Tug McGraw

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1965-1984)

Tug McGraw was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1984 for the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 20 seasons. Across 824 career appearances, he went 96-92 with a 3.14 ERA, 1,109 strikeouts, and 180 saves. He also batted .182 with 1 home runs. Tug McGraw was a 2-time All-Star and a Babe Ruth Award. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 16151.3.

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 96–92
ERA 3.14
WHIP 1.25
SO 1,109
Pitcher PIV 16151.3
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / L
Height / Weight
6'0" / 170 lb
Born
8/30/1944 in Martinez, CA, USA
Died
1/5/2004 in Brentwood, TN, USA
MLB Debut
1965-04-18
Last Game
1984-09-25
Awards
2× All-Star · Babe Ruth Award

Full name: Frank Edwin McGraw

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Career Pitching Statistics

Tug McGraw — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
96 92 824 39 5 1 180 1514.2 1,318 528 108 582 1,109 3.14 16151.3

Career ERA 3.14 vs. league average 3.69 across their career seasons — 14.9% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

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Tug McGraw Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1965 NYN NL 2 7 37 9 2 0 1 97.2 88 36 48 57 3.32 3.50 (+5%) -1178.2
1966 NYN NL 2 9 15 12 1 0 0 62.1 72 37 25 34 5.34 3.52 (-52%) -2244.7
1967 NYN NL 0 3 4 4 0 0 0 17.1 13 15 13 18 7.79 3.30 (-136%) -718.8
1969 NYN NL 9 3 42 4 1 0 12 100.1 89 25 47 92 2.24 3.61 (+38%) 1933.9
1970 NYN NL 4 6 57 0 0 0 10 90.2 77 33 49 81 3.28 3.89 (+16%) 1199.6
1971 NYN NL 11 4 51 1 0 0 8 111.0 73 21 41 109 1.70 3.47 (+51%) 3757.7
1972 NYN NL 8 6 54 0 0 0 27 106.0 71 20 40 92 1.70 3.26 (+48%) 2750.9
1973 NYN NL 5 6 60 2 0 0 25 118.2 106 51 55 81 3.87 3.75 (-3%) -373.3
1974 NYN NL 6 11 41 4 1 1 3 88.2 96 41 32 54 4.16 3.63 (-15%) -1274.5
1975 PHI NL 9 6 56 0 0 0 14 102.2 84 34 36 55 2.98 3.71 (+20%) 775.0
1976 PHI NL 7 6 58 0 0 0 11 97.1 81 27 42 76 2.50 3.51 (+29%) 1525.1
1977 PHI NL 7 3 45 0 0 0 9 79.0 62 23 24 58 2.62 4.00 (+34%) 1589.9
1978 PHI NL 8 7 55 1 0 0 9 89.2 82 32 23 63 3.21 3.69 (+13%) 1981.5
1979 PHI NL 4 3 65 1 0 0 16 83.2 83 48 29 57 5.16 4.00 (-29%) 260.5
1980 PHI NL 5 4 57 0 0 0 20 92.1 62 15 23 75 1.46 3.84 (+62%) 3479.7
1981 PHI NL 2 4 34 0 0 0 10 44.0 35 13 14 26 2.66 3.58 (+26%) 687.8
1982 PHI NL 3 3 34 0 0 0 5 39.2 50 19 12 25 4.31 3.86 (-12%) 440.4
1983 PHI NL 2 1 34 1 0 0 0 55.2 58 22 19 30 3.56 3.87 (+8%) 333.7
1984 PHI NL 2 0 25 0 0 0 0 38.0 36 16 10 26 3.79 3.81 (+1%) 1225.2
Career · 19 seasons 96 92 824 39 5 1 180 1,514.2 1,318 528 582 1,109 3.14 — 16,151

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

Tug McGraw — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
826 214 14 39 7 0 1 18 0 10 57 .182 .221 .229 .450 0

Career AVG .182 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 28.7% below league average.

