Rick Mahler

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1979-1991)

Rick Mahler was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1979 to 1991 for the Atlanta Braves, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Montreal Expos, a span of 13 seasons. Across 392 career appearances, he went 96-111 with a 3.99 ERA and 952 strikeouts. He also batted .179 with 1 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 441.5.

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 96–111
ERA 3.99
WHIP 1.37
SO 952
Pitcher PIV 441.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 195 lb
Born
8/5/1953 in Austin, TX, USA
Died
3/2/2005 in Jupiter, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1979-04-20
Last Game
1991-08-06

Full name: Richard Keith Mahler

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Career Pitching Statistics

Rick Mahler — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
96 111 392 271 43 9 6 1951.1 2,069 866 165 606 952 3.99 441.5

Career ERA 3.99 vs. league average 3.88 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rick Mahler Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1979 ATL NL 0 0 15 0 0 0 0 22.0 28 15 11 12 6.14 4.00 (-53%) -826.6
1980 ATL NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3.2 2 1 0 1 2.45 — 0.0
1981 ATL NL 8 6 34 14 1 0 2 112.1 109 35 43 54 2.80 3.58 (+22%) 548.7
1982 ATL NL 9 10 39 33 5 2 0 205.1 213 96 62 105 4.21 3.86 (-9%) 583.3
1983 ATL NL 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 14.1 16 8 9 7 5.02 3.87 (-30%) 75.6
1984 ATL NL 13 10 38 29 9 1 0 222.0 209 77 62 106 3.12 3.81 (+18%) 2078.3
1985 ATL NL 17 15 39 39 6 1 0 266.2 272 103 79 107 3.48 3.89 (+11%) -464.0
1986 ATL NL 14 18 39 39 7 1 0 237.2 283 129 95 137 4.88 3.97 (-23%) -1486.2
1987 ATL NL 8 13 39 28 3 1 0 197.0 212 109 85 95 4.98 4.29 (-16%) -2569.3
1988 ATL NL 9 16 39 34 5 0 0 249.0 279 102 42 131 3.69 3.73 (+1%) 3448.0
1989 CIN NL 9 13 40 31 5 2 0 220.2 242 94 51 102 3.83 3.71 (-3%) 916.7
1990 CIN NL 7 6 35 16 2 1 4 134.2 134 64 39 68 4.28 3.86 (-11%) -1405.0
1991 MON NL 1 3 10 6 0 0 0 37.1 37 15 15 17 3.62 3.91 (+8%) 60.6
1991 ATL NL 1 1 13 2 0 0 0 28.2 33 18 13 10 5.65 3.91 (-44%) -518.6
Career · 14 seasons 96 111 392 271 43 9 6 1,951.1 2,069 866 606 952 3.99 — 442

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

Rick Mahler — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
394 581 40 104 17 0 1 37 0 20 117 .179 .208 .213 .422 -3,047

Career AVG .179 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 30.9% below league average.

Career OBP .208 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 35.8% below league average.

Career SLG .213 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 45.0% below league average.

Career OPS .422 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 40.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rick Mahler 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
1979 ATL NL 15 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 — — — — 0.0
1980 ATL NL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 ATL NL 34 27 0 4 1 0 0 2 0 0 4 .148 — — — — 0.0
1982 ATL NL 39 58 5 11 0 0 1 4 0 4 17 .190 .261 (-27%) .324 (-25%) .388 (-38%) .712 (-32%) -286.5
1983 ATL NL 10 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 ATL NL 38 71 6 21 3 0 0 3 0 2 8 .296 .259 (+14%) .322 (-2%) .384 (-12%) .707 (-8%) -85.9
1985 ATL NL 39 90 9 14 1 0 0 8 0 3 18 .156 .257 (-39%) .323 (-44%) .390 (-57%) .714 (-51%) -734.1
1986 ATL NL 40 83 8 16 3 0 0 7 0 4 14 .193 .257 (-25%) .325 (-29%) .395 (-42%) .720 (-36%) -478.9
1987 ATL NL 40 65 4 11 4 0 0 5 0 2 19 .169 .262 (-36%) .331 (-41%) .415 (-44%) .746 (-43%) -466.8
1988 ATL NL 39 72 3 9 1 0 0 5 0 0 20 .125 .254 (-51%) .317 (-57%) .377 (-63%) .695 (-60%) -665.4
1989 CIN NL 40 62 4 11 2 0 0 1 0 4 8 .177 .254 (-30%) .319 (-25%) .375 (-44%) .694 (-35%) -329.9
1990 CIN NL 35 35 1 4 1 0 0 2 0 1 4 .114 — — — — 0.0
1991 MON NL 10 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .111 — — — — 0.0
1991 ATL NL 13 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .200 — — — — 0.0
Career · 14 seasons 394 581 40 104 17 0 1 37 0 20 117 .179 — — — — -3,047

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

Rick Mahler — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Rick Mahler — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1990 NLCS CIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1982 NLCS ATL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Rick Mahler — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 2 0 0 3.1 5 0 2 0 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Rick Mahler — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1990 NLCS CIN 0 0 1 0 0 1.2 2 0 0 0 0.00
1982 NLCS ATL 0 0 1 0 0 1.2 3 0 2 0 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (786 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Rick Mahler — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2032662753123.199
Away1913151351014.162

Pitching — Home / Away

Rick Mahler — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home202991.010424252914763.86
Away190960.110274413154764.13

