11	2	0
1976	CLE	P	50	2	7	14	3	2
1977	CLE	P	60	0	5	13	3	2
1978	CLE	P	58	0	4	16	0	0
1979	TEX	P	71	0	9	16	7	1
1980	TEX	P	38	1	0	12	0	1
1981	TEX	P	23	0	3	3	1	0
1982	CIN	P	50	0	3	15	0	0
1982	CHA	P	13	1	3	3	0	0
1983	CHA	P	1	0	0	0	0	0
1984	PHI	P	8	0	0	2	0	0
1984	ML4	P	6	0	1	0	0	0
1985	ML4	P	5	0	2	3	0	1
1986	CLE	P	16	0	2	6	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Kern Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	416

Awards & Honors

Jim Kern — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1979	Pitcher of the Month	May
1979	Reliever of the Year Award
1979	TSN All-Star	RHP
1979	TSN Fireman of the Year

Salary History

Jim Kern's recorded salaries total $90,000 over 1 season, in 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Kern's career ran from 1974 to 1986. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985.

Jim Kern — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
1986	CLE	AL	$90,000
Total recorded salary (partial)			$90,000

Award Voting History

Jim Kern — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1979	Cy Young Award	AL	4th	25.0	140	0
1979	Most Valuable Player	AL	11th	25.0	392	0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Jim Kern (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Jim Kern

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Jim Kern: the record in brief

The profile opens with Jim Kern's first major league game on September 6, 1974; the last one listed came on May 30, 1986. By club, Kern's seasons break down as the Cleveland Indians (1974 through 1986), the Texas Rangers (1979 through 1981), the Cincinnati Reds (1982), the Chicago White Sox (1982 to 1983), the Philadelphia Phillies (1984), and the Milwaukee Brewers (1984 through 1985). The bio lists Kern as a pitcher who batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6 feet, 5 inches and 185 pounds. The birth record reads March 15, 1949, in Gladwin, MI, USA. The given name on file is James Lester Kern.

Kern's career pitching line is 53 wins, 57 losses and a 3.32 ERA over 416 appearances. The same table counts 651 strikeouts and 88 saves. That 3.32 ERA compares with a 3.81 league average across the same seasons, 12.7% better. The best win total was 13, in 1979. The most saves in one season was 29, in 1979.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Kern

What years did Jim Kern play?: Jim Kern played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1986.
Was Jim Kern a pitcher?: Yes. Jim Kern pitched in the major leagues, recording 53 wins and 651 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Jim Kern hit?: Jim Kern hit 0 career home runs.
What teams did Jim Kern play for?: Jim Kern played for 6 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1974–1978, 1986), the Texas Rangers (1979–1981), the Cincinnati Reds (1982), the Chicago White Sox (1982–1983), the Philadelphia Phillies (1984), and the Milwaukee Brewers (1984–1985).
Did Jim Kern win a Cy Young Award?: No. Jim Kern did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Jim Kern win?: Jim Kern was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
What were Jim Kern's career stats?: In 416 games, Jim Kern went 53-57 with a 3.32 ERA, 651 strikeouts, 793.1 innings pitched, and 88 saves.
How much did Jim Kern earn in his career?: Jim Kern's recorded salaries total $90,000 over 1 season, in 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Kern's career ran from 1974 to 1986. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985.
What was Jim Kern's salary?: Jim Kern's recorded salary was $90,000 in 1986.
What position did Jim Kern play?: Jim Kern played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Kern and how much did he weigh?: Jim Kern was listed at 6 feet 5 inches and 185 pounds.
What was Jim Kern's career ERA?: Jim Kern finished with a 3.32 career ERA, going 53-57 with 651 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Jim Kern have?: Jim Kern recorded 651 career strikeouts.
Is Jim Kern in the Hall of Fame?: No. Jim Kern has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.