Career OBP .221 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 31.2% below league average.

Career SLG .229 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — 39.4% below league average.

Career OPS .450 vs. league average .699 across their career seasons — 35.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tug McGraw 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
1965 NYN NL 38 23 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 .130 — — — — 0.0
1966 NYN NL 15 17 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .235 — — — — 0.0
1967 NYN NL 4 4 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250 — — — — 0.0
1969 NYN NL 43 24 1 4 1 0 0 3 0 1 6 .167 — — — — 0.0
1970 NYN NL 57 13 1 4 1 0 0 5 0 0 2 .308 — — — — 0.0
1971 NYN NL 51 18 3 4 2 0 1 2 0 0 5 .222 — — — — 0.0
1972 NYN NL 54 20 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 .100 — — — — 0.0
1973 NYN NL 60 24 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 2 9 .167 — — — — 0.0
1974 NYN NL 41 14 2 1 1 0 0 3 0 2 5 .071 — — — — 0.0
1975 PHI NL 56 13 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .154 — — — — 0.0
1976 PHI NL 58 7 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .143 — — — — 0.0
1977 PHI NL 45 10 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 .400 — — — — 0.0
1978 PHI NL 55 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 PHI NL 65 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .167 — — — — 0.0
1980 PHI NL 57 8 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 .250 — — — — 0.0
1981 PHI NL 34 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 PHI NL 34 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 PHI NL 34 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
1984 PHI NL 25 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
Career · 19 seasons 826 214 14 39 7 0 1 18 0 10 57 .182 — — — — 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

Tug McGraw — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
26 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .200

Playoff Batting by Year

Tug McGraw — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1981 NEDIV PHI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1980 NLCS PHI 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1980 WS PHI 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1978 NLCS PHI 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1977 NLCS PHI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1976 NLCS PHI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1973 NLCS NYN 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1973 WS NYN 5 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333
1969 NLCS NYN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Tug McGraw — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
3 3 26 0 8 52.1 38 13 33 48 2.24

Playoff Pitching by Year

Tug McGraw — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1981 NEDIV PHI 1 0 2 0 0 4.0 2 0 0 2 0.00
1980 NLCS PHI 0 1 5 0 2 8.0 8 4 4 5 4.50
1980 WS PHI 1 1 4 0 2 7.2 7 1 8 10 1.17
1978 NLCS PHI 0 1 3 0 0 5.2 3 1 5 5 1.59
1977 NLCS PHI 0 0 2 0 1 3.0 1 0 2 3 0.00
1976 NLCS PHI 0 0 2 0 0 2.1 4 3 1 5 11.57
1973 NLCS NYN 0 0 2 0 1 5.0 4 0 3 3 0.00
1973 WS NYN 1 0 5 0 1 13.2 8 4 9 14 2.63
1969 NLCS NYN 0 0 1 0 1 3.0 1 0 1 1 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1650 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Tug McGraw — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home41110871807.167
Away415106721111.198

Pitching — Home / Away

Tug McGraw — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home409796.16552572846002.90
Away415718.16632712985093.40

