Dennis Leonard
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1974-1986)
Dennis Leonard was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1986 for the Kansas City Royals, a span of 13 seasons. Across 312 career appearances, he went 144-106 with a 3.70 ERA and 1,323 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 11743.4.
- 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 190 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1974-09-04
- Last Game
- 1986-09-27
Full name: Dennis Patrick Leonard
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | KCA | AL | 0 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 | 28 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 5.32 | 3.63 (-47%) | -148.0 |
| 1975 | KCA | AL | 15 | 7 | 32 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 212.1 | 212 | 89 | 90 | 146 | 3.77 | 3.71 (-2%) | -10.5 |
| 1976 | KCA | AL | 17 | 10 | 35 | 34 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 259.0 | 247 | 101 | 70 | 150 | 3.51 | 3.51 (avg) | 2036.3 |
| 1977 | KCA | AL | 20 | 12 | 38 | 37 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 292.2 | 246 | 99 | 79 | 244 | 3.04 | 4.00 (+24%) | 9592.3 |
| 1978 | KCA | AL | 21 | 17 | 40 | 40 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 294.2 | 283 | 109 | 78 | 183 | 3.33 | 3.69 (+10%) | 2088.4 |
| 1979 | KCA | AL | 14 | 12 | 32 | 32 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 236.0 | 226 | 107 | 56 | 126 | 4.08 | 4.00 (-2%) | -1282.9 |
| 1980 | KCA | AL | 20 | 11 | 38 | 38 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 280.1 | 271 | 118 | 80 | 155 | 3.79 | 3.84 (+1%) | -439.8 |
| 1981 | KCA | AL | 13 | 11 | 26 | 26 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 201.2 | 202 | 67 | 41 | 107 | 2.99 | 3.58 (+17%) | 2220.8 |
| 1982 | KCA | AL | 10 | 6 | 21 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 130.2 | 145 | 74 | 46 | 58 | 5.10 | 3.86 (-32%) | -3455.2 |
| 1983 | KCA | AL | 6 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 63.0 | 69 | 26 | 19 | 31 | 3.71 | 3.87 (+4%) | 921.6 |
| 1985 | KCA | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | KCA | AL | 8 | 13 | 33 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 192.2 | 207 | 95 | 51 | 114 | 4.44 | 3.97 (-12%) | 220.5 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 144 | 106 | 312 | 302 | 103 | 23 | 1 | 2,187.0 | 2,137 | 898 | 622 | 1,323 | 3.70 | — | 11,743 | ||
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.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| 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 | KCA | AL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | KCA | AL | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1976 | KCA | AL | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | KCA | AL | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | KCA | AL | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | KCA | AL | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1980 | KCA | AL | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1981 | KCA | AL | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | KCA | AL | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | KCA | AL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1985 | KCA | AL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | KCA | AL | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 313 | 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.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | AWDIV | KCA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1980 | ALCS | KCA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1980 | WS | KCA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1978 | ALCS | KCA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1977 | ALCS | KCA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1976 | ALCS | KCA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 50.0 | 56 | 24 | 10 | 31 | 4.32 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | AWDIV | KCA | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1.12 |
| 1980 | ALCS | KCA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8.0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2.25 |
| 1980 | WS | KCA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10.2 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 6.75 |
| 1978 | ALCS | KCA | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12.0 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 3.75 |
| 1977 | ALCS | KCA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9.0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3.00 |
| 1976 | ALCS | KCA | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2.1 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 19.29 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (625 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 162 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Away | 151 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 162 | 1156.1 | 1114 | 418 | 295 | 640 | 3.25 |
