What years did Jim Palmer play?

Jim Palmer played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1984.

Was Jim Palmer a pitcher?

Yes. Jim Palmer pitched in the major leagues, recording 268 wins and 2212 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Jim Palmer hit?

Jim Palmer hit 3 career home runs with 85 hits.

What teams did Jim Palmer play for?

Jim Palmer played for one team, the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1967, 1969–1984).

How many Cy Young Awards did Jim Palmer win?

Jim Palmer won 3 Cy Young Awards, in 1973, 1975, and 1976.

What awards did Jim Palmer win?

Jim Palmer won 3 Cy Young Awards (1973, 1975, and 1976) and 4 Gold Gloves (1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979). He was selected to 6 All-Star Games.

What were Jim Palmer's career stats?

In 558 games, Jim Palmer went 268-152 with a 2.86 ERA, 2,212 strikeouts, 3,948.0 innings pitched, and 4 saves. At the plate he had 85 hits and 3 home runs.

What position did Jim Palmer play?

Jim Palmer played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Jim Palmer and how much did he weigh?

Jim Palmer was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 190 pounds.

What was Jim Palmer's career ERA?

Jim Palmer finished with a 2.86 career ERA, going 268-152 with 2,212 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Jim Palmer have?

Jim Palmer recorded 2,212 career strikeouts.

How many All-Star Games did Jim Palmer make?

Jim Palmer was selected to 6 All-Star Games.

Jim Palmer

Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1965-1984)

Jim Palmer was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1984 for the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 20 seasons. Across 558 career appearances, he went 268-152 with a 2.86 ERA and 2,212 strikeouts. He also batted .174 with 3 home runs. Jim Palmer was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990 and was a 6-time All-Star, a 3-time Cy Young, and a 4-time Gold Glove. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 19501.6.

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 15, 2026

⭐ Hall of Fame 1990

W–L 268–152

ERA 2.86

WHIP 1.18

SO 2,212

Pitcher PIV 19501.6

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'3" / 190 lb
Born: 10/15/1945 in New York, NY, USA
MLB Debut: 1965-04-17
Last Game: 1984-05-12
Hall of Fame: Inducted 1990 (BBWAA)
Awards: 6× All-Star · 3× Cy Young · 4× Gold Glove

Full name: James Alvin Palmer

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Career Pitching Statistics

Jim Palmer — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
268	152	558	521	211	53	4	3948.0	3,349	1,253	303	1,311	2,212	2.86	19501.6

Career ERA 2.86 vs. league average 3.69 across their career seasons — 22.6% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Palmer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1965	BAL	AL	5	4	27	6	0	0	1	92.0	75	38	56	75	3.72	3.50 (-6%)	-292.3
1966	BAL	AL	15	10	30	30	6	0	0	208.1	176	80	91	147	3.46	3.52 (+2%)	-1268.8
1967	BAL	AL	3	1	9	9	2	1	0	49.0	34	16	20	23	2.94	3.30 (+11%)	-1363.6
1969	BAL	AL	16	4	26	23	11	6	0	181.0	131	47	64	123	2.34	3.61 (+35%)	2797.2
1970	BAL	AL	20	10	39	39	17	5	0	305.0	263	92	100	199	2.71	3.89 (+30%)	5379.6
1971	BAL	AL	20	9	37	37	20	3	0	282.0	231	84	106	184	2.68	3.47 (+23%)	2062.0
1972	BAL	AL	21	10	36	36	18	3	0	274.1	219	63	70	184	2.07	3.26 (+37%)	3150.7
1973	BAL	AL	22	9	38	37	19	6	1	296.1	225	79	113	158	2.40	3.75 (+36%)	2911.8
1974	BAL	AL	7	12	26	26	5	2	0	178.2	176	65	69	84	3.27	3.63 (+10%)	-414.0
1975	BAL	AL	23	11	39	38	25	10	1	323.0	253	75	80	193	2.09	3.71 (+44%)	6476.7
1976	BAL	AL	22	13	40	40	23	6	0	315.0	255	88	84	159	2.51	3.51 (+28%)	1589.2
1977	BAL	AL	20	11	39	39	22	3	0	319.0	263	103	99	193	2.91	4.00 (+27%)	4531.4
1978	BAL	AL	21	12	38	38	19	6	0	296.0	246	81	97	138	2.46	3.69 (+33%)	1624.0
1979	BAL	AL	10	6	23	22	7	0	0	155.2	144	57	43	67	3.30	4.00 (+18%)	1204.2
1980	BAL	AL	16	10	34	33	4	0	0	224.0	238	99	74	109	3.98	3.84 (-4%)	-2674.1
1981	BAL	AL	7	8	22	22	5	0	0	127.1	117	53	46	35	3.75	3.58 (-5%)	-3269.9
1982	BAL	AL	15	5	36	32	8	2	1	227.0	195	79	63	103	3.13	3.86 (+19%)	-519.4
1983	BAL	AL	5	4	14	11	0	0	0	76.2	86	36	19	34	4.23	3.87 (-9%)	-1158.5
1984	BAL	AL	0	3	5	3	0	0	0	17.2	22	18	17	4	9.17	3.81 (-141%)	-1264.4
Career · 19 seasons			268	152	558	521	211	53	4	3,948.0	3,349	1,253	1,311	2,212	2.86	—	19,502