Last 10 Games — Batting

Rick Mahler — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1991-08-06 ATLSFGW 100000000
1991-08-02 ATLSDPL 000000000
1991-07-29 ATLPITW 100000001
1991-07-23 ATLPITL 101100000
1991-07-15 ATLCHCL 000000000
1991-07-06 ATLLADL 000000000
1991-07-04 ATLCINL 100000000
1991-06-28 ATLLADL 000000000
1991-06-25 ATLHOUL 000000000
1991-06-22 ATLNYNL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Rick Mahler — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1991-08-06 ATLSFG — 2.0433200
1991-08-02 ATLSDP — 1.0222011
1991-07-29 ATLPIT W 6.0421130
1991-07-23 ATLPIT — 2.2344111
1991-07-15 ATLCHC — 1.1200210
1991-07-06 ATLLAD — 2.1200110
1991-07-04 ATLCIN — 2.1411110
1991-06-28 ATLLAD L 2.0322300
1991-06-25 ATLHOU — 1.0000200
1991-06-22 ATLNYN — 1.2443000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Rick Mahler — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 392 271 160 338 21 31

Season-by-Season Fielding

Rick Mahler — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1979 ATL P 15 0 1 3 1 0
1980 ATL P 2 0 0 1 0 0
1981 ATL P 34 14 14 19 2 0
1982 ATL P 39 33 19 36 1 5
1983 ATL P 10 0 1 1 1 1
1984 ATL P 38 29 20 42 2 5
1985 ATL P 39 39 21 45 4 9
1986 ATL P 39 39 23 41 3 2
1987 ATL P 39 28 13 42 1 2
1988 ATL P 39 34 22 43 3 4
1989 CIN P 40 31 8 35 1 2
1990 CIN P 35 16 11 17 1 1
1991 MON P 10 6 3 9 0 0
1991 ATL P 13 2 4 4 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Rick Mahler Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 392

Awards & Honors

Rick Mahler — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-04-09

Salary History

Rick Mahler's recorded salaries total $4,107,500 over 6 seasons, 1985 to 1990. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Mahler's career ran from 1979 to 1991. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1991.

Rick Mahler — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1990 CIN NL $790,000
1989 CIN NL $790,000
1988 ATL NL $737,500
1987 ATL NL $695,000
1986 ATL NL $687,500
1985 ATL NL $407,500
Total recorded salary (partial) $4,107,500

College History

Rick Mahler — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Trinity University San Antonio TX 1972, 1973, 1974

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Rick Mahler (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jack Fisher
    86-139, 4.06 ERA
  2. 94
    Zane Smith
    100-115, 3.74 ERA
  3. 89
    Dave Goltz
    113-109, 3.69 ERA
  4. 86
    Bob Walk
    105-81, 4.03 ERA
  5. 85
    Cal McLish
    92-92, 4.00 ERA
  6. 85
    Ray Herbert
    104-107, 4.01 ERA

Rick Mahler: the record in brief

According to the bio, Rick Mahler debuted on April 20, 1979 and played a final game on August 6, 1991. The season rows list, in order, the Atlanta Braves (1979 through 1991), the Cincinnati Reds (1989 to 1990), and the Montreal Expos (1991). Mahler is listed as a pitcher at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds. Mahler batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is August 5, 1953, in Austin, TX, USA. Mahler's death is recorded on March 2, 2005, in Jupiter, FL, USA. On the record, Rick Mahler was born Richard Keith Mahler.

Mahler pitched in 392 games, starting 271, and finished with a 96-111 record and 3.99 ERA. The same table counts 952 strikeouts, 43 complete games, and 9 shutouts. Mahler's 3.99 ERA was close to the 3.88 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 17 wins of 1985. 1986 produced Mahler's most strikeouts, 137. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.12 in 1984, when the league's was 3.81.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rick Mahler

What years did Rick Mahler play?
Rick Mahler played in Major League Baseball from 1979 to 1991.
Was Rick Mahler a pitcher?
Yes. Rick Mahler pitched in the major leagues, recording 96 wins and 952 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Rick Mahler hit?
Rick Mahler hit 1 career home run with 104 hits.
What teams did Rick Mahler play for?
Rick Mahler played for 3 teams: the Atlanta Braves (1979–1988, 1991), the Cincinnati Reds (1989–1990), and the Montreal Expos (1991).
What were Rick Mahler's career stats?
In 392 games, Rick Mahler went 96-111 with a 3.99 ERA, 952 strikeouts, 1,951.1 innings pitched, and 6 saves. At the plate he had 104 hits and 1 home runs.
How much did Rick Mahler earn in his career?
Rick Mahler's recorded salaries total $4,107,500 over 6 seasons, 1985 to 1990. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Mahler's career ran from 1979 to 1991. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1991.
What was Rick Mahler's salary?
Rick Mahler's last recorded salary was $790,000, in 1990. His highest recorded salary was $790,000, in 1989, and his lowest was $407,500, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1990.
What position did Rick Mahler play?
Rick Mahler played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Rick Mahler and how much did he weigh?
Rick Mahler was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 195 pounds.
What was Rick Mahler's career ERA?
Rick Mahler finished with a 3.99 career ERA, going 96-111 with 952 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Rick Mahler have?
Rick Mahler recorded 952 career strikeouts.
Is Rick Mahler in the Hall of Fame?
No. Rick Mahler has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.