Hal Newhouser

Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1939-1955)

Hal Newhouser was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1955 for the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 17 seasons. Across 488 career appearances, he went 207-150 with a 3.06 ERA, 1,796 strikeouts, and 26 saves. He also batted .201 with 2 home runs. Hal Newhouser was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 and was a 7-time All-Star, a 2-time MVP, and a Pitching Triple Crown. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 43492.1.

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

⭐ Hall of Fame 1992
W–L 207–150
ERA 3.06
WHIP 1.31
SO 1,796
Pitcher PIV 43492.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'2" / 180 lb
Born
5/20/1921 in Detroit, MI, USA
Died
11/10/1998 in Southfield, MI, USA
MLB Debut
1939-09-29
Last Game
1955-05-03
Hall of Fame
Inducted 1992 (BBWAA)
Awards
7× All-Star · 2× MVP · Pitching Triple Crown

Full name: Harold Newhouser

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Career Pitching Statistics

Hal Newhouser — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
207 150 488 374 212 33 26 2993.0 2,674 1,016 137 1,249 1,796 3.06 43492.1

Career ERA 3.06 vs. league average 3.91 across their career seasons — 21.9% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Hal Newhouser Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1939 DET AL 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 5.0 3 3 4 4 5.40 — 0.0
1940 DET AL 9 9 28 20 7 0 0 133.1 149 72 76 89 4.86 4.21 (-15%) -1267.0
1941 DET AL 9 11 33 27 5 1 0 173.0 166 92 137 106 4.79 3.94 (-22%) -2106.5
1942 DET AL 8 14 38 23 11 1 5 183.2 137 50 114 103 2.45 3.57 (+31%) -297.4
1943 DET AL 8 17 37 25 10 1 1 195.2 163 66 111 144 3.04 3.50 (+13%) 2152.5
1944 DET AL 29 9 47 34 25 6 2 312.1 264 77 102 187 2.22 3.57 (+38%) 7125.8
1945 DET AL 25 9 40 36 29 8 2 313.1 239 63 110 212 1.81 3.67 (+51%) 8718.3
1946 DET AL 26 9 37 34 29 6 1 292.2 215 63 98 275 1.94 3.59 (+46%) 11085.2
1947 DET AL 17 17 40 36 24 3 2 285.0 268 91 110 176 2.87 3.97 (+28%) 6968.5
1948 DET AL 21 12 39 35 19 2 1 272.1 249 91 99 143 3.01 4.10 (+27%) 5774.5
1949 DET AL 18 11 38 35 22 3 1 292.0 277 109 111 144 3.36 4.12 (+18%) 4710.4
1950 DET AL 15 13 35 30 15 1 3 213.2 232 103 81 87 4.34 4.36 (avg) -20.1
1951 DET AL 6 6 15 14 7 1 0 96.1 98 42 19 37 3.92 4.04 (+3%) 723.2
1952 DET AL 9 9 25 19 8 0 0 154.0 148 64 47 57 3.74 3.70 (-1%) 156.4
1953 DET AL 0 1 7 4 0 0 1 21.2 31 17 8 6 7.06 4.14 (-71%) -912.5
1954 CLE AL 7 2 26 1 0 0 7 46.2 34 13 18 25 2.51 3.90 (+36%) 680.9
1955 CLE AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.1 1 0 4 1 0.00 — 0.0
Career · 17 seasons 207 150 488 374 212 33 26 2,993.0 2,674 1,016 1,249 1,796 3.06 — 43,492

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

Hal Newhouser — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
492 999 71 201 22 2 2 81 3 89 150 .201 .267 .233 .500 -4,180

Career AVG .201 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 23.0% below league average.

Career OBP .267 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 20.1% below league average.

Career SLG .233 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 37.9% below league average.

