Bobo Newsom

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1929-1953)

Bobo Newsom was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1953 for 9 teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 25 seasons. Across 600 career appearances, he went 211-222 with a 3.98 ERA, 2,082 strikeouts, and 21 saves. He also batted .189 with 1 home runs. Bobo Newsom was a 4-time All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 8042.9.

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

W–L 211–222
ERA 3.98
WHIP 1.46
SO 2,082
Pitcher PIV 8042.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 200 lb
Born
8/11/1907 in Hartsville, SC, USA
Died
12/7/1962 in Orlando, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1929-09-11
Last Game
1953-09-17
Awards
4× All-Star

Full name: Louis Norman Newsom

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bobo Newsom — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
211 222 600 483 246 31 21 3759.1 3,769 1,664 206 1,732 2,082 3.98 8042.9

Career ERA 3.98 vs. league average 4.09 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bobo Newsom Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1929 BRO NL 0 3 3 2 0 0 0 9.1 15 11 5 6 10.61 4.60 (-131%) 0.0
1930 BRO NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3.0 2 0 2 1 0.00 — 0.0
1932 CHN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 0 0.00 — 0.0
1934 SLA AL 16 20 47 32 15 2 5 262.1 259 117 149 135 4.01 4.29 (+6%) -2351.9
1935 SLA AL 0 6 7 6 1 0 1 42.2 54 23 13 22 4.85 4.35 (-12%) 715.5
1935 WS1 AL 11 12 28 23 17 2 2 198.1 222 98 84 65 4.45 4.35 (-2%) -539.1
1936 WS1 AL 17 15 43 38 24 4 2 285.2 294 137 146 156 4.32 4.59 (+6%) 1250.8
1937 WS1 AL 3 4 11 10 3 0 0 67.2 76 44 48 39 5.85 4.34 (-35%) -1253.5
1937 BOS AL 13 10 30 27 14 1 0 207.2 193 103 119 127 4.46 4.34 (-3%) -1452.8
1938 SLA AL 20 16 44 40 31 0 1 329.2 334 186 192 226 5.08 4.35 (-17%) -2884.5
1939 SLA AL 3 1 6 6 3 0 0 45.2 50 24 22 28 4.73 4.28 (-10%) -562.2
1939 DET AL 17 10 35 31 21 3 2 246.0 222 92 104 164 3.37 4.28 (+21%) 3344.9
1940 DET AL 21 5 36 34 20 3 0 264.0 235 83 100 164 2.83 4.21 (+33%) 2415.9
1941 DET AL 12 20 43 36 12 2 2 250.1 265 128 118 175 4.60 3.94 (-17%) 1982.9
1942 WS1 AL 11 17 30 29 15 2 0 213.2 236 117 92 113 4.93 3.57 (-38%) 2297.8
1942 BRO NL 2 2 6 5 2 1 0 32.0 28 12 14 21 3.38 3.57 (+5%) 395.9
1943 BRO NL 9 4 22 12 6 1 1 125.0 113 42 57 75 3.02 3.50 (+14%) 704.4
1943 SLA AL 1 6 10 9 0 0 0 52.1 69 43 35 37 7.39 3.50 (-111%) -2011.0
1943 WS1 AL 3 3 6 6 2 0 0 40.0 38 17 21 11 3.83 3.50 (-9%) -648.5
1944 PHA AL 13 15 37 33 18 2 1 265.0 243 83 82 142 2.82 3.57 (+21%) 3186.7
1945 PHA AL 8 20 36 34 16 3 0 257.1 255 94 103 127 3.29 3.67 (+10%) 643.9
1946 PHA AL 3 5 10 9 3 1 0 58.2 61 22 30 32 3.38 3.59 (+6%) -201.7
1946 WS1 AL 11 8 24 22 14 2 1 178.0 163 55 60 82 2.78 3.59 (+23%) 2383.6
1947 WS1 AL 4 6 14 13 1 0 0 83.2 99 38 37 40 4.09 3.97 (-3%) 1189.3
1947 NYA AL 7 5 17 15 6 2 0 115.2 109 36 30 42 2.80 3.97 (+29%) 808.4
1948 NY1 NL 0 4 11 4 0 0 0 25.2 35 12 13 9 4.21 4.10 (-3%) 3.2
1952 WS1 AL 1 1 10 0 0 0 2 12.2 16 7 9 5 4.97 3.70 (-34%) -659.5
1952 PHA AL 3 3 14 5 1 0 1 47.2 38 19 23 22 3.59 3.70 (+3%) 139.9
1953 PHA AL 2 1 17 2 1 0 0 38.2 44 21 24 16 4.89 4.14 (-18%) -855.4
Career · 29 seasons 211 222 600 483 246 31 21 3,759.1 3,769 1,664 1,732 2,082 3.98 — 8,043

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

Bobo Newsom — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
609 1,337 86 253 28 3 1 102 1 17 266 .189 .200 .217 .417 -7,049

Career AVG .189 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — 29.8% below league average.

Career OBP .200 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 40.7% below league average.

Career SLG .217 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — 43.5% below league average.

