Bob Patterson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1985-1998)

Bob Patterson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1998 for 5 teams, including the San Diego Padres, a span of 14 seasons. Across 559 career appearances, he went 39-40 with a 4.08 ERA, 483 strikeouts, and 28 saves. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 6527.2.

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 39–40
ERA 4.08
WHIP 1.29
SO 483
Pitcher PIV 6527.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / L
Height / Weight
6'2" / 185 lb
Born
5/16/1959 in Jacksonville, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1985-09-02
Last Game
1998-07-11

Full name: Robert Chandler Patterson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bob Patterson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
39 40 559 21 0 0 28 617.1 619 280 70 180 483 4.08 6527.2

Career ERA 4.08 vs. league average 4.15 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Patterson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1985 SDN NL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4.0 13 11 3 1 24.75 — 0.0
1986 PIT NL 2 3 11 5 0 0 0 36.1 49 20 5 20 4.95 3.97 (-25%) 1729.2
1987 PIT NL 1 4 15 7 0 0 0 43.0 49 32 22 27 6.70 4.29 (-56%) -470.8
1989 PIT NL 4 3 12 3 0 0 1 26.2 23 12 8 20 4.05 3.71 (-9%) 57.0
1990 PIT NL 8 5 55 5 0 0 5 94.2 88 31 21 70 2.95 3.86 (+24%) 1291.8
1991 PIT NL 4 3 54 1 0 0 2 65.2 67 30 15 57 4.11 3.91 (-5%) 1198.8
1992 PIT NL 6 3 60 0 0 0 9 64.2 59 21 23 43 2.92 3.75 (+22%) -294.3
1993 TEX AL 2 4 52 0 0 0 1 52.2 59 28 11 46 4.78 4.19 (-14%) 387.1
1994 CAL AL 2 3 47 0 0 0 1 42.0 35 19 15 30 4.07 4.51 (+10%) -275.3
1995 CAL AL 5 2 62 0 0 0 0 53.1 48 18 13 41 3.04 4.45 (+32%) 856.4
1996 CHN NL 3 3 79 0 0 0 8 54.2 46 19 22 53 3.13 4.61 (+32%) 952.7
1997 CHN NL 1 6 76 0 0 0 0 59.1 47 22 10 58 3.34 4.39 (+24%) 1137.8
1998 CHN NL 1 1 33 0 0 0 1 20.1 36 17 12 17 7.52 4.43 (-70%) -43.0
Career · 13 seasons 39 40 559 21 0 0 28 617.1 619 280 180 483 4.08 — 6,527

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

Bob Patterson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
559 56 3 7 1 0 0 4 0 2 24 .125 .155 .143 .298 0

Career AVG .125 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 52.3% below league average.

Career OBP .155 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 53.0% below league average.

Career SLG .143 vs. league average .403 across their career seasons — 64.5% below league average.

Career OPS .298 vs. league average .733 across their career seasons — 59.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Patterson 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
1985 SDN NL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 PIT NL 11 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 .125 — — — — 0.0
1987 PIT NL 15 12 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .083 — — — — 0.0
1989 PIT NL 12 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1990 PIT NL 55 19 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 .053 — — — — 0.0
1991 PIT NL 54 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .250 — — — — 0.0
1992 PIT NL 60 6 1 2 1 0 0 4 0 1 3 .333 — — — — 0.0
1993 TEX AL 52 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1994 CAL AL 47 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 CAL AL 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 CHN NL 79 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .333 — — — — 0.0
1997 CHN NL 76 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1998 CHN NL 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 13 seasons 559 56 3 7 1 0 0 4 0 2 24 .125 — — — — 0

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

Bob Patterson — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Bob Patterson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1992 NLCS PIT 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1991 NLCS PIT 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1990 NLCS PIT 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Bob Patterson — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 5 0 1 4.2 5 1 3 4 1.93

Playoff Pitching by Year

Bob Patterson — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1992 NLCS PIT 0 0 2 0 0 1.2 3 1 1 1 5.40
1991 NLCS PIT 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 1 0 0 3 0.00
1990 NLCS PIT 0 0 2 0 1 1.0 1 0 2 0 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1116 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bob Patterson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home284331304.091
Away274232400.174

Pitching — Home / Away

Bob Patterson — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home284342.1333153992654.02
Away274274.2286127812174.16

