Les Lancaster

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1987-1993)

Les Lancaster was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 1993 for the Chicago Cubs, the Detroit Tigers, and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 7 seasons. Across 323 career appearances, he went 41-28 with a 4.05 ERA, 408 strikeouts, and 22 saves.

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 41–28
ERA 4.05
WHIP 1.39
SO 408
Pitcher PIV -9.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 200 lb
Born
4/21/1962 in Dallas, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1987-04-07
Last Game
1993-10-03

Full name: Lester Wayne Lancaster

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Career Pitching Statistics

Les Lancaster — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
41 28 323 39 3 1 22 703.2 715 317 60 261 408 4.05 -9.9

Career ERA 4.05 vs. league average 3.92 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Les Lancaster Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1987 CHN NL 8 3 27 18 0 0 0 132.1 138 72 51 78 4.90 4.29 (-14%) 160.3
1988 CHN NL 4 6 44 3 1 0 5 85.2 89 36 34 36 3.78 3.73 (-1%) -59.0
1989 CHN NL 4 2 42 0 0 0 8 72.2 60 11 15 56 1.36 3.71 (+63%) 2787.3
1990 CHN NL 9 5 55 6 1 1 6 109.0 121 56 40 65 4.62 3.86 (-20%) -530.6
1991 CHN NL 9 7 64 11 1 0 3 156.0 150 61 49 102 3.52 3.91 (+10%) 1049.1
1992 DET AL 3 4 41 1 0 0 0 86.2 101 61 51 35 6.33 3.75 (-69%) -3790.0
1993 SLN NL 4 1 50 0 0 0 0 61.1 56 20 21 36 2.93 4.19 (+30%) 373.1
Career · 7 seasons 41 28 323 39 3 1 22 703.2 715 317 261 408 4.05 — -10

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

Les Lancaster — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
323 132 6 13 4 0 0 5 0 5 64 .098 .131 .129 .260 -586

Career AVG .098 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 61.8% below league average.

Career OBP .131 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 59.5% below league average.

Career SLG .129 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 66.9% below league average.

Career OPS .260 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 63.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Les Lancaster — 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
1987 CHN NL 27 49 2 4 1 0 0 2 0 1 19 .082 — — — — -586.3
1988 CHN NL 44 20 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 .050 — — — — 0.0
1989 CHN NL 42 11 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 7 .182 — — — — 0.0
1990 CHN NL 55 20 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 11 .050 — — — — 0.0
1991 CHN NL 64 28 2 5 2 0 0 2 0 0 13 .179 — — — — 0.0
1992 DET AL 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 SLN NL 50 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 323 132 6 13 4 0 0 5 0 5 64 .098 — — — — -586

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

Les Lancaster — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Les Lancaster — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1989 NLCS CHN 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Les Lancaster — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 1 3 0 0 6.0 6 4 1 3 6.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Les Lancaster — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1989 NLCS CHN 1 1 3 0 0 6.0 6 4 1 3 6.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (646 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Les Lancaster — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home168624703.113
Away155702602.086

Pitching — Home / Away

Les Lancaster — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home168377.13891801342214.29
Away155326.13261371271873.78

Last 10 Games — Batting

Les Lancaster — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1993-10-03 STLPHIW 000000000
1993-09-29 STLNYNL 100000001
1993-09-27 STLNYNW 000000000
1993-09-26 STLMIAW 000000000
1993-09-24 STLMIAW 000000000
1993-09-21 STLCHCL 000000000
1993-09-20 STLCHCL 100000000
1993-09-14 STLWSNL 000000000
1993-09-10 STLSFGW 000000000
1993-09-07 STLCINL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Les Lancaster — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1993-10-03 STLPHI — 0.2000000
1993-09-29 STLNYN L 1.2211010
1993-09-27 STLNYN — 1.2000010
1993-09-26 STLMIA — 1.0000100
1993-09-24 STLMIA W 1.2000110
1993-09-21 STLCHC — 1.0100010
1993-09-20 STLCHC — 2.2211020
1993-09-14 STLWSN — 1.2322021
1993-09-10 STLSFG — 0.0100000
1993-09-07 STLCIN — 0.0100000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Les Lancaster — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
P 323 39 54 84 1 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Les Lancaster — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1987 CHN P 27 18 12 14 0 0
1988 CHN P 44 3 6 17 0 0
1989 CHN P 42 0 8 5 0 1
1990 CHN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1990 CHN P 55 6 9 19 0 1
1991 CHN P 64 11 13 14 0 1
1992 DET P 41 1 3 9 1 4
1993 SLN P 50 0 3 6 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Les Lancaster — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 323
Left Field 1

