What years did Russ Meyer play?

Russ Meyer played in Major League Baseball from 1946 to 1959.

Was Russ Meyer a pitcher?

Yes. Russ Meyer pitched in the major leagues, recording 94 wins and 672 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Russ Meyer hit?

Russ Meyer hit 1 career home runs with 55 hits.

What was Russ Meyer's career batting average?

Russ Meyer batted .114 over his career, with 55 hits in 484 at bats.

How many RBI did Russ Meyer have?

Russ Meyer drove in 25 runs in his career.

What was Russ Meyer's career ERA?

Russ Meyer finished with a 3.99 career ERA, going 94-73 with 672 strikeouts.

Russ Meyer

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1946-1959)

Russ Meyer was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1946 to 1959 for 6 teams, including the Chicago Cubs, a span of 14 seasons. Across 319 career appearances, he went 94-73 with a 3.99 ERA and 672 strikeouts. He also batted .114 with 1 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 5650.9.

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 94–73

ERA 3.99

WHIP 1.40

SO 672

Pitcher PIV 5650.9

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: B / R
Height / Weight: 6'1" / 175 lb
Born: 10/25/1923 in Peru, IL, USA
Died: 11/16/1997 in Oglesby, IL, USA
MLB Debut: 1946-09-13
Last Game: 1959-06-28

Full name: Russell Charles Meyer

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Career Pitching Statistics

Russ Meyer — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
94	73	319	219	65	13	5	1531.1	1,606	679	136	541	672	3.99	5650.9

Career ERA 3.99 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.

Russ Meyer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1946	CHN	NL	0	0	4	1	0	0	1	17.0	21	6	10	10	3.18	3.59 (+12%)	-473.1
1947	CHN	NL	3	2	23	2	1	0	0	45.0	43	17	14	22	3.40	3.97 (+14%)	111.1
1948	CHN	NL	10	10	29	26	8	3	0	164.2	157	67	77	89	3.66	4.10 (+11%)	1526.5
1949	PHI	NL	17	8	37	28	14	2	1	213.0	199	73	70	78	3.08	4.12 (+25%)	2700.8
1950	PHI	NL	9	11	32	25	3	0	1	159.2	193	94	67	74	5.30	4.36 (-22%)	-1216.0
1951	PHI	NL	8	9	28	24	7	2	0	168.0	172	65	55	65	3.48	4.04 (+14%)	1351.9
1952	PHI	NL	13	14	37	32	14	1	1	232.1	235	81	65	92	3.14	3.70 (+15%)	4144.1
1953	BRO	NL	15	5	34	32	10	2	0	191.1	201	97	63	106	4.56	4.14 (-10%)	-229.2
1954	BRO	NL	11	6	36	28	6	2	0	180.1	193	80	49	70	3.99	3.90 (-2%)	944.5
1955	BRO	NL	6	2	18	11	2	1	0	73.0	86	44	31	26	5.42	4.00 (-36%)	-649.5
1956	CHN	NL	1	6	20	9	0	0	0	57.0	71	40	26	28	6.32	3.96 (-59%)	-2001.9
1956	CIN	NL	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.0	1	0	0	1	0.00	—	0.0
1957	BOS	AL	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	5.0	10	3	3	1	5.40	—	0.0
1959	KC1	AL	1	0	18	0	0	0	1	24.0	24	12	11	10	4.50	3.90 (-15%)	-558.4
Career · 14 seasons			94	73	319	219	65	13	5	1,531.1	1,606	679	541	672	3.99	—	5,651

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

Russ Meyer — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
319	484	26	55	6	2	1	25	0	22	146	.114	.154	.140	.294	-4,084

Career AVG .114 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 56.3% below league average.

Career OBP .154 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 53.9% below league average.

Career SLG .140 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — 63.5% below league average.

Career OPS .294 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — 59.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Russ Meyer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1946	CHN	NL	4	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
1947	CHN	NL	23	12	2	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1948	CHN	NL	29	56	1	6	0	1	0	3	0	19	.107	.263 (-59%)	.340 (-68%)	.379 (-62%)	.719 (-65%)	-593.6
1949	PHI	NL	37	70	3	10	2	1	0	4	2	19	.143	.262 (-46%)	.343 (-51%)	.384 (-48%)	.727 (-50%)	-581.5
1950	PHI	NL	32	50	2	7	1	0	0	0	3	20	.140	.265 (-47%)	.346 (-45%)	.401 (-60%)	.747 (-53%)	-444.4
1951	PHI	NL	28	48	4	5	0	0	0	4	3	8	.104	—	—	—	—	-490.3
1952	PHI	NL	37	79	4	7	1	0	1	6	3	23	.089	.252 (-65%)	.326 (-59%)	.369 (-62%)	.696 (-61%)	-755.4
1953	BRO	NL	34	75	6	11	1	0	0	2	3	21	.147	.264 (-44%)	.335 (-47%)	.397 (-60%)	.733 (-54%)	-653.4
1954	BRO	NL	36	47	3	2	0	0	0	2	5	20	.043	—	—	—	—	-565.6
1955	BRO	NL	18	27	1	1	1	0	0	2	1	10	.037	—	—	—	—	0.0
1956	CHN	NL	20	12	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	.083	—	—	—	—	0.0
1956	CIN	NL	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1957	BOS	AL	2	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1959	KC1	AL	18	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 14 seasons			319	484	26	55	6	2	1	25	22	146	.114	—	—	—	—	-4,084