Career OPS .417 vs. league average .721 across their career seasons — 42.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bobo Newsom 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
1929 BRO NL 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1930 BRO NL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1932 CHN NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1934 SLA AL 50 93 6 17 2 0 0 8 0 2 10 .183 .278 (-34%) .340 (-41%) .392 (-48%) .733 (-45%) -677.7
1935 SLA AL 7 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .091 — — — — 0.0
1935 WS1 AL 28 73 6 22 2 1 0 10 1 3 9 .301 .279 (+8%) .342 (-4%) .399 (-11%) .742 (-8%) 0.0
1936 WS1 AL 44 108 11 23 2 0 0 11 0 3 23 .213 .283 (-25%) .349 (-33%) .404 (-43%) .753 (-38%) -685.6
1937 WS1 AL 13 25 2 3 0 0 1 1 0 1 4 .120 — — — — 0.0
1937 BOS AL 31 75 9 19 4 1 0 4 0 2 14 .253 .276 (-8%) .342 (-20%) .398 (-16%) .740 (-18%) 0.0
1938 SLA AL 46 124 9 31 4 0 0 16 0 1 21 .250 .272 (-8%) .341 (-25%) .392 (-28%) .734 (-27%) -549.9
1939 SLA AL 6 18 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 .222 — — — — 0.0
1939 DET AL 35 97 6 18 0 1 0 7 0 1 16 .186 .274 (-32%) .342 (-43%) .393 (-48%) .735 (-46%) 0.0
1940 DET AL 36 107 9 23 5 0 0 16 0 1 17 .215 .267 (-20%) .335 (-34%) .387 (-33%) .722 (-33%) -582.6
1941 DET AL 43 88 3 9 0 0 0 3 0 2 20 .102 .262 (-61%) .332 (-60%) .373 (-73%) .705 (-67%) -918.5
1942 WS1 AL 30 75 5 12 2 0 0 3 0 0 25 .160 .253 (-37%) .323 (-50%) .349 (-47%) .672 (-48%) -558.0
1942 BRO NL 6 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 .000 — — — — -558.0
1943 BRO NL 22 44 4 11 0 0 0 6 0 0 11 .250 — — — — 0.0
1943 SLA AL 10 15 0 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
1943 WS1 AL 6 15 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 .133 — — — — 0.0
1944 PHA AL 37 88 4 10 2 0 0 2 0 0 20 .114 .261 (-57%) .325 (-65%) .357 (-62%) .683 (-63%) -856.2
1945 PHA AL 36 86 3 14 1 0 0 2 0 1 21 .163 .260 (-38%) .328 (-48%) .354 (-51%) .683 (-49%) -652.0
1946 PHA AL 10 19 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 5 .105 — — — — 0.0
1946 WS1 AL 24 62 5 10 0 0 0 2 0 0 15 .161 .256 (-37%) .328 (-51%) .358 (-55%) .687 (-53%) 0.0
1947 WS1 AL 14 29 1 7 2 0 0 3 0 0 6 .241 — — — — 0.0
1947 NYA AL 17 42 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 11 .095 — — — — 0.0
1948 NY1 NL 11 7 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .429 — — — — 0.0
1952 WS1 AL 10 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1952 PHA AL 14 15 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 .133 — — — — 0.0
1953 PHA AL 17 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .167 — — — — 0.0
Career · 29 seasons 609 1,337 86 253 28 3 1 102 1 17 266 .189 — — — — -6,039

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

Bobo Newsom — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 10 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .100

Playoff Batting by Year

Bobo Newsom — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1947 WS NYA 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1940 WS DET 3 10 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .100

Playoff Career Pitching

Bobo Newsom — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 2 5 4 0 28.1 24 9 6 17 2.86

Playoff Pitching by Year

Bobo Newsom — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1947 WS NYA 0 1 2 1 0 2.1 6 5 2 0 19.29
1940 WS DET 2 1 3 3 0 26.0 18 4 4 17 1.38

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1209 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bobo Newsom — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home33371651142063.198
Away27662136110140.177

Pitching — Home / Away

Bobo Newsom — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home3272127.2199483393311623.52
Away2731631.217738418039224.64

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bobo Newsom — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1953-09-17 PHACLEL 000000000
1953-09-07 PHAMINL 000000000
1953-08-31 PHADETW 411000001
1953-08-15 PHANYYW 000000000
1953-08-11 PHABOSL 000000000
1953-08-09 PHADETL 100000000
1953-08-02 PHACLEL 000000000
1953-07-31 PHACLEL 000000000
1953-07-24 PHACHWW 100000000
1953-06-26 PHASLAW 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bobo Newsom — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1953-09-17 PHACLE — 1.0200000
1953-09-07 PHAMIN L 2.0666420
1953-08-31 PHADET W 9.01141341
1953-08-15 PHANYY — 1.0100010
1953-08-11 PHABOS — 2.0100120
1953-08-09 PHADET — 4.0411110
1953-08-02 PHACLE — 1.0333100
1953-07-31 PHACLE — 3.0766112
1953-07-24 PHACHW W 1.1100000
1953-06-26 PHASLA — 0.2000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bobo Newsom — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 600 0 112 534 28 32

