Lefty O'Doul
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1919-1934)
Lefty O'Doul was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1919 to 1934 for 5 teams, including the New York Yankees, a span of 16 seasons. In 970 career games, he hit .349 with 1,140 hits, 113 home runs, and 542 RBI. He also pitched in 34 games, going 1-1 with a 4.87 ERA. Lefty O'Doul was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 19,300.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- Died
- 12/7/1969 in San Francisco, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1919-04-29
- Last Game
- 1934-09-30
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Francis Joseph O'Doul
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 970 | 3,264 | 624 | 1,140 | 175 | 41 | 113 | 542 | 36 | 333 | 122 | .349 | .413 | .532 | .945 | 19,300 |
Career AVG .349 vs. league average .279 across their career seasons — +25.0% above league average.
Career OBP .413 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — +21.3% above league average.
Career SLG .532 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — +35.9% above league average.
Career OPS .945 vs. league average .732 across their career seasons — +29.1% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | NYA | AL | 19 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1920 | NYA | AL | 13 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1922 | NYA | AL | 8 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1923 | BOS | AL | 36 | 35 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | NY1 | NL | 114 | 354 | 67 | 113 | 19 | 4 | 8 | 46 | 9 | 30 | 8 | .319 | .280 (+14%) | .342 (+9%) | .395 (+17%) | .737 (+13%) | 912.0 |
| 1929 | PHI | NL | 154 | 638 | 152 | 254 | 35 | 6 | 32 | 122 | 2 | 76 | 19 | .398 | .289 (+38%) | .353 (+32%) | .415 (+50%) | .769 (+41%) | 5993.2 |
| 1930 | PHI | NL | 140 | 528 | 122 | 202 | 37 | 7 | 22 | 97 | 3 | 63 | 21 | .383 | .293 (+30%) | .354 (+28%) | .429 (+41%) | .784 (+35%) | 4175.6 |
| 1931 | BRO | NL | 134 | 512 | 85 | 172 | 32 | 11 | 7 | 75 | 5 | 48 | 16 | .336 | .276 (+22%) | .338 (+17%) | .388 (+24%) | .726 (+21%) | 2162.8 |
| 1932 | BRO | NL | 148 | 595 | 120 | 219 | 32 | 8 | 21 | 90 | 11 | 50 | 20 | .368 | .275 (+34%) | .335 (+26%) | .391 (+42%) | .726 (+35%) | 4283.8 |
| 1933 | BRO | NL | 43 | 159 | 14 | 40 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 2 | 15 | 6 | .252 | .270 (-7%) | .329 (-3%) | .377 (+3%) | .707 (avg) | 15.6 |
| 1933 | NY1 | NL | 78 | 229 | 31 | 70 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 35 | 1 | 29 | 17 | .306 | .270 (+13%) | .329 (+18%) | .377 (+25%) | .707 (+22%) | 15.6 |
| 1934 | NY1 | NL | 83 | 177 | 27 | 56 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 46 | 2 | 18 | 7 | .316 | .278 (+14%) | .340 (+12%) | .392 (+34%) | .733 (+24%) | 786.3 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 970 | 3,264 | 624 | 1,140 | 175 | 41 | 113 | 542 | 36 | 333 | 122 | .349 | — | — | — | — | 18,345 | ||
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.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | NYA | AL | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3.60 | — | 0.0 |
| 1920 | NYA | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4.91 | — | 0.0 |
| 1922 | NYA | AL | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 | 24 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 3.38 | 4.18 (+19%) | -256.2 |
| 1923 | BOS | AL | 1 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53.0 | 69 | 32 | 31 | 10 | 5.43 | 4.03 (-35%) | -1451.5 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 1 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77.2 | 104 | 42 | 49 | 19 | 4.87 | — | -1,708 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1004 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 488 | 1635 | 327 | 575 | 75 | 311 | .352 |
| Away | 482 | 1629 | 297 | 565 | 38 | 232 | .347 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 14 | 29.0 | 30 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 4.34 |
| Away | 20 | 48.2 | 74 | 28 | 36 | 13 | 5.18 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934-09-30 | NY1 | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-29 | NY1 | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934-09-26 | NY1 | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1934-09-25 | NY1 | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-22 | NY1 | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-18 | NY1 | CIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1934-09-18 | NY1 | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-16 | NY1 | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-13 | NY1 | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1934-09-07 | NY1 | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923-09-25 | BOS | SLA | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-09-10 | BOS | NYY | — | 1.0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-09-05 | BOS | MIN | — | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-09-04 | BOS | MIN | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-08-18 | BOS | DET | — | 4.0 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1923-07-27 | BOS | MIN | — | 7.2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-07-18 | BOS | CHW | — | 3.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-07-15 | BOS | SLA | — | 4.0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1923-07-07 | BOS | CLE | — | 3.0 | 11 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-06-19 | BOS | SLA | — | 3.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 804 | 0 | 1591 | 35 | 60 | 6 |
