What years did Ben McDonald play?

Ben McDonald played in Major League Baseball from 1989 to 1997.

Was Ben McDonald a pitcher?

Yes. Ben McDonald pitched in the major leagues, recording 78 wins and 894 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Ben McDonald hit?

Ben McDonald hit 0 career home runs.

What was Ben McDonald's career batting average?

Ben McDonald batted .000 over his career, with 0 hits in 1 at bats.

What was Ben McDonald's career ERA?

Ben McDonald finished with a 3.91 career ERA, going 78-70 with 894 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Ben McDonald have?

Ben McDonald recorded 894 career strikeouts.

Ben McDonald

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1989-1997)

Ben McDonald was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1989 to 1997 for the Baltimore Orioles and the Milwaukee Brewers, a span of 9 seasons. Across 211 career appearances, he went 78-70 with a 3.91 ERA and 894 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 4774.1.

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 October 12, 2026

W–L 78–70

ERA 3.91

WHIP 1.26

SO 894

Pitcher PIV 4774.1

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'7" / 212 lb
Born: 11/24/1967 in Baton Rouge, LA, USA
MLB Debut: 1989-09-06
Last Game: 1997-07-16

Full name: Larry Benard McDonald

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Career Pitching Statistics

Ben McDonald — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
78	70	211	198	24	6	0	1291.1	1,186	561	138	437	894	3.91	4774.1

Career ERA 3.91 vs. league average 4.15 across their career seasons — 5.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ben McDonald Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1989	BAL	AL	1	0	6	0	0	0	7.1	8	7	4	3	8.59	—	0.0
1990	BAL	AL	8	5	21	15	3	2	118.2	88	32	35	65	2.43	3.86 (+37%)	844.0
1991	BAL	AL	6	8	21	21	1	0	126.1	126	68	43	85	4.84	3.91 (-24%)	-916.4
1992	BAL	AL	13	13	35	35	4	2	227.0	213	107	74	158	4.24	3.75 (-13%)	-3263.9
1993	BAL	AL	13	14	34	34	7	1	220.1	185	83	86	171	3.39	4.19 (+19%)	2950.4
1994	BAL	AL	14	7	24	24	5	1	157.1	151	71	54	94	4.06	4.51 (+10%)	1425.2
1995	BAL	AL	3	6	14	13	1	0	80.0	67	37	38	62	4.16	4.45 (+6%)	-529.4
1996	ML4	AL	12	10	35	35	2	0	221.1	228	96	67	146	3.90	4.61 (+15%)	1740.2
1997	ML4	AL	8	7	21	21	1	0	133.0	120	60	36	110	4.06	4.39 (+7%)	2524.1
Career · 9 seasons			78	70	211	198	24	6	1,291.1	1,186	561	437	894	3.91	—	4,774

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

Ben McDonald — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
211	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000	0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .000 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .401 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS .000 vs. league average .732 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ben McDonald Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1989	BAL	AL	6	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1990	BAL	AL	21	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1991	BAL	AL	21	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1992	BAL	AL	35	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1993	BAL	AL	34	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1994	BAL	AL	24	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1995	BAL	AL	14	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1996	ML4	AL	35	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1997	ML4	AL	21	1	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 9 seasons			211	1	1	.000	—	—	—	—	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 (422 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Ben McDonald — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	109	0	0	0	0	0	—
Away	102	1	0	0	0	0	.000

Pitching — Home / Away

Ben McDonald — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	109	692.0	642	287	207	479	3.73
Away	102	599.1	544	274	230	415	4.11