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

Jim Palmer — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
576	489	52	85	9	1	3	41	1	16	207	.174	.200	.215	.414	-2,809

Career AVG .174 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 32.0% below league average.

Career OBP .200 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 37.9% below league average.

Career SLG .215 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — 43.1% below league average.

Career OPS .414 vs. league average .699 across their career seasons — 40.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Palmer 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
1965	BAL	AL	29	26	2	5	0	0	1	3	0	1	10	.192	—	—	—	—	0.0
1966	BAL	AL	36	73	11	7	1	0	1	5	0	3	33	.096	.248 (-61%)	.309 (-57%)	.376 (-60%)	.685 (-59%)	-654.8
1967	BAL	AL	9	13	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	2	9	.077	—	—	—	—	0.0
1969	BAL	AL	27	64	5	13	3	0	0	6	0	3	30	.203	.248 (-18%)	.320 (-26%)	.369 (-32%)	.689 (-30%)	-306.3
1970	BAL	AL	44	113	13	17	0	0	1	9	0	2	48	.150	.253 (-41%)	.325 (-49%)	.385 (-54%)	.711 (-52%)	-922.7
1971	BAL	AL	38	102	7	20	1	0	0	9	1	3	41	.196	.249 (-21%)	.316 (-31%)	.365 (-44%)	.682 (-38%)	-579.9
1972	BAL	AL	36	98	12	22	3	1	0	8	0	2	36	.224	.243 (-8%)	.310 (-23%)	.353 (-22%)	.664 (-22%)	-345.3
1973	BAL	AL	38	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1974	BAL	AL	26	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1975	BAL	AL	39	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1976	BAL	AL	40	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1977	BAL	AL	39	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1978	BAL	AL	38	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1979	BAL	AL	23	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1980	BAL	AL	37	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1981	BAL	AL	22	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1982	BAL	AL	36	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1983	BAL	AL	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1984	BAL	AL	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 19 seasons			576	489	52	85	9	1	3	41	1	16	207	.174	—	—	—	—	-2,809

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

Jim Palmer — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
20	35	3	3	1	0	0	3	2	14	.086

Playoff Batting by Year

Jim Palmer — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1983	ALCS	BAL	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1983	WS	BAL	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1979	ALCS	BAL	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1979	WS	BAL	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000
1974	ALCS	BAL	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1973	ALCS	BAL	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1971	ALCS	BAL	2	5	1	1	0	0	0	1	.200
1971	WS	BAL	2	4	0	0	0	2	2	2	.000
1970	ALCS	BAL	1	4	1	1	1	1	0	0	.250
1970	WS	BAL	2	7	1	1	0	0	0	3	.143
1969	ALCS	BAL	1	5	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000
1969	WS	BAL	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1966	WS	BAL	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Jim Palmer — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
8	3	17	15	0	124.1	101	36	50	90	2.61