| P | 34 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 2 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | NYA | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1919 | NYA | P | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1920 | NYA | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920 | NYA | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922 | NYA | P | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923 | BOS | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923 | BOS | P | 23 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| 1928 | NY1 | OF | 94 | 0 | 149 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| 1929 | PHI | OF | 154 | 0 | 320 | 14 | 10 | 5 |
| 1930 | PHI | OF | 131 | 0 | 262 | 3 | 13 | 1 |
| 1931 | BRO | OF | 132 | 0 | 285 | 4 | 14 | 0 |
| 1932 | BRO | OF | 148 | 0 | 317 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| 1933 | BRO | OF | 41 | 0 | 88 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 1933 | NY1 | OF | 63 | 0 | 109 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 1934 | NY1 | OF | 38 | 0 | 60 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 34 |
| Left Field | 742 |
| Center Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 60 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | LF |
| 1932 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1929 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | RF |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 3rd | 58.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1931 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 25th | 1.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1929 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 54.0 | 80 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Lefty O'Doul (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Lefty O'Doul
Lefty O'Doul: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 29, 1919 and the final game on September 30, 1934, Lefty O'Doul built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the New York Yankees (1919 to 1922), the Boston Red Sox (1923), the New York Giants (1928 to 1934), the Philadelphia Phillies (1929 through 1930), the Brooklyn Robins (1931), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1932 through 1933). The bio lists O'Doul as an outfielder who batted and threw left-handed. Height and weight on file: 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds. The birth record reads March 4, 1897, in San Francisco, CA, USA. O'Doul's death is recorded on December 7, 1969, in San Francisco, CA, USA. Lefty O'Doul was the playing name; the full given name is Francis Joseph.
O'Doul collected 1,140 hits in 3,264 at bats across 970 games, good for a .349 batting average, along with 113 home runs, 542 RBI, and 36 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .413 and .532 give O'Doul a career OPS of .945.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lefty O'Doul
- What years did Lefty O'Doul play?
- Lefty O'Doul played in Major League Baseball from 1919 to 1934.
- Was Lefty O'Doul a pitcher?
- Both. Lefty O'Doul pitched in 34 games, going 1-1 with a 4.87 ERA, but spent most of his career as an Outfielder.
- How many home runs did Lefty O'Doul hit?
- Lefty O'Doul hit 113 career home runs with 1,140 hits.
- What teams did Lefty O'Doul play for?
- Lefty O'Doul played for 5 teams: the New York Yankees (1919–1920, 1922), the Boston Red Sox (1923), the New York Giants (1928, 1933–1934), the Philadelphia Phillies (1929–1930), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1931–1933).
- Did Lefty O'Doul win an MVP award?
- No. Lefty O'Doul did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Lefty O'Doul win?
- Lefty O'Doul was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Lefty O'Doul's career stats?
- In 970 games, Lefty O'Doul had 1,140 hits, 113 home runs, 542 RBI, 624 runs, and 36 stolen bases, with a .349 batting average. As a pitcher, in 34 games, he went 1-1 with a 4.87 ERA, 19 strikeouts, and 77.2 innings pitched.
- What position did Lefty O'Doul play?
- Lefty O'Doul played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Lefty O'Doul and how much did he weigh?
- Lefty O'Doul was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did Lefty O'Doul hit each season?
- Lefty O'Doul's home runs by season: 0 in 1919, 0 in 1920, 0 in 1922, 0 in 1923, 8 in 1928, 32 in 1929, 22 in 1930, 7 in 1931, 21 in 1932, 14 in 1933, and 9 in 1934. His most in one season was 32, in 1929.
- What was Lefty O'Doul's career batting average?
- Lefty O'Doul batted .349 over his career, with 1,140 hits in 3,264 at bats.
- How many RBI did Lefty O'Doul have?
- Lefty O'Doul drove in 542 runs in his career.
- What was Lefty O'Doul's career ERA?
- Lefty O'Doul finished with a 4.87 career ERA, going 1-1 with 19 strikeouts.
- Is Lefty O'Doul in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Lefty O'Doul has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.