Career OPS .500 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — 29.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Hal Newhouser 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
1939 DET AL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1940 DET AL 28 40 3 8 0 0 0 2 0 3 4 .200 — — — — 0.0
1941 DET AL 33 60 3 9 0 0 0 2 1 3 8 .150 .262 (-43%) .332 (-43%) .373 (-60%) .705 (-52%) -483.3
1942 DET AL 39 52 1 8 2 0 0 1 0 3 8 .154 .253 (-39%) .323 (-38%) .349 (-45%) .672 (-42%) -331.3
1943 DET AL 37 65 4 12 2 0 0 5 0 3 8 .185 .255 (-28%) .324 (-32%) .346 (-38%) .671 (-35%) -348.1
1944 DET AL 47 120 10 29 4 0 0 5 1 6 12 .242 .261 (-8%) .325 (-15%) .357 (-23%) .683 (-19%) -352.5
1945 DET AL 40 109 9 28 5 1 0 17 0 7 10 .257 .260 (-2%) .328 (-8%) .354 (-10%) .683 (-9%) -163.2
1946 DET AL 37 103 6 13 3 0 2 11 1 6 27 .126 .256 (-51%) .328 (-47%) .358 (-40%) .687 (-44%) -711.0
1947 DET AL 40 96 5 19 0 0 0 9 0 15 20 .198 .262 (-25%) .336 (-9%) .376 (-47%) .712 (-29%) -398.0
1948 DET AL 39 92 6 19 0 1 0 6 0 10 14 .207 .263 (-22%) .340 (-16%) .379 (-40%) .719 (-29%) -409.0
1949 DET AL 38 91 8 18 3 0 0 6 0 12 19 .198 .262 (-25%) .343 (-15%) .384 (-40%) .727 (-28%) -400.2
1950 DET AL 35 74 6 13 2 0 0 8 0 5 8 .176 .265 (-34%) .346 (-34%) .401 (-50%) .747 (-42%) -522.1
1951 DET AL 17 29 4 9 0 0 0 3 0 5 3 .310 — — — — 0.0
1952 DET AL 26 46 5 10 1 0 0 4 0 10 9 .217 — — — — -61.2
1953 DET AL 7 8 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .500 — — — — 0.0
1954 CLE AL 26 13 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .154 — — — — 0.0
1955 CLE AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 17 seasons 492 999 71 201 22 2 2 81 3 89 150 .201 — — — — -4,180

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

Hal Newhouser — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Hal Newhouser — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1954 WS CLE 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1945 WS DET 3 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Hal Newhouser — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 1 4 3 0 20.2 26 15 5 22 6.53

Playoff Pitching by Year

Hal Newhouser — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1954 WS CLE 0 0 1 0 0 0.0 1 1 1 0 0.00
1945 WS DET 2 1 3 3 0 20.2 25 14 4 22 6.10

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (980 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Hal Newhouser — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home24748239101143.210
Away24551631100139.194

Pitching — Home / Away

Hal Newhouser — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home2451546.213755155899173.00
Away2431446.113005086608783.16

Last 10 Games — Batting

Hal Newhouser — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1955-05-03 CLENYYW 000000000
1955-04-24 CLEDETL 000000000
1954-09-20 CLECHWW 000000000
1954-09-14 CLEMINW 000000000
1954-09-09 CLEPHAW 000000000
1954-09-05 CLECHWW 000000000
1954-09-02 CLENYYL 000000000
1954-08-30 CLEBOSW 101000000
1954-08-20 CLEBALW 000000000
1954-08-01 CLEMINW 101000100

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Hal Newhouser — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1955-05-03 CLENYY — 1.2100200
1955-04-24 CLEDET — 0.2000210
1954-09-20 CLECHW — 0.2211100
1954-09-14 CLEMIN — 0.1000010
1954-09-09 CLEPHA W 2.0000110
1954-09-05 CLECHW SV 2.0200310
1954-09-02 CLENYY — 1.0000000
1954-08-30 CLEBOS W 2.1200010
1954-08-20 CLEBAL SV 3.0200130
1954-08-01 CLEMIN W 3.0000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Hal Newhouser — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 488 1 135 611 22 40

Season-by-Season Fielding

Hal Newhouser — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1939 DET P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1940 DET P 28 0 5 31 1 0
1941 DET P 33 0 4 37 0 4
1942 DET P 38 0 10 45 1 3
1943 DET P 37 0 8 49 1 1
1944 DET P 47 0 9 61 1 5
1945 DET P 40 0 16 66 0 5
1946 DET P 37 0 15 47 3 4
1947 DET P 40 0 23 52 4 3
1948 DET P 39 0 11 52 1 5
1949 DET P 38 0 7 69 3 3
1950 DET P 35 0 10 37 2 1
1951 DET P 15 0 3 22 2 4
1952 DET P 25 0 10 31 3 2
1953 DET P 7 0 1 4 0 0
1954 CLE P 26 1 3 7 0 0
1955 CLE P 2 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Hal Newhouser Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 488