Playoff Pitching by Year

Jim Palmer — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1983	WS	BAL	1	0	1	0	2.0	2	0	1	1	0.00
1979	ALCS	BAL	0	0	1	1	9.0	7	3	2	3	3.00
1979	WS	BAL	0	1	2	2	15.0	18	6	5	8	3.60
1974	ALCS	BAL	0	1	1	1	9.0	4	1	1	4	1.00
1973	ALCS	BAL	1	0	3	2	14.2	11	3	8	15	1.84
1971	ALCS	BAL	1	0	1	1	9.0	7	3	3	8	3.00
1971	WS	BAL	1	0	2	2	17.0	15	5	9	15	2.65
1970	ALCS	BAL	1	0	1	1	9.0	7	1	3	12	1.00
1970	WS	BAL	1	0	2	2	15.2	11	8	9	9	4.60
1969	ALCS	BAL	1	0	1	1	9.0	10	2	2	4	2.00
1969	WS	BAL	0	1	1	1	6.0	5	4	4	5	6.00
1966	WS	BAL	1	0	1	1	9.0	4	0	3	6	0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1134 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Palmer — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	284	216	27	41	2	22	.190
Away	292	273	25	44	1	19	.161

Pitching — Home / Away

Jim Palmer — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	276	2005.1	1649	578	608	1191	2.59
Away	282	1942.2	1700	675	703	1021	3.13

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Jim Palmer — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1984-05-12	BAL	OAK	—	2.0	5	4	4	1	1	1
1984-05-02	BAL	CLE	L	3.0	2	2	2	5	0	0
1984-04-23	BAL	CHW	—	3.2	3	5	4	4	0	1
1984-04-18	BAL	TOR	L	5.0	5	4	4	3	1	0
1984-04-08	BAL	MIN	L	4.0	7	4	4	4	2	0
1983-09-30	BAL	NYY	W	7.0	2	2	1	3	2	0
1983-09-24	BAL	MIL	—	3.2	6	1	1	0	1	0
1983-09-20	BAL	DET	—	4.2	9	7	6	2	6	2
1983-09-18	BAL	MIL	—	1.1	6	7	6	1	0	1
1983-09-06	BAL	BOS	W	7.1	8	1	1	2	3	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Palmer — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	558	521	292	577	34	53

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Palmer — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1965	BAL	P	27	6	6	17	3	1
1966	BAL	P	30	30	14	26	1	2
1967	BAL	P	9	9	2	9	0	1
1969	BAL	P	26	23	7	11	1	1
1970	BAL	P	39	39	21	42	2	4
1971	BAL	P	37	37	27	41	5	3
1972	BAL	P	36	36	14	37	3	4
1973	BAL	P	38	37	24	35	2	3
1974	BAL	P	26	26	15	33	1	2
1975	BAL	P	39	38	30	52	6	7
1976	BAL	P	40	40	27	49	1	2
1977	BAL	P	39	39	20	48	2	5
1978	BAL	P	38	38	27	43	2	5
1979	BAL	P	23	22	10	23	0	1
1980	BAL	P	34	33	14	37	2	6
1981	BAL	P	22	22	12	26	0	2
1982	BAL	P	36	32	16	37	2	3
1983	BAL	P	14	11	5	8	1	0
1984	BAL	P	5	3	1	3	0	1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Palmer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	558
Designated Hitter	3

