Don Kirkwood

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1974-1978)

Don Kirkwood was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1978 for the California Angels, the Chicago White Sox, and the Toronto Blue Jays, a span of 5 seasons. Across 120 career appearances, he went 18-23 with a 4.37 ERA and 194 strikeouts.

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 18–23
ERA 4.37
WHIP 1.45
SO 194
Pitcher PIV -531.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 175 lb
Born
9/24/1949 in Pontiac, MI, USA
MLB Debut
1974-09-13
Last Game
1978-10-01

Full name: Donald Paul Kirkwood

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Career Pitching Statistics

Don Kirkwood — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
18 23 120 37 7 0 8 374.7 409 182 30 135 194 4.37 -531.1

Career ERA 4.37 vs. league average 3.71 across their career seasons — 17.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Kirkwood — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1974 CAL AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 7.3 12 7 6 4 8.59 — 0.0
1975 CAL AL 6 5 44 2 0 0 7 84.0 85 29 28 49 3.11 3.71 (+16%) 772.7
1976 CAL AL 6 12 28 26 4 0 0 157.7 167 81 57 78 4.62 3.51 (-32%) -875.1
1977 CAL AL 1 0 13 0 0 0 1 17.7 20 10 9 10 5.09 4.00 (-27%) -593.3
1977 CHA AL 1 1 16 0 0 0 0 40.0 49 23 10 24 5.17 4.00 (-29%) 665.9
1978 TOR AL 4 5 16 9 3 0 0 68.0 76 32 25 29 4.24 3.69 (-15%) -501.4
Career · 6 seasons 18 23 120 37 7 0 8 374.2 409 182 135 194 4.37 — -531

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

Don Kirkwood — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
122 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Kirkwood — 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
1974 CAL AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 CAL AL 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 CAL AL 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 CAL AL 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 CHA AL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 TOR AL 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 122 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 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 (242 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Don Kirkwood — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home6900000—
Away5300000—

Pitching — Home / Away

Don Kirkwood — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home67203.221490671143.98
Away53171.01959268804.84

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Don Kirkwood — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1978-10-01 TORBOS L 8.0653532
1978-09-24 TORBOS — 2.2733010
1978-09-17 TORBAL L 2.1654121
1978-09-11 TORCLE W 9.0611140
1978-09-05 TORCLE L 2.1533201
1978-08-30 TORBOS L 8.0822350
1978-08-25 TORMIN W 6.1833310
1978-08-20 TORMIN W 6.0311310
1978-08-17 TORMIL — 1.0100000
1978-06-21 TORDET L 1.1444011

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don Kirkwood — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 120 37 30 64 9 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Don Kirkwood — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1974 CAL P 3 0 0 0 0 0
1975 CAL P 44 2 3 12 3 1
1976 CAL P 28 26 18 26 5 3
1977 CAL P 13 0 2 7 0 1
1977 CHA P 16 0 3 7 1 0
1978 TOR P 16 9 4 12 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don Kirkwood — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 120

College History

Don Kirkwood — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Oakland Community College Farmington Hills MI 1970
Oakland University Rochester MI 1971, 1972

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Don Kirkwood (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Billy Muffett
    16-23, 4.33 ERA
  2. 73
    Guy Hoffman
    17-17, 4.25 ERA
  3. 66
    Pete Walker
    20-14, 4.48 ERA
  4. 62
    Frank Gilmore
    12-33, 4.26 ERA
  5. 52
    Paul Reuschel
    16-16, 4.51 ERA
  6. 39
    Ryan Rowland-Smith
    12-17, 4.57 ERA

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Kirkwood

What years did Don Kirkwood play?
Don Kirkwood played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1978.
Was Don Kirkwood a pitcher?
Yes. Don Kirkwood pitched in the major leagues, recording 18 wins and 194 strikeouts.
What was Don Kirkwood's career ERA?
Don Kirkwood finished with a 4.37 career ERA, going 18-23 with 194 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Don Kirkwood have?
Don Kirkwood recorded 194 career strikeouts.
Is Don Kirkwood in the Hall of Fame?
No. Don Kirkwood has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
What teams did Don Kirkwood play for?
Don Kirkwood played for the California Angels, the Chicago White Sox, and the Toronto Blue Jays.