Awards & Honors

Hal Newhouser — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1947 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1947 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1946 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1946 TSN All-Star P
1945 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1945 Most Valuable Player
1945 Pitching Triple Crown
1945 TSN All-Star P
1945 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1945 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1944 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1944 Most Valuable Player
1944 TSN All-Star P
1944 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Award Voting History

Hal Newhouser — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1948 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 48.0 336 0
1946 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 197.0 336 3
1945 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 236.0 336 9
1944 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 236.0 336 7

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Hal Newhouser (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Virgil Trucks
    177-135, 3.39 ERA
  2. 95
    Bob Lemon HOF
    207-128, 3.23 ERA
  3. 93
    Billy Pierce
    211-169, 3.27 ERA
  4. 91
    Bob Shawkey
    196-150, 3.09 ERA
  5. 81
    Bullet Joe Bush
    195-183, 3.51 ERA
  6. 81
    Dizzy Trout
    170-161, 3.23 ERA

Compare Hal Newhouser

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

vs Roger Clemens
vs Cy Young
vs Greg Maddux
vs Walter Johnson
vs Randy Johnson
vs Pedro Martinez

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See Hal Newhouser in Another Era

What would Newhouser's 1945 season look like in a different era's run environment? Try the cross-era translation with a live slider.

Translate Hal Newhouser's peak season across eras →

Hal Newhouser: the record in brief

According to the bio, Hal Newhouser debuted on September 29, 1939 and played a final game on May 3, 1955. The season rows list, in order, the Detroit Tigers (1939 to 1953) and the Cleveland Indians (1954 to 1955). Listed as a pitcher, Newhouser threw and hit left-handed. The recorded size is 6 feet, 2 inches and 180 pounds. Newhouser was born on May 20, 1921, in Detroit, MI, USA. The bio records the death on November 10, 1998, in Southfield, MI, USA. The given name on file is Harold Newhouser.

The pitching table credits Newhouser with a 207-150 record and a 3.06 ERA in 488 games. The totals include 1,796 strikeouts, 212 complete games, 33 shutouts, and 26 saves. Against a 3.91 league ERA for the same years, Newhouser was 21.9% better. No season topped the 29 wins of 1944. Newhouser struck out 275 batters in 1946, a career high. In 1945, one of the busiest seasons, Newhouser posted a 1.81 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.67.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hal Newhouser

What years did Hal Newhouser play?
Hal Newhouser played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1955.
Was Hal Newhouser a pitcher?
Yes. Hal Newhouser pitched in the major leagues, recording 207 wins and 1796 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Hal Newhouser hit?
Hal Newhouser hit 2 career home runs with 201 hits.
Is Hal Newhouser in the Hall of Fame?
Yes. Hal Newhouser was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.
What teams did Hal Newhouser play for?
Hal Newhouser played for 2 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1939–1953) and the Cleveland Indians (1954–1955).
How many MVP awards did Hal Newhouser win?
Hal Newhouser won 2 MVP awards, in 1944 and 1945.
What awards did Hal Newhouser win?
Hal Newhouser won 2 MVP awards (1944 and 1945) and the pitching Triple Crown (1945). He was selected to 7 All-Star Games.
What were Hal Newhouser's career stats?
In 488 games, Hal Newhouser went 207-150 with a 3.06 ERA, 1,796 strikeouts, 2,993.0 innings pitched, and 26 saves. At the plate he had 201 hits and 2 home runs.
What position did Hal Newhouser play?
Hal Newhouser played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Hal Newhouser and how much did he weigh?
Hal Newhouser was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 180 pounds.
What was Hal Newhouser's career ERA?
Hal Newhouser finished with a 3.06 career ERA, going 207-150 with 1,796 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Hal Newhouser have?
Hal Newhouser recorded 1,796 career strikeouts.
How many All-Star Games did Hal Newhouser make?
Hal Newhouser was selected to 7 All-Star Games.