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ben McDonald — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	SO
1997-07-16	MIL	CLE	L	0	0
1997-07-11	MIL	BAL	W	0	0
1997-07-06	MIL	MIN	W	0	0
1997-07-02	MIL	CIN	L	1	1
1997-06-27	MIL	KCR	L	0	0
1997-06-22	MIL	KCR	L	0	0
1997-06-16	MIL	STL	W	0	0
1997-06-11	MIL	CLE	L	0	0
1997-06-05	MIL	BOS	L	0	0
1997-05-31	MIL	CHW	W	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Ben McDonald — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1997-07-16	MIL	CLE	L	6.0	6	3	3	2	4	1
1997-07-11	MIL	BAL	W	6.0	0	0	0	0	4	0
1997-07-06	MIL	MIN	W	6.0	3	2	2	0	4	0
1997-07-02	MIL	CIN	L	4.0	6	4	4	1	3	0
1997-06-27	MIL	KCR	L	3.0	8	9	9	3	2	1
1997-06-22	MIL	KCR	—	7.0	4	3	3	3	8	1
1997-06-16	MIL	STL	—	8.0	4	0	0	1	12	0
1997-06-11	MIL	CLE	—	7.0	6	3	2	1	3	1
1997-06-05	MIL	BOS	L	9.0	6	2	2	1	8	1
1997-05-31	MIL	CHW	W	7.0	6	2	2	2	6	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ben McDonald — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	211	198	95	179	11	13

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ben McDonald — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1989	BAL	P	6	0	0	2	0	0
1990	BAL	P	21	15	15	14	1	1
1991	BAL	P	21	21	12	8	0	1
1992	BAL	P	35	35	22	29	0	2
1993	BAL	P	34	34	15	42	2	2
1994	BAL	P	24	24	7	25	0	1
1995	BAL	P	14	13	5	13	1	0
1996	ML4	P	35	35	13	30	6	3
1997	ML4	P	21	21	6	16	1	3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ben McDonald Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	211

Awards & Honors

Ben McDonald — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1994	Pitcher of the Month	April

Salary History

Ben McDonald — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
1997	ML4	AL	$5,000,000
1996	ML4	AL	$2,000,000
1995	BAL	AL	$4,500,000
1994	BAL	AL	$2,675,000
1993	BAL	AL	$1,250,000
1992	BAL	AL	$500,000
1991	BAL	AL	$491,667
1990	BAL	AL	$241,667
Total Career Earnings			$16,658,334

College History

Ben McDonald — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
Louisiana State University	Baton Rouge	LA	1987, 1988, 1989

Award Voting History

Ben McDonald — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1990	Rookie of the Year	AL	8th	2.0	140	0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Ben McDonald (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Ben McDonald: the record in brief

Ben McDonald played a first major league game on September 6, 1989 and a last one on July 16, 1997. By club, McDonald's seasons break down as the Baltimore Orioles (1989 through 1995) and the Milwaukee Brewers (1996 through 1997). At 6'7" and 212 pounds, McDonald is listed as a pitcher. McDonald batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is November 24, 1967, in Baton Rouge, LA, USA. Ben McDonald was the playing name; the full given name is Larry Benard.

McDonald pitched in 211 games, starting 198, and finished with a 78-70 record and 3.91 ERA. McDonald had 894 strikeouts, 24 complete games, and 6 shutouts. Against a 4.15 league ERA for the same years, McDonald was 5.8% better. McDonald won 14 games in 1994, the most of any season listed. 1993 produced McDonald's most strikeouts, 171. In 1993, one of the busiest seasons, McDonald posted a 3.39 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.19.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ben McDonald

What years did Ben McDonald play?: Ben McDonald played in Major League Baseball from 1989 to 1997.
Was Ben McDonald a pitcher?: Yes. Ben McDonald pitched in the major leagues, recording 78 wins and 894 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Ben McDonald hit?: Ben McDonald hit 0 career home runs.
What was Ben McDonald's career batting average?: Ben McDonald batted .000 over his career, with 0 hits in 1 at bats.
What was Ben McDonald's career ERA?: Ben McDonald finished with a 3.91 career ERA, going 78-70 with 894 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Ben McDonald have?: Ben McDonald recorded 894 career strikeouts.