Vern Olsen
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1939-1946)
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 175 lb
- Died
- 7/13/1989 in Maywood, IL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1939-09-08
- Last Game
- 1946-09-13
Full name: Vern Jarl Olsen
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 26 | 112 | 60 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 516.0 | 547 | 195 | 18 | 192 | 201 | 3.40 | 4276.3 |
Career ERA 3.40 vs. league average 3.92 across their career seasons — 13.1% better than league average.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | CHN | NL | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | CHN | NL | 13 | 9 | 34 | 20 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 172.7 | 172 | 57 | 62 | 71 | 2.97 | 4.21 (+29%) | 2435.5 |
| 1941 | CHN | NL | 10 | 8 | 37 | 23 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 185.7 | 202 | 65 | 59 | 73 | 3.15 | 3.94 (+20%) | 2212.3 |
| 1942 | CHN | NL | 6 | 9 | 32 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 140.3 | 161 | 70 | 55 | 46 | 4.49 | 3.57 (-26%) | -371.5 |
| 1946 | CHN | NL | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.7 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 2.79 | 3.59 (+22%) | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 30 | 26 | 112 | 60 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 516.0 | 547 | 195 | 192 | 201 | 3.40 | — | 4,276 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 113 | 169 | 16 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 11 | 22 | .231 | .278 | .284 | .562 | -551 |
Career AVG .231 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 12.2% below league average.
Career OBP .278 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 16.4% below league average.
Career SLG .284 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 23.7% below league average.
Career OPS .562 vs. league average .705 across their career seasons — 20.3% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | CHN | NL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | CHN | NL | 35 | 57 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 9 | .263 | .267 (-2%) | .335 (-14%) | .387 (-19%) | .722 (-16%) | -156.1 |
| 1941 | CHN | NL | 37 | 63 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | .238 | .262 (-9%) | .332 (-21%) | .373 (-15%) | .705 (-18%) | -189.0 |
| 1942 | CHN | NL | 32 | 48 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2 | .188 | — | — | — | — | -206.4 |
| 1946 | CHN | NL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 113 | 169 | 16 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 11 | 22 | .231 | — | — | — | — | -551 | ||
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 (225 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 59 | 92 | 9 | 21 | 0 | 7 | .228 |
| Away | 54 | 77 | 7 | 18 | 1 | 8 | .234 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 59 | 305.1 | 304 | 110 | 129 | 137 | 3.24 |
| Away | 53 | 210.2 | 242 | 86 | 64 | 65 | 3.67 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-09-13 | CHC | PHI | — | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1946-09-10 | CHC | BSN | — | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-08-15 | CHC | CIN | — | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1946-07-18 | CHC | BSN | — | 3.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1946-06-23 | CHC | NY1 | — | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-09-27 | CHC | STL | — | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-09-14 | CHC | BSN | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-09-13 | CHC | BSN | SV | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-09-06 | CHC | PIT | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-31 | CHC | NY1 | L | 1.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 112 | 0 | 26 | 141 | 2 | 4 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | CHN | P | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | CHN | P | 34 | 0 | 9 | 53 | 0 | 1 |
| 1941 | CHN | P | 37 | 0 | 9 | 48 | 2 | 2 |
| 1942 | CHN | P | 32 | 0 | 8 | 37 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946 | CHN | P | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 112 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Vern Olsen (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Vern Olsen
- What years did Vern Olsen play?
- Vern Olsen played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1946.
- Was Vern Olsen a pitcher?
- Yes. Vern Olsen pitched in the major leagues, recording 30 wins and 201 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Vern Olsen hit?
- Vern Olsen hit 1 career home runs with 39 hits.