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bobo Newsom — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1929 BRO P 3 0 0 2 0 1
1930 BRO P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1932 CHN P 1 0 0 1 0 1
1934 SLA P 47 0 13 49 2 1
1935 SLA P 7 0 0 10 0 0
1935 WS1 P 28 0 6 27 2 4
1936 WS1 P 43 0 11 50 1 5
1937 WS1 P 11 0 3 12 0 1
1937 BOS P 30 0 8 29 3 0
1938 SLA P 44 0 11 38 2 1
1939 SLA P 6 0 4 6 0 0
1939 DET P 35 0 8 33 3 1
1940 DET P 36 0 3 32 3 3
1941 DET P 43 0 5 36 2 2
1942 WS1 P 30 0 5 31 5 3
1942 BRO P 6 0 1 3 0 0
1943 BRO P 22 0 2 25 0 4
1943 SLA P 10 0 1 5 0 0
1943 WS1 P 6 0 2 4 0 0
1944 PHA P 37 0 3 45 0 0
1945 PHA P 36 0 12 28 2 1
1946 PHA P 10 0 1 7 0 1
1946 WS1 P 24 0 3 18 0 0
1947 WS1 P 14 0 2 6 2 0
1947 NYA P 17 0 3 12 0 1
1948 NY1 P 11 0 1 4 1 0
1952 WS1 P 10 0 1 4 0 0
1952 PHA P 14 0 2 10 0 1
1953 PHA P 17 0 1 7 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bobo Newsom Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 600

Awards & Honors

Bobo Newsom — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1940 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1940 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1938 Baseball Magazine All-Star P5

Award Voting History

Bobo Newsom — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1946 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 6.0 336 0
1940 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 120.0 336 1
1939 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 11.0 336 0
1938 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 111.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bobo Newsom (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Earl Whitehill
    218-185, 4.36 ERA
  2. 96
    Red Ruffing HOF
    273-225, 3.80 ERA
  3. 94
    Tim Wakefield
    200-180, 4.41 ERA
  4. 93
    Sad Sam Jones
    229-217, 3.84 ERA
  5. 93
    Bump Hadley
    161-165, 4.24 ERA
  6. 92
    Joe Niekro
    221-204, 3.59 ERA

Compare Bobo Newsom

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

vs Lefty Grove
vs Warren Spahn
vs Carl Hubbell
vs Bob Feller
vs Hal Newhouser

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

Bobo Newsom: the record in brief

Between the debut on September 11, 1929 and the final game on September 17, 1953, Bobo Newsom built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the Brooklyn Robins (1929 to 1930), the Chicago Cubs (1932), the St. Louis Browns (1934 through 1943), the Washington Senators (1935 to 1952), the Boston Red Sox (1937), the Detroit Tigers (1939 to 1941), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1942 to 1943), and the Philadelphia Athletics (1944 to 1953), with further stops in the season rows. At 6 feet, 3 inches and 200 pounds, Newsom is listed as a pitcher. Newsom both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Newsom was born on August 11, 1907, in Hartsville, SC, USA. Newsom's death is recorded on December 7, 1962, in Orlando, FL, USA. The given name on file is Louis Norman Newsom.

The pitching table credits Newsom with a 211-222 record and a 3.98 ERA in 600 games. The same table counts 2,082 strikeouts, 246 complete games, 31 shutouts, and 21 saves.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bobo Newsom

What years did Bobo Newsom play?
Bobo Newsom played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1953.
Was Bobo Newsom a pitcher?
Yes. Bobo Newsom pitched in the major leagues, recording 211 wins and 2082 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bobo Newsom hit?
Bobo Newsom hit 1 career home run with 253 hits.
What teams did Bobo Newsom play for?
Bobo Newsom played for 9 teams: the Brooklyn Dodgers (1929–1930, 1942–1943), the Chicago Cubs (1932), the St. Louis Browns (1934–1935, 1938–1939, 1943), the Washington Senators (1935–1937, 1942–1943, 1946–1947, 1952), the Boston Red Sox (1937), the Detroit Tigers (1939–1941), the Philadelphia Athletics (1944–1946, 1952–1953), the New York Yankees (1947), and the New York Giants (1948).
What awards did Bobo Newsom win?
Bobo Newsom was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
What were Bobo Newsom's career stats?
In 600 games, Bobo Newsom went 211-222 with a 3.98 ERA, 2,082 strikeouts, 3,759.1 innings pitched, and 21 saves. At the plate he had 253 hits and 1 home runs.
What position did Bobo Newsom play?
Bobo Newsom played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bobo Newsom and how much did he weigh?
Bobo Newsom was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 200 pounds.
What was Bobo Newsom's career ERA?
Bobo Newsom finished with a 3.98 career ERA, going 211-222 with 2,082 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bobo Newsom have?
Bobo Newsom recorded 2,082 career strikeouts.
Is Bobo Newsom in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bobo Newsom has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Bobo Newsom make?
Bobo Newsom was selected to 4 All-Star Games.