Walt Masterson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1939-1956)

W–L 78–100
ERA 4.15
WHIP 1.51
SO 815
Pitcher PIV -4573.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 189 lb
Born
6/22/1920 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
Died
4/5/2008 in Durham, NC, USA
MLB Debut
1939-05-08
Last Game
1956-09-24
Awards
2× All-Star

Full name: Walter Edward Masterson

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Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
78 100 399 184 70 15 20 1649.7 1,613 760 101 886 815 4.15 -4573.9

Career ERA 4.15 vs. league average 3.97 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

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
1939 WS1 AL 2 2 24 5 1 0 0 58.3 66 36 48 12 5.55 4.28 (-30%) -2027.3
1940 WS1 AL 3 13 31 19 3 0 2 130.3 128 71 88 68 4.90 4.21 (-16%) -1432.7
1941 WS1 AL 4 3 34 6 1 0 3 78.3 101 52 53 40 5.97 3.94 (-52%) -809.2
1942 WS1 AL 5 9 25 15 8 4 2 142.7 138 53 54 63 3.34 3.57 (+6%) 552.9
1945 WS1 AL 1 2 4 2 1 1 0 25.0 21 3 10 14 1.08 3.67 (+71%) 219.8
1946 WS1 AL 5 6 29 9 2 0 1 91.3 105 61 67 61 6.01 3.59 (-67%) -2506.3
1947 WS1 AL 12 16 35 31 14 4 1 253.0 215 88 97 135 3.13 3.97 (+21%) 4027.2
1948 WS1 AL 8 15 33 27 9 2 2 188.0 171 80 122 72 3.83 4.10 (+7%) -3500.4
1949 WS1 AL 3 2 10 7 3 0 0 53.0 42 19 21 17 3.23 4.12 (+22%) -120.8
1949 BOS AL 3 4 18 5 1 0 4 55.0 58 26 35 19 4.25 4.12 (-3%) -115.5
1950 BOS AL 8 6 33 15 6 0 1 129.3 145 81 82 60 5.64 4.36 (-29%) -2361.8
1951 BOS AL 3 0 30 1 0 0 2 59.3 53 22 32 39 3.34 4.04 (+17%) 1559.6
1952 BOS AL 1 1 5 1 0 0 0 9.3 18 12 11 3 11.57 3.70 (-213%) 0.0
1952 WS1 AL 9 8 24 21 11 0 2 160.7 153 66 72 89 3.70 3.70 (avg) 538.1
1953 WS1 AL 10 12 29 20 10 4 0 166.3 145 67 62 95 3.63 4.14 (+12%) 1144.2
1956 DET AL 1 1 35 0 0 0 0 49.7 54 23 32 28 4.17 3.96 (-5%) 258.4
Career · 16 seasons 78 100 399 184 70 15 20 1,649.2 1,613 760 886 815 4.15 — -4,574

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

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
402 486 37 68 9 2 0 26 1 34 221 .140 .196 .167 .363 -1,797

Career AVG .140 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 46.6% below league average.

Career OBP .196 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 41.4% below league average.

Career SLG .167 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — 56.0% below league average.

Career OPS .363 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 49.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

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
1939 WS1 AL 24 13 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 7 .154 — — — — 0.0
1940 WS1 AL 31 38 6 7 1 0 0 1 0 4 17 .184 — — — — 0.0
1941 WS1 AL 34 19 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 10 .105 — — — — 0.0
1942 WS1 AL 26 45 2 7 0 0 0 3 0 4 19 .156 — — — — 0.0
1945 WS1 AL 4 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 .111 — — — — 0.0
1946 WS1 AL 29 25 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 14 .080 — — — — 0.0
1947 WS1 AL 36 83 4 11 2 1 0 4 0 4 43 .133 .262 (-49%) .336 (-49%) .376 (-52%) .712 (-50%) -680.8
1948 WS1 AL 33 57 8 11 2 1 0 4 0 2 22 .193 .263 (-27%) .340 (-35%) .379 (-31%) .719 (-33%) -316.4
1949 WS1 AL 11 18 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 11 .056 — — — — 0.0
1949 BOS AL 18 17 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 .118 — — — — 0.0
1950 BOS AL 33 44 2 6 1 0 0 1 1 2 18 .136 — — — — 0.0
1951 BOS AL 30 11 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 .182 — — — — 0.0
1952 BOS AL 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1952 WS1 AL 24 50 5 6 1 0 0 4 0 4 21 .120 .252 (-53%) .326 (-43%) .369 (-62%) .696 (-53%) 0.0
1953 WS1 AL 29 51 2 7 1 0 0 5 0 6 21 .137 .264 (-48%) .335 (-32%) .397 (-61%) .733 (-47%) -387.0
1956 DET AL 35 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 .250 — — — — 0.0
Career · 16 seasons 402 486 37 68 9 2 0 26 1 34 221 .140 — — — — -1,384

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 (801 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1962461836016.146
Away2062421932010.132

Pitching — Home / Away

SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home195868.18203524474263.65
Away204780.27944124393914.75

Last 10 Games — Batting

DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1956-09-24 DETCHWL 000000000
1956-09-16 DETBOSW 000000000
1956-09-14 DETNYYL 000000000
1956-09-07 DETKC1W 000000000
1956-09-04 DETCHWL 000000000
1956-09-03 DETCHWL 000000000
1956-08-29 DETBOSL 000000000
1956-08-26 DETNYYL 000000000
1956-08-23 DETBALL 000000000
1956-08-16 DETCLEL 100000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1956-09-24 DETCHW — 2.0411110
1956-09-16 DETBOS W 2.0200010
1956-09-14 DETNYY — 1.0000110
1956-09-07 DETKC1 — 0.2000010
1956-09-04 DETCHW — 1.0000010
1956-09-03 DETCHW — 1.0100100
1956-08-29 DETBOS — 2.0200100
1956-08-26 DETNYY — 1.0000200
1956-08-23 DETBAL — 1.0000100
1956-08-16 DETCLE — 2.2000220

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 399 0 92 281 32 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1939 WS1 P 24 0 2 9 2 0
1940 WS1 P 31 0 5 16 1 0
1941 WS1 P 34 0 4 17 1 2
1942 WS1 P 25 0 8 22 7 0
1945 WS1 P 4 0 2 4 0 0
1946 WS1 P 29 0 5 15 1 0
1947 WS1 P 35 0 14 51 6 4
1948 WS1 P 33 0 10 24 3 1
1949 WS1 P 10 0 3 14 0 0
1949 BOS P 18 0 1 7 1 1
1950 BOS P 33 0 8 26 2 6
1951 BOS P 30 0 1 12 1 0
1952 BOS P 5 0 2 3 0 0
1952 WS1 P 24 0 14 28 1 3
1953 WS1 P 29 0 10 27 4 1
1956 DET P 35 0 3 6 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Position Games
Pitcher 399

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Walt Masterson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Mickey McDermott
    69-69, 3.91 ERA
  2. 97
    Bill Hallahan
    102-94, 4.03 ERA
  3. 96
    Sheriff Blake
    87-102, 4.13 ERA
  4. 96
    Eddie Smith
    73-113, 3.82 ERA
  5. 96
    Bill Wight
    77-99, 3.95 ERA
  6. 95
    Don Larsen
    81-91, 3.78 ERA

Frequently Asked Questions about Walt Masterson

What years did Walt Masterson play?
Walt Masterson played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1956.
Was Walt Masterson a pitcher?
Yes. Walt Masterson pitched in the major leagues, recording 78 wins and 815 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Walt Masterson hit?
Walt Masterson hit 0 career home runs with 68 hits.