Vern Law
Born: 3/12/1930 in Meridian, ID, USA
MLB Debut: 1950-06-11 | Final Game: 1967-08-20
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 195 lbs
Full name: Vernon Sanders Law
Biography
Vern Law, born in 1930, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, with a career that spanned from 1950 until 1967. Known for his competitive spirit and strategic pitching style, Law finished his career with a record of 162 wins and 147 losses, alongside an earned run average (ERA) of 3.77. He struck out 1,092 batters and recorded 13 saves over the course of his time in the league. Law was recognized for his outstanding performance on the mound, earning two All-Star selections and being honored with the prestigious Cy Young Award, solidifying his status as one of the elite pitchers of his era.
Law's career unfolded during a transformative time in baseball, transitioning through the late 1950s into the 1960s, an era marked by the emergence of power hitting and the evolving strategies of the game. His consistent performance and ability to navigate the challenges of pitching in the major leagues made him a key figure for his teams, especially noted for his contributions to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Throughout his tenure, Law exemplified the qualities of a skilled pitcher, combining precision and resilience that left a lasting impact on the franchise and the sport as a whole.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 162 | 147 | 483 | 364 | 119 | 28 | 13 | 2672.0 | 2833 | 1118 | 268 | 597 | 1092 | 3.77 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | PIT | NL | 7 | 9 | 27 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 128.0 | 137 | 70 | 49 | 57 | 4.92 | 1006.2 |
| 1951 | PIT | NL | 6 | 9 | 28 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 114.0 | 109 | 57 | 51 | 41 | 4.50 | -719.7 |
| 1954 | PIT | NL | 9 | 13 | 39 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 161.7 | 201 | 99 | 56 | 57 | 5.51 | -2086.1 |
| 1955 | PIT | NL | 10 | 10 | 43 | 24 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 200.7 | 221 | 85 | 61 | 82 | 3.81 | 1517.4 |
| 1956 | PIT | NL | 8 | 16 | 39 | 32 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 195.7 | 218 | 94 | 49 | 60 | 4.32 | -1169.5 |
| 1957 | PIT | NL | 10 | 8 | 31 | 25 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 172.7 | 172 | 55 | 32 | 55 | 2.87 | 302.6 |
| 1958 | PIT | NL | 14 | 12 | 35 | 29 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 202.3 | 235 | 89 | 39 | 56 | 3.96 | 1676.9 |
| 1959 | PIT | NL | 18 | 9 | 34 | 33 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 266.0 | 245 | 88 | 53 | 110 | 2.98 | 2432.9 |
| 1960 | PIT | NL | 20 | 9 | 35 | 35 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 271.7 | 266 | 93 | 40 | 120 | 3.08 | 3533.6 |
| 1961 | PIT | NL | 3 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 59.3 | 72 | 31 | 18 | 20 | 4.70 | -1539.2 |
| 1962 | PIT | NL | 10 | 7 | 23 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 139.3 | 156 | 61 | 27 | 78 | 3.94 | -374.5 |
| 1963 | PIT | NL | 4 | 5 | 18 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 76.7 | 91 | 42 | 13 | 31 | 4.93 | -1139.5 |
| 1964 | PIT | NL | 12 | 13 | 35 | 29 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 192.0 | 203 | 77 | 32 | 93 | 3.61 | 1047.6 |
| 1965 | PIT | NL | 17 | 9 | 29 | 28 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 217.3 | 182 | 52 | 35 | 101 | 2.15 | 2098.3 |
| 1966 | PIT | NL | 12 | 8 | 31 | 28 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 177.7 | 203 | 80 | 24 | 88 | 4.05 | 430.8 |
| 1967 | PIT | NL | 2 | 6 | 25 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 97.0 | 122 | 45 | 18 | 43 | 4.18 | 972.8 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 516 | 883 | 96 | 191 | 35 | 7 | 11 | 90 | 1 | 41 | 179 | 0.216 | 0.254 | 0.309 | 0.563 | -2563.4 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | PIT | NL | 27 | 41 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0.073 | 0.0 |
| 1951 | PIT | NL | 28 | 32 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0.344 | 0.0 |
| 1954 | PIT | NL | 50 | 52 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 0.231 | -38.4 |
| 1955 | PIT | NL | 44 | 63 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 0.254 | -122.4 |
| 1956 | PIT | NL | 39 | 57 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0.175 | -360.9 |
| 1957 | PIT | NL | 34 | 63 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0.190 | -393.2 |
| 1958 | PIT | NL | 36 | 62 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 0.194 | -111.4 |
| 1959 | PIT | NL | 38 | 96 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 0.167 | -699.6 |
| 1960 | PIT | NL | 35 | 94 | 10 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 0.181 | -513.1 |
| 1961 | PIT | NL | 11 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.263 | 0.0 |
| 1962 | PIT | NL | 23 | 45 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0.311 | 0.0 |
| 1963 | PIT | NL | 21 | 23 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.217 | 0.0 |
| 1964 | PIT | NL | 36 | 61 | 9 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0.311 | 110.7 |
| 1965 | PIT | NL | 34 | 82 | 9 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0.244 | -310.2 |
| 1966 | PIT | NL | 34 | 66 | 11 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0.242 | -124.8 |
| 1967 | PIT | NL | 26 | 27 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0.111 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.333 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | WS | PIT | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.333 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 18.3 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 3.44 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | WS | PIT | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 18.3 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 3.44 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 483 | 333 | 212 | 453 | 19 | 41 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | PIT | P | 27 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 1 |
| 1951 | PIT | P | 28 | 0 | 10 | 15 | 2 | 2 |
| 1954 | PIT | P | 39 | 18 | 11 | 23 | 1 | 2 |
| 1954 | PIT | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955 | PIT | P | 43 | 24 | 14 | 35 | 4 | 3 |
| 1956 | PIT | P | 39 | 32 | 12 | 31 | 0 | 3 |
| 1957 | PIT | P | 31 | 25 | 13 | 23 | 2 | 2 |
| 1958 | PIT | P | 35 | 29 | 16 | 31 | 0 | 3 |
| 1959 | PIT | P | 34 | 33 | 20 | 47 | 1 | 5 |
| 1960 | PIT | P | 35 | 35 | 28 | 50 | 2 | 6 |
| 1961 | PIT | P | 11 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 1962 | PIT | P | 23 | 20 | 7 | 27 | 2 | 3 |
| 1963 | PIT | P | 18 | 12 | 5 | 20 | 0 | 1 |
| 1964 | PIT | P | 35 | 29 | 16 | 36 | 1 | 3 |
| 1965 | PIT | P | 29 | 28 | 29 | 36 | 1 | 2 |
| 1966 | PIT | P | 31 | 28 | 11 | 36 | 0 | 4 |
| 1967 | PIT | P | 25 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 483 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Awards & Honors
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 12.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1960 | Cy Young Award | ML | 1st | 8.0 | 16 | 8 |
| 1960 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 6th | 80.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1959 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1955 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 23th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |