Don Lee

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1957-1966)

Don Lee was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1966 for 7 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 10 seasons. Across 244 career appearances, he went 40-44 with a 3.61 ERA and 467 strikeouts. He also batted .164 with 1 home runs.

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 40–44
ERA 3.61
WHIP 1.34
SO 467
Pitcher PIV -757.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 205 lb
Born
2/26/1934 in Globe, AZ, USA
MLB Debut
1957-04-23
Last Game
1966-08-21

Full name: Donald Edward Lee

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Career Pitching Statistics

Don Lee — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
40 44 244 97 13 4 11 828.1 827 332 81 281 467 3.61 -757.7

Career ERA 3.61 vs. league average 3.71 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Lee Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1957 DET AL 1 3 11 6 0 0 0 38.2 48 20 18 19 4.66 3.83 (-21%) -1094.4
1958 DET AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 2 1 0 9.00 — 0.0
1960 WS1 AL 8 7 44 20 1 0 3 165.0 160 63 64 88 3.44 3.82 (+10%) -503.1
1961 MIN AL 3 6 37 10 4 0 3 115.0 93 45 35 65 3.52 4.03 (+13%) 614.8
1962 MIN AL 3 3 9 9 1 0 0 52.0 51 26 24 28 4.50 3.96 (-14%) -1785.5
1962 LAA AL 8 8 27 22 4 2 2 153.1 153 53 39 74 3.11 3.96 (+21%) 1835.4
1963 LAA AL 8 11 40 22 3 2 1 154.0 148 63 51 89 3.68 3.46 (-6%) -177.3
1964 LAA AL 5 4 33 8 0 0 2 89.1 99 27 25 73 2.72 3.58 (+24%) 1964.3
1965 CAL AL 0 1 10 0 0 0 0 14.0 21 10 5 12 6.43 3.50 (-84%) -806.4
1965 HOU NL 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 8.0 8 3 3 3 3.38 — 0.0
1966 HOU NL 2 0 9 0 0 0 0 18.0 17 5 4 9 2.50 3.52 (+29%) 260.6
1966 CHN NL 2 1 16 0 0 0 0 19.0 28 15 12 7 7.11 3.52 (-102%) -1066.2
Career · 12 seasons 40 44 244 97 13 4 11 828.1 827 332 281 467 3.61 — -758

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 Lee — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
244 226 12 37 6 0 1 13 0 6 80 .164 .185 .204 .388 0

Career AVG .164 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 35.2% below league average.

Career OBP .185 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 42.0% below league average.

Career SLG .204 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — 47.0% below league average.

Career OPS .388 vs. league average .702 across their career seasons — 44.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Lee 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
1957 DET AL 11 12 1 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 .167 — — — — 0.0
1958 DET AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1960 WS1 AL 44 43 3 5 1 0 1 3 0 4 18 .116 — — — — 0.0
1961 MIN AL 37 30 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 11 .067 — — — — 0.0
1962 MIN AL 9 19 2 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 .211 — — — — 0.0
1962 LAA AL 27 49 0 9 1 0 0 1 0 0 18 .184 — — — — 0.0
1963 LAA AL 40 45 2 7 1 0 0 1 0 0 17 .156 — — — — 0.0
1964 LAA AL 33 23 2 6 2 0 0 2 0 1 5 .261 — — — — 0.0
1965 CAL AL 10 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333 — — — — 0.0
1965 HOU NL 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1966 HOU NL 9 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1966 CHN NL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 244 226 12 37 6 0 1 13 0 6 80 .164 — — — — 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 (488 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Don Lee — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1249641706.177
Away12012882017.156

Pitching — Home / Away

Don Lee — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home124411.14111961272284.29
Away120417.04161361542392.94

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Don Lee — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1966-08-21 CHCPIT — 3.0522000
1966-08-11 CHCHOU — 1.0233111
1966-07-28 CHCCIN — 1.0000010
1966-07-27 CHCCIN — 2.0330110
1966-07-23 CHCSTL — 1.0200010
1966-07-20 CHCCIN — 0.2000010
1966-07-20 CHCCIN L 0.1111110
1966-07-09 CHCPHI — 0.1100000
1966-07-08 CHCPHI — 2.0200200
1966-07-06 CHCPIT — 1.1544101

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don Lee — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 244 97 43 140 6 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Don Lee — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1957 DET P 11 6 1 6 0 0
1958 DET P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1960 WS1 P 44 20 6 31 0 3
1961 MIN P 37 10 8 29 2 1
1962 MIN P 9 9 5 9 1 1
1962 LAA P 27 22 8 19 0 0
1963 LAA P 40 22 8 21 1 4
1964 LAA P 33 8 1 12 0 0
1965 CAL P 10 0 1 2 1 0
1965 HOU P 7 0 2 2 0 0
1966 HOU P 9 0 3 6 1 1
1966 CHN P 16 0 0 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don Lee Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 244

College History

Don Lee — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Arizona Tucson AZ 1954, 1955, 1956

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Joe Black
    49-36, 3.72 ERA
  2. 96
    Don Nottebart
    36-51, 3.65 ERA
  3. 96
    Ron Herbel
    42-37, 3.83 ERA
  4. 93
    Luis Aquino
    31-32, 3.68 ERA
  5. 90
    Cal Koonce
    47-49, 3.78 ERA
  6. 85
    Mark Thurmond
    40-46, 3.69 ERA

Don Lee: the record in brief

According to the bio, Don Lee debuted on April 23, 1957 and played a final game on August 21, 1966. By club, Lee's seasons break down as the Detroit Tigers (1957 to 1958), the Washington Senators (1960), the Minnesota Twins (1961 to 1962), the Los Angeles Angels (1962 to 1964), the California Angels (1965), the Houston Astros (1965 through 1966), and the Chicago Cubs (1966). Lee played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Born on February 26, 1934, in Globe, AZ, USA, Lee was listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds. The given name on file is Donald Edward Lee.

Lee's career pitching line is 40 wins, 44 losses and a 3.61 ERA over 244 appearances. The totals include 467 strikeouts, 13 complete games, and 11 saves. Lee's 3.61 ERA was close to the 3.71 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 8 wins of 1960. 1963 produced Lee's most strikeouts, 89. 1962 was Lee's sharpest full season, a 3.11 ERA against the league's 3.96.

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Lee

What years did Don Lee play?
Don Lee played in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1966.
Was Don Lee a pitcher?
Yes. Don Lee pitched in the major leagues, recording 40 wins and 467 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Don Lee hit?
Don Lee hit 1 career home runs with 37 hits.
What was Don Lee's career batting average?
Don Lee batted .164 over his career, with 37 hits in 226 at bats.
How many RBI did Don Lee have?
Don Lee drove in 13 runs in his career.
What was Don Lee's career ERA?
Don Lee finished with a 3.61 career ERA, going 40-44 with 467 strikeouts.