Salary History

Les Lancaster's recorded salaries total $1,472,500 over 6 seasons, 1987 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Lancaster's career ran from 1987 to 1993. No salary is recorded for 1992.

Les Lancaster — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1993 SLN NL $350,000
1991 CHN NL $550,000
1990 CHN NL $300,000
1989 CHN NL $120,000
1988 CHN NL $90,000
1987 CHN NL $62,500
Total recorded salary (partial) $1,472,500

College History

Les Lancaster — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Arkansas Fayetteville AR 1982, 1983, 1984
Dallas Baptist University Dallas TX 1985

Award Voting History

Les Lancaster — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1987 Rookie of the Year NL 6th 1.0 120 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Les Lancaster (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jim Coates
    43-22, 4.00 ERA
  2. 94
    Luis Arroyo
    40-32, 3.93 ERA
  3. 93
    Jack Lamabe
    33-41, 4.24 ERA
  4. 88
    Keith Atherton
    33-41, 3.99 ERA
  5. 87
    Mark Williamson
    46-35, 3.86 ERA
  6. 84
    Tony Castillo
    28-23, 3.93 ERA

Les Lancaster: the record in brief

Les Lancaster's major league career runs from a debut on April 7, 1987 to a final game on October 3, 1993. The team column moves through the Chicago Cubs (1987 through 1991), the Detroit Tigers (1992), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1993). The bio lists Lancaster as a pitcher who threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. The birth record reads April 21, 1962, in Dallas, TX, USA. Les Lancaster was the playing name; the full given name is Lester Wayne.

Lancaster went 41-28 with a 4.05 ERA in 323 games, 39 of them starts. The totals include 408 strikeouts and 22 saves. Lancaster's 4.05 ERA was close to the 3.92 league figure for those seasons. Lancaster won 9 games in 1990, the most of any season listed. 1991 produced Lancaster's most strikeouts, 102. 1991 was Lancaster's sharpest full season, a 3.52 ERA against the league's 3.91.

In award voting, Lancaster's best finish was 6th for the Rookie of the Year in 1987.

Frequently Asked Questions about Les Lancaster

What years did Les Lancaster play?
Les Lancaster played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 1993.
Was Les Lancaster a pitcher?
Yes. Les Lancaster pitched in the major leagues, recording 41 wins and 408 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Les Lancaster hit?
Les Lancaster hit 0 career home runs with 13 hits.
What teams did Les Lancaster play for?
Les Lancaster played for 3 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1987–1991), the Detroit Tigers (1992), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1993).
What were Les Lancaster's career stats?
In 323 games, Les Lancaster went 41-28 with a 4.05 ERA, 408 strikeouts, 703.2 innings pitched, and 22 saves.
How much did Les Lancaster earn in his career?
Les Lancaster's recorded salaries total $1,472,500 over 6 seasons, 1987 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Lancaster's career ran from 1987 to 1993. No salary is recorded for 1992.
What was Les Lancaster's salary?
Les Lancaster's last recorded salary was $350,000, in 1993. His highest recorded salary was $550,000, in 1991, and his lowest was $62,500, in 1987. The Salary History table lists each season from 1987 to 1993.
What position did Les Lancaster play?
Les Lancaster played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Les Lancaster and how much did he weigh?
Les Lancaster was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 200 pounds.
What was Les Lancaster's career ERA?
Les Lancaster finished with a 4.05 career ERA, going 41-28 with 408 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Les Lancaster have?
Les Lancaster recorded 408 career strikeouts.
Is Les Lancaster in the Hall of Fame?
No. Les Lancaster has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.