| Away | 150 | 1030.2 | 1023 | 480 | 327 | 683 | 4.19 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-09-27 | KCR | OAK | — | 1.1 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986-09-23 | KCR | MIN | L | 1.2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1986-09-18 | KCR | LAA | L | 3.2 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 1986-09-13 | KCR | SEA | W | 7.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1986-09-08 | KCR | MIN | W | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 1986-09-03 | KCR | CHW | — | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1986-08-29 | KCR | MIL | L | 8.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1986-08-24 | KCR | MIL | — | 6.2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 1986-08-19 | KCR | TEX | — | 4.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1986-08-14 | KCR | BOS | — | 2.2 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | KCA | P | 5 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 1975 | KCA | P | 32 | 30 | 14 | 28 | 2 | 4 |
| 1976 | KCA | P | 35 | 34 | 11 | 23 | 6 | 2 |
| 1977 | KCA | P | 38 | 37 | 21 | 29 | 4 | 2 |
| 1978 | KCA | P | 40 | 40 | 16 | 43 | 1 | 2 |
| 1979 | KCA | P | 32 | 32 | 19 | 32 | 1 | 2 |
| 1980 | KCA | P | 38 | 38 | 9 | 41 | 1 | 4 |
| 1981 | KCA | P | 26 | 26 | 13 | 31 | 0 | 3 |
| 1982 | KCA | P | 21 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 3 | 2 |
| 1983 | KCA | P | 10 | 10 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
| 1985 | KCA | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | KCA | P | 33 | 30 | 11 | 29 | 4 | 4 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 312 |
| Designated Hitter | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Hutch Award | |
| 1975 | Player of the Week | Week of 1975-08-29 |
Salary History
Dennis Leonard's recorded salaries total $1,754,762 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Leonard's career ran from 1974 to 1986. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | KCA | AL | $883,333 |
| 1985 | KCA | AL | $871,429 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $1,754,762 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iona College | New Rochelle | NY | 1970, 1971, 1972 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Cy Young Award | AL | 7th | 1.0 | 140 | 0 |
| 1977 | Cy Young Award | AL | 4th | 45.0 | 140 | 5 |
| 1977 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 29th | 1.0 | 392 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Dennis Leonard (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Dennis Leonard: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 4, 1974 and the final game on September 27, 1986, Dennis Leonard built the record summarized on this page. Leonard spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Kansas City Royals. Leonard played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on May 18, 1951, in Brooklyn, NY, USA and a listed size of 6'1" and 190 pounds. Leonard's full given name, per the bio, is Dennis Patrick Leonard.
Leonard's career pitching line is 144 wins, 106 losses and a 3.70 ERA over 312 appearances. The totals include 1,323 strikeouts, 103 complete games, and 23 shutouts. Leonard's 3.70 ERA was close to the 3.81 league figure for those seasons. 1978 brought Leonard a season-high 21 wins. Leonard struck out 244 batters in 1977, a career high. In 1981, one of the busiest seasons, Leonard posted a 2.99 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.58. Pitcher PIV, the site's era-adjusted run-prevention measure, totals 11,743.4 for Leonard's career.
Leonard's awards table lists Hutch Award and Player of the Week (1975 and 1986). In award voting, Leonard's best finish was 4th for the Cy Young Award in 1977.
Leonard made 10 postseason pitching appearances, with a 3-5 record and 4.32 ERA. Those appearances came in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, and 1981.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dennis Leonard
- What years did Dennis Leonard play?
- Dennis Leonard played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1986.
- Was Dennis Leonard a pitcher?
- Yes. Dennis Leonard pitched in the major leagues, recording 144 wins and 1323 strikeouts.
- What teams did Dennis Leonard play for?
- Dennis Leonard played for one team, the Kansas City Royals (1974–1983, 1985–1986).
- What were Dennis Leonard's career stats?
- In 312 games, Dennis Leonard went 144-106 with a 3.70 ERA, 1,323 strikeouts, 2,187.0 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
- How much did Dennis Leonard earn in his career?
- Dennis Leonard's recorded salaries total $1,754,762 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Leonard's career ran from 1974 to 1986. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
- What was Dennis Leonard's salary?
- Dennis Leonard's last recorded salary was $883,333, in 1986. His highest recorded salary was $883,333, in 1986, and his lowest was $871,429, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1986.
- What position did Dennis Leonard play?
- Dennis Leonard played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Dennis Leonard and how much did he weigh?
- Dennis Leonard was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 190 pounds.
- What was Dennis Leonard's career ERA?
- Dennis Leonard finished with a 3.70 career ERA, going 144-106 with 1,323 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Dennis Leonard have?
- Dennis Leonard recorded 1,323 career strikeouts.
- Is Dennis Leonard in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Dennis Leonard has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.