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

Russ Meyer — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
4	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Russ Meyer — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	SO	AVG
1955	WS	BRO	1	2	1	.000
1953	WS	BRO	1	1	1	.000
1950	WS	PHI	2	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Russ Meyer — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	1	4	0	0	11.2	16	4	6	10	3.09

Playoff Pitching by Year

Russ Meyer — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	L	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1955	WS	BRO	0	1	5.2	4	0	2	4	0.00
1953	WS	BRO	0	1	4.1	8	3	4	5	6.23
1950	WS	PHI	1	2	1.2	4	1	0	1	5.40

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (638 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Russ Meyer — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	157	223	11	28	0	7	.126
Away	162	261	15	27	1	18	.103

Pitching — Home / Away

Russ Meyer — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	157	770.0	808	353	266	353	4.13
Away	162	761.2	799	325	278	322	3.84

Last 10 Games — Batting

Russ Meyer — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	SO
1959-06-28	KC1	MIN	L	0	0
1959-06-26	KC1	MIN	L	0	0
1959-06-25	KC1	NYY	L	0	0
1959-06-23	KC1	NYY	L	0	0
1959-06-18	KC1	MIN	L	0	0
1959-06-15	KC1	MIN	L	1	1
1959-06-11	KC1	NYY	W	0	0
1959-06-09	KC1	NYY	L	0	0
1959-06-07	KC1	BAL	L	0	0
1959-06-04	KC1	BOS	L	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Russ Meyer — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1959-06-28	KC1	MIN	—	0.0	2	1	1	0	0	0
1959-06-26	KC1	MIN	—	1.2	2	3	3	2	0	1
1959-06-25	KC1	NYY	—	0.0	2	1	1	1	0	1
1959-06-23	KC1	NYY	—	1.0	2	1	1	0	0	0
1959-06-18	KC1	MIN	—	2.0	2	0	0	0	1	0
1959-06-15	KC1	MIN	—	3.0	3	1	1	2	1	0
1959-06-11	KC1	NYY	SV	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0
1959-06-09	KC1	NYY	—	2.0	3	1	1	2	1	0
1959-06-07	KC1	BAL	—	2.0	1	0	0	1	1	0
1959-06-04	KC1	BOS	—	1.2	1	0	0	0	2	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Russ Meyer — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	319	49	69	257	13	19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Russ Meyer — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1946	CHN	P	4	0	0	4	0	0
1947	CHN	P	23	0	1	6	0	1
1948	CHN	P	29	0	12	26	1	0
1949	PHI	P	37	0	14	28	1	3
1950	PHI	P	32	0	8	31	0	4
1951	PHI	P	28	0	5	21	1	1
1952	PHI	P	37	0	8	37	4	6
1953	BRO	P	34	0	8	33	3	1
1954	BRO	P	36	28	5	27	3	0
1955	BRO	P	18	11	1	21	0	1
1956	CHN	P	20	9	4	17	0	2
1956	CIN	P	1	0	1	0	0	0
1957	BOS	P	2	1	0	4	0	0
1959	KC1	P	18	0	2	2	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Russ Meyer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	319

Award Voting History

Russ Meyer — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1949	Most Valuable Player	NL	19th	8.0	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

Russ Meyer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Russ Meyer: the record in brief

Between the debut on September 13, 1946 and the final game on June 28, 1959, Russ Meyer built the record summarized on this page. Meyer played for the Chicago Cubs (1946 through 1956), the Philadelphia Phillies (1949 to 1952), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1953 to 1955), the Cincinnati Redlegs (1956), the Boston Red Sox (1957), and the Kansas City Athletics (1959). Listed as a pitcher, Meyer switch-hit and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. The birth record reads October 25, 1923, in Peru, IL, USA. Meyer died on November 16, 1997, in Oglesby, IL, USA. Meyer's full given name, per the bio, is Russell Charles Meyer.

Meyer's career pitching line is 94 wins, 73 losses and a 3.99 ERA over 319 appearances. The totals include 672 strikeouts, 65 complete games, and 13 shutouts. Meyer's 3.99 ERA was close to the 3.97 league figure for those seasons. Meyer won 17 games in 1949, the most of any season listed. The strikeout high was 106 in 1953.

Frequently Asked Questions about Russ Meyer

What years did Russ Meyer play?: Russ Meyer played in Major League Baseball from 1946 to 1959.
Was Russ Meyer a pitcher?: Yes. Russ Meyer pitched in the major leagues, recording 94 wins and 672 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Russ Meyer hit?: Russ Meyer hit 1 career home runs with 55 hits.
What was Russ Meyer's career batting average?: Russ Meyer batted .114 over his career, with 55 hits in 484 at bats.
How many RBI did Russ Meyer have?: Russ Meyer drove in 25 runs in his career.
What was Russ Meyer's career ERA?: Russ Meyer finished with a 3.99 career ERA, going 94-73 with 672 strikeouts.