Awards & Honors

Jim Palmer — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1982	Pitcher of the Month	August
1982	Player of the Week	Week of 1982-09-03
1979	Gold Glove	P
1978	Gold Glove	P
1978	Player of the Week	Week of 1978-05-27
1978	TSN All-Star	RHP
1977	Gold Glove	P
1977	Player of the Week	Week of 1977-04-16
1976	Cy Young Award
1976	Gold Glove	P
1976	Player of the Week	Week of 1976-09-10
1976	TSN All-Star	RHP
1976	TSN Pitcher of the Year
1975	Cy Young Award
1975	Player of the Month	August
1975	Player of the Week	Week of 1975-08-15
1975	TSN All-Star	RHP
1975	TSN Pitcher of the Year
1973	Cy Young Award
1973	TSN All-Star	RHP
1973	TSN Pitcher of the Year
1971	TSN All-Star	RHP

Award Voting History

Jim Palmer — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1982	Cy Young Award	AL	2nd	59.0	140	4
1982	Most Valuable Player	AL	26th	5.0	392	0
1978	Cy Young Award	AL	3rd	14.0	140	0
1977	Cy Young Award	AL	2nd	48.0	140	6
1977	Most Valuable Player	AL	19th	9.0	392	0
1976	Cy Young Award	AL	1st	108.0	120	19
1976	Most Valuable Player	AL	10th	47.0	336	0
1975	Cy Young Award	AL	1st	98.0	120	15
1975	Most Valuable Player	AL	6th	82.0	336	0
1973	Cy Young Award	AL	1st	88.0	120	14
1973	Most Valuable Player	AL	2nd	172.0	336	0
1972	Cy Young Award	AL	5th	20.0	120	2
1972	Most Valuable Player	AL	13th	21.0	336	0
1971	Most Valuable Player	AL	21th	5.0	336	0
1970	Cy Young Award	AL	5th	11.0	120	1
1970	Most Valuable Player	AL	25th	4.0	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

Jim Palmer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Jim Palmer

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Jim Palmer: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 17, 1965 and the final game on May 12, 1984, Jim Palmer built the record summarized on this page. The team column never changes: it is the Baltimore Orioles from 1965 to 1984. Palmer, a pitcher by primary position, threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. The birth record reads October 15, 1945, in New York, NY, USA. Palmer's full given name, per the bio, is James Alvin Palmer.

Across 558 games (521 starts), Palmer recorded 268 wins against 152 losses with a 2.86 ERA. Palmer had 2,212 strikeouts, 211 complete games, and 53 shutouts. That 2.86 ERA compares with a 3.69 league average across the same seasons, 22.6% better. 1975 brought Palmer a season-high 23 wins. The strikeout high was 199 in 1970. In 1972, one of the busiest seasons, Palmer posted a 2.07 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.26. Palmer's career Pitcher PIV, which scores run prevention against each season's league, is 19,501.6.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Palmer

What years did Jim Palmer play?: Jim Palmer played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1984.
Was Jim Palmer a pitcher?: Yes. Jim Palmer pitched in the major leagues, recording 268 wins and 2212 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Jim Palmer hit?: Jim Palmer hit 3 career home runs with 85 hits.
Is Jim Palmer in the Hall of Fame?: Yes. Jim Palmer was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
What teams did Jim Palmer play for?: Jim Palmer played for one team, the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1967, 1969–1984).
How many Cy Young Awards did Jim Palmer win?: Jim Palmer won 3 Cy Young Awards, in 1973, 1975, and 1976.
What awards did Jim Palmer win?: Jim Palmer won 3 Cy Young Awards (1973, 1975, and 1976) and 4 Gold Gloves (1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979). He was selected to 6 All-Star Games.
What were Jim Palmer's career stats?: In 558 games, Jim Palmer went 268-152 with a 2.86 ERA, 2,212 strikeouts, 3,948.0 innings pitched, and 4 saves. At the plate he had 85 hits and 3 home runs.
What position did Jim Palmer play?: Jim Palmer played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Palmer and how much did he weigh?: Jim Palmer was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 190 pounds.
What was Jim Palmer's career ERA?: Jim Palmer finished with a 2.86 career ERA, going 268-152 with 2,212 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Jim Palmer have?: Jim Palmer recorded 2,212 career strikeouts.
How many All-Star Games did Jim Palmer make?: Jim Palmer was selected to 6 All-Star Games.