Jim Lonborg
Born: 4/16/1942 in Santa Maria, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 1965-04-23 | Final Game: 1979-06-10
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 200 lbs
Full name: James Reynold Lonborg
Biography
Jim Lonborg was a notable pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1965 to 1979. Born in 1942, he played the majority of his career with the Boston Red Sox and became a key figure in their pitching rotation during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Lonborg's performance peaked when he won the prestigious Cy Young Award, showcasing his ability to dominate opposing hitters. He finished his career with a record of 157 wins and 137 losses, an earned run average of 3.86, and a total of 1,475 strikeouts. Additionally, he recorded 4 saves, reflecting his versatility as a pitcher.
Lonborg's playing style was characterized by a solid fastball and an effective curve, making him a formidable opponent on the mound. He was selected as an All-Star during his career, underlining his status as one of the top pitchers of his era. His contributions were particularly significant during a time when the Red Sox were striving to return to prominence in the American League. Lonborg's impact extended beyond the statistics as he became a beloved figure in Boston, remembered for his resilience and tenacity on the field. After retiring, he left a lasting legacy in the game, influencing future generations of pitchers.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 157 | 137 | 425 | 368 | 90 | 15 | 4 | 2464.3 | 2400 | 1056 | 233 | 823 | 1475 | 3.86 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | BOS | AL | 9 | 17 | 32 | 31 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 185.3 | 193 | 92 | 65 | 113 | 4.47 | -1455.3 |
| 1966 | BOS | AL | 10 | 10 | 45 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 181.7 | 173 | 78 | 55 | 131 | 3.86 | 453.5 |
| 1967 | BOS | AL | 22 | 9 | 39 | 39 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 273.3 | 228 | 96 | 83 | 246 | 3.16 | 2533.4 |
| 1968 | BOS | AL | 6 | 10 | 23 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 113.3 | 89 | 54 | 59 | 73 | 4.29 | -3564.9 |
| 1969 | BOS | AL | 7 | 11 | 29 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 143.7 | 148 | 72 | 65 | 100 | 4.51 | -1347.6 |
| 1970 | BOS | AL | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.0 | 33 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 3.18 | 463.6 |
| 1971 | BOS | AL | 10 | 7 | 27 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 167.7 | 167 | 77 | 67 | 100 | 4.13 | -1742.8 |
| 1972 | ATL | AL | 14 | 12 | 33 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 223.0 | 197 | 70 | 76 | 143 | 2.83 | - |
| 1973 | PHI | NL | 13 | 16 | 38 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 199.3 | 218 | 108 | 80 | 106 | 4.88 | -3766.3 |
| 1974 | PHI | NL | 17 | 13 | 39 | 39 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 283.0 | 280 | 101 | 70 | 121 | 3.21 | 658.6 |
| 1975 | PHI | NL | 8 | 6 | 27 | 26 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 159.3 | 161 | 73 | 45 | 72 | 4.12 | 439.6 |
| 1976 | PHI | NL | 18 | 10 | 33 | 32 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 222.0 | 210 | 76 | 50 | 118 | 3.08 | 855.2 |
| 1977 | PHI | NL | 11 | 4 | 25 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 157.7 | 157 | 72 | 50 | 76 | 4.11 | -239.2 |
| 1978 | PHI | NL | 8 | 10 | 22 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 113.7 | 132 | 66 | 45 | 48 | 5.23 | -3267.8 |
| 1979 | PHI | NL | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.3 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 11.05 | 0.0 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 426 | 770 | 41 | 105 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 43 | 1 | 51 | 330 | 0.136 | 0.191 | 0.175 | 0.366 | -5415.2 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | BOS | AL | 32 | 59 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 22 | 0.136 | -405.6 |
| 1966 | BOS | AL | 46 | 54 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 0.093 | -525.5 |
| 1967 | BOS | AL | 39 | 99 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 52 | 0.141 | -753.7 |
| 1968 | BOS | AL | 23 | 39 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0.282 | 0.0 |
| 1969 | BOS | AL | 29 | 41 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 22 | 0.098 | 0.0 |
| 1970 | BOS | AL | 9 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.444 | 0.0 |
| 1971 | BOS | AL | 27 | 53 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 0.170 | -340.7 |
| 1972 | ATL | AL | 33 | 69 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 29 | 0.145 | -525.6 |
| 1973 | PHI | NL | 38 | 59 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 29 | 0.136 | -441.8 |
| 1974 | PHI | NL | 39 | 94 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 44 | 0.096 | -928.4 |
| 1975 | PHI | NL | 27 | 44 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 0.023 | -548.6 |
| 1976 | PHI | NL | 33 | 67 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 20 | 0.164 | -412.2 |
| 1977 | PHI | NL | 25 | 48 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 0.104 | -533.0 |
| 1978 | PHI | NL | 22 | 34 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 0.176 | 0.0 |
| 1979 | PHI | NL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | NLCS | PHI | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1976 | NLCS | PHI | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 1967 | WS | BOS | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0.000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 33.3 | 21 | 13 | 5 | 14 | 3.51 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | NLCS | PHI | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11.25 |
| 1976 | NLCS | PHI | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5.3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.69 |
| 1967 | WS | BOS | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 24.0 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 2.62 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 425 | 368 | 189 | 268 | 22 | 18 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | BOS | P | 32 | 31 | 12 | 24 | 5 | 0 |
| 1966 | BOS | P | 45 | 23 | 18 | 21 | 2 | 2 |
| 1967 | BOS | P | 39 | 39 | 19 | 24 | 1 | 2 |
| 1968 | BOS | P | 23 | 17 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969 | BOS | P | 29 | 23 | 13 | 18 | 2 | 1 |
| 1970 | BOS | P | 9 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1971 | BOS | P | 27 | 26 | 15 | 28 | 1 | 3 |
| 1972 | ML4 | P | 33 | 30 | 9 | 25 | 3 | 2 |
| 1973 | PHI | P | 38 | 30 | 10 | 26 | 5 | 2 |
| 1974 | PHI | P | 39 | 39 | 16 | 26 | 2 | 1 |
| 1975 | PHI | P | 27 | 26 | 24 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 1976 | PHI | P | 33 | 32 | 21 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | PHI | P | 25 | 25 | 10 | 17 | 0 | 3 |
| 1978 | PHI | P | 22 | 22 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 1979 | PHI | P | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 425 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Cy Young Award | |
| 1967 | TSN All-Star | P |
| 1967 | TSN Pitcher of the Year |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford University | Palo Alto | CA | 1962, 1963 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Cy Young Award | AL | 1st | 18.0 | 20 | 18 |
| 1967 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 6th | 82.0 | 280 | 0 |