Don McMahon

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1957-1974)

Don McMahon was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1974 for 7 teams, including the Milwaukee Braves, a span of 18 seasons. Across 874 career appearances, he went 90-68 with a 2.96 ERA, 1,003 strikeouts, and 153 saves. Don McMahon was an All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 5985.5.

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 90–68
ERA 2.96
WHIP 1.25
SO 1,003
Pitcher PIV 5985.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 215 lb
Born
1/4/1930 in Brooklyn, NY, USA
Died
7/22/1987 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1957-06-30
Last Game
1974-06-29
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Donald John McMahon

Career Pitching Statistics

Don McMahon — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
90 68 874 2 0 0 153 1310.2 1,054 431 105 579 1,003 2.96 5985.5

Career ERA 2.96 vs. league average 3.61 across their career seasons — 18.1% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

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

Don McMahon — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
874 168 8 23 4 0 0 9 0 10 87 .137 .185 .161 .346 0

Career AVG .137 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — 45.4% below league average.

Career OBP .185 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 41.6% below league average.

Career SLG .161 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 57.2% below league average.

Career OPS .346 vs. league average .693 across their career seasons — 50.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

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

Don McMahon — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Don McMahon — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1971 NLCS SFN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1968 WS DET 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1958 WS ML1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1957 WS ML1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Don McMahon — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 10 0 0 13.1 10 5 6 14 3.38

Playoff Pitching by Year

Don McMahon — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1971 NLCS SFN 0 0 2 0 0 3.0 0 0 0 3 0.00
1968 WS DET 0 0 2 0 0 2.0 4 3 0 1 13.50
1958 WS ML1 0 0 3 0 0 3.1 3 2 3 5 5.40
1957 WS ML1 0 0 3 0 0 5.0 3 0 3 5 0.00

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

Batting — Home / Away

Don McMahon — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home425682801.118
Away44710061508.150

Pitching — Home / Away

Don McMahon — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home425642.24601902765042.66
Away447665.05912423024973.28

Last 10 Games — Batting

Don McMahon — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1974-06-29 SFGLADL 000000000
1974-06-25 SFGSDPL 000000000
1974-06-23 SFGLADL 000000000
1974-06-12 SFGCHCL 000000000
1974-06-09 SFGPITL 000000000
1974-05-27 SFGCHCL 000000000
1974-05-26 SFGLADL 000000000
1974-05-25 SFGLADL 000000000
1974-05-22 SFGATLL 000000000
1973-09-28 SFGCINW 101000100

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Don McMahon — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1974-06-29 SFGLAD — 2.0200010
1974-06-25 SFGSDP — 1.0000010
1974-06-23 SFGLAD — 0.0100000
1974-06-12 SFGCHC — 1.1210010
1974-06-09 SFGPIT — 1.1111001
1974-05-27 SFGCHC — 1.1333111
1974-05-26 SFGLAD — 0.2000100
1974-05-25 SFGLAD — 2.0200010
1974-05-22 SFGATL — 2.0200000
1973-09-28 SFGCIN W 1.1400000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don McMahon — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 874 2 83 187 10 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don McMahon Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 874

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Don McMahon (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Tug McGraw
    96-92, 3.14 ERA
  2. 90
    Steve Bedrosian
    76-79, 3.38 ERA
  3. 90
    John Hiller
    87-76, 2.83 ERA
  4. 89
    Gary Lavelle
    80-77, 2.93 ERA
  5. 86
    Michael Jackson
    62-67, 3.42 ERA
  6. 83
    Jesse Orosco
    87-80, 3.16 ERA

Don McMahon: the record in brief

June 30, 1957 and June 29, 1974 bracket Don McMahon's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Milwaukee Braves (1957 to 1962), the Houston Colt .45's (1962 to 1963), the Cleveland Indians (1964 through 1966), the Boston Red Sox (1966 to 1967), the Chicago White Sox (1967 through 1968), the Detroit Tigers (1968 to 1969), and the San Francisco Giants (1969 to 1974). McMahon is listed as a pitcher at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds. The bio says McMahon batted and threw right-handed. McMahon was born on January 4, 1930, in Brooklyn, NY, USA. McMahon's death is recorded on July 22, 1987, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. The given name on file is Donald John McMahon.

McMahon's career pitching line is 90 wins, 68 losses and a 2.96 ERA over 874 appearances. Also on McMahon's record: 1,003 strikeouts and 153 saves.

Frequently Asked Questions about Don McMahon

What years did Don McMahon play?
Don McMahon played in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1974.
Was Don McMahon a pitcher?
Yes. Don McMahon pitched in the major leagues, recording 90 wins and 1003 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Don McMahon hit?
Don McMahon hit 0 career home runs with 23 hits.
What teams did Don McMahon play for?
Don McMahon played for 7 teams: the Milwaukee Braves (1957–1962), the Houston Colt .45's (1962–1963), the Cleveland Indians (1964–1966), the Boston Red Sox (1966–1967), the Chicago White Sox (1967–1968), the Detroit Tigers (1968–1969), and the San Francisco Giants (1969–1974).
Did Don McMahon win a Cy Young Award?
No. Don McMahon did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Don McMahon win?
Don McMahon was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Don McMahon's career stats?
In 874 games, Don McMahon went 90-68 with a 2.96 ERA, 1,003 strikeouts, 1,310.2 innings pitched, and 153 saves.
What position did Don McMahon play?
Don McMahon played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Don McMahon and how much did he weigh?
Don McMahon was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 215 pounds.
What was Don McMahon's career ERA?
Don McMahon finished with a 2.96 career ERA, going 90-68 with 1,003 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Don McMahon have?
Don McMahon recorded 1,003 career strikeouts.
Is Don McMahon in the Hall of Fame?
No. Don McMahon has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Don McMahon make?
Don McMahon was selected to 1 All-Star Game.