Last 10 Games — Batting

Tug McGraw — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1984-09-25 PHINYNL 000000000
1984-09-24 PHINYNL 000000000
1984-09-22 PHIPITL 000000000
1984-09-18 PHINYNL 000000000
1984-09-12 PHISTLW 100000000
1984-09-09 PHIWSNW 000000000
1984-09-08 PHIWSNL 000000000
1984-09-04 PHICHCL 000000000
1984-09-01 PHISFGL 100000000
1984-08-27 PHISDPW 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Tug McGraw — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1984-09-25 PHINYN — 0.2222000
1984-09-24 PHINYN — 1.0100110
1984-09-22 PHIPIT — 3.0100020
1984-09-18 PHINYN — 1.1200010
1984-09-12 PHISTL W 2.1311020
1984-09-09 PHIWSN — 0.2000010
1984-09-08 PHIWSN — 0.2000100
1984-09-04 PHICHC — 2.0100120
1984-09-01 PHISFG — 2.1400230
1984-08-27 PHISDP — 1.0000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Tug McGraw — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 824 39 75 219 23 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tug McGraw — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1965 NYN P 37 9 5 14 3 2
1966 NYN P 15 12 3 9 0 0
1967 NYN P 4 4 1 4 0 0
1969 NYN P 42 4 6 19 4 2
1970 NYN P 57 0 9 17 3 0
1971 NYN P 51 1 2 12 1 2
1972 NYN P 54 0 6 13 0 0
1973 NYN P 60 2 8 19 1 1
1974 NYN P 41 4 2 13 3 0
1975 PHI P 56 0 4 15 1 2
1976 PHI P 58 0 4 12 4 0
1977 PHI P 45 0 2 13 0 2
1978 PHI P 55 1 4 13 1 2
1979 PHI P 65 1 6 4 0 0
1980 PHI P 57 0 3 15 0 1
1981 PHI P 34 0 3 4 0 0
1982 PHI P 34 0 4 7 0 1
1983 PHI P 34 1 1 10 1 1
1984 PHI P 25 0 2 6 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tug McGraw Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 824

Awards & Honors

Tug McGraw — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1980 Babe Ruth Award RP
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-08-30
1973 Player of the Week Week of 1973-09-14

Award Voting History

Tug McGraw — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1980 Cy Young Award NL 5th 1.0 120 0
1980 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 10.0 336 0
1977 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 2.0 336 0
1973 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 17.0 336 0
1972 Most Valuable Player NL 25th 2.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Tug McGraw (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Stu Miller
    105-103, 3.24 ERA
  2. 94
    Mike Marshall
    97-112, 3.14 ERA
  3. 92
    Don McMahon
    90-68, 2.96 ERA
  4. 87
    Steve Bedrosian
    76-79, 3.38 ERA
  5. 81
    Sparky Lyle
    99-76, 2.88 ERA
  6. 78
    Gene Garber
    96-113, 3.34 ERA

Compare Tug McGraw

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against McGraw's closest peers by position and era.

vs Tom Seaver
vs Steve Carlton
vs Mike Schmidt
vs Jerry Koosman
vs Rollie Fingers
vs Ron Reed

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

Tug McGraw: the record in brief

According to the bio, Tug McGraw debuted on April 18, 1965 and played a final game on September 25, 1984. By club, McGraw's seasons break down as the New York Mets (1965 through 1974) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1975 to 1984). McGraw played primarily as a pitcher and hit right-handed while throwing left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on August 30, 1944, in Martinez, CA, USA and a listed size of 6'0" and 170 pounds. McGraw died on January 5, 2004, in Brentwood, TN, USA. The given name on file is Frank Edwin McGraw.

Across 824 games (39 starts), McGraw recorded 96 wins against 92 losses with a 3.14 ERA. The totals include 1,109 strikeouts and 180 saves. That 3.14 ERA compares with a 3.69 league average across the same seasons, 14.9% better. 1971 brought McGraw a season-high 11 wins. The most saves in one season was 27, in 1972. 1980 was McGraw's sharpest full season, a 1.46 ERA against the league's 3.84.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tug McGraw

What years did Tug McGraw play?
Tug McGraw played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1984.
Was Tug McGraw a pitcher?
Yes. Tug McGraw pitched in the major leagues, recording 96 wins and 1109 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Tug McGraw hit?
Tug McGraw hit 1 career home runs with 39 hits.
What was Tug McGraw's career batting average?
Tug McGraw batted .182 over his career, with 39 hits in 214 at bats.
How many RBI did Tug McGraw have?
Tug McGraw drove in 18 runs in his career.
What was Tug McGraw's career ERA?
Tug McGraw finished with a 3.14 career ERA, going 96-92 with 1,109 strikeouts.