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bob Patterson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1998-07-11 CHCMIL — 0.0121100
1998-07-09 CHCMIL L 0.1222010
1998-07-05 CHCPIT — 0.0000000
1998-07-03 CHCPIT — 0.0222000
1998-06-30 CHCAZ — 0.1100000
1998-06-27 CHCKCR — 0.2100010
1998-06-24 CHCDET — 0.0100100
1998-06-23 CHCCLE — 0.2000000
1998-06-21 CHCPHI — 0.0231100
1998-06-19 CHCPHI — 0.2311011

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bob Patterson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 559 21 28 69 1 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bob Patterson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1985 SDN P 3 0 0 0 0 0
1986 PIT P 11 5 1 9 0 1
1987 PIT P 15 7 0 7 0 0
1989 PIT P 12 3 1 2 0 0
1990 PIT P 55 5 9 10 0 0
1991 PIT P 54 1 4 9 0 1
1992 PIT P 60 0 3 7 0 1
1993 TEX P 52 0 3 7 0 0
1994 CAL P 47 0 2 1 0 0
1995 CAL P 62 0 0 4 0 0
1996 CHN P 79 0 1 3 0 0
1997 CHN P 76 0 4 8 1 1
1998 CHN P 33 0 0 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bob Patterson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 559

Salary History

Bob Patterson's recorded salaries total $5,975,000 over 10 seasons, 1988 to 1998. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Patterson's career ran from 1985 to 1998. No salary is recorded for 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1989.

Bob Patterson — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1998 CHN NL $900,000
1997 CHN NL $1,050,000
1996 CHN NL $675,000
1995 CAL AL $535,000
1994 CAL AL $650,000
1993 TEX AL $825,000
1992 PIT NL $785,000
1991 PIT NL $325,000
1990 PIT NL $150,000
1988 PIT NL $80,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $5,975,000

College History

Bob Patterson — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
East Carolina University Greenville NC 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bob Patterson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jon Rauch
    43-40, 3.90 ERA
  2. 91
    Justin Speier
    35-33, 4.11 ERA
  3. 91
    Dan Wheeler
    25-43, 3.98 ERA
  4. 84
    Mike Maddux
    39-37, 4.05 ERA
  5. 84
    Jamie Walker
    19-21, 4.13 ERA
  6. 79
    Brandon Lyon
    42-47, 4.16 ERA

Bob Patterson: the record in brief

According to the bio, Bob Patterson debuted on September 2, 1985 and played a final game on July 11, 1998. Club by club, the record runs the San Diego Padres (1985), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1986 through 1992), the Texas Rangers (1993), the California Angels (1994 through 1995), and the Chicago Cubs (1996 to 1998). Patterson, a pitcher by primary position, threw left-handed and batted right-handed. The recorded size is 6 feet, 2 inches and 185 pounds. The birth record reads May 16, 1959, in Jacksonville, FL, USA. Bob Patterson was the playing name; the full given name is Robert Chandler.

Patterson pitched in 559 games, starting 21, and finished with a 39-40 record and 4.08 ERA. Also on Patterson's record: 483 strikeouts and 28 saves. Patterson's 4.08 ERA was close to the 4.15 league figure for those seasons. Patterson won 8 games in 1990, the most of any season listed. In 1992, one of the busiest seasons, Patterson posted a 2.92 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.75.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bob Patterson

What years did Bob Patterson play?
Bob Patterson played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1998.
Was Bob Patterson a pitcher?
Yes. Bob Patterson pitched in the major leagues, recording 39 wins and 483 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bob Patterson hit?
Bob Patterson hit 0 career home runs with 7 hits.
What teams did Bob Patterson play for?
Bob Patterson played for 5 teams: the San Diego Padres (1985), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1986–1987, 1989–1992), the Texas Rangers (1993), the California Angels (1994–1995), and the Chicago Cubs (1996–1998).
What were Bob Patterson's career stats?
In 559 games, Bob Patterson went 39-40 with a 4.08 ERA, 483 strikeouts, 617.1 innings pitched, and 28 saves.
How much did Bob Patterson earn in his career?
Bob Patterson's recorded salaries total $5,975,000 over 10 seasons, 1988 to 1998. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Patterson's career ran from 1985 to 1998. No salary is recorded for 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1989.
What was Bob Patterson's salary?
Bob Patterson's last recorded salary was $900,000, in 1998. His highest recorded salary was $1,050,000, in 1997, and his lowest was $80,000, in 1988. The Salary History table lists each season from 1988 to 1998.
What position did Bob Patterson play?
Bob Patterson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bob Patterson and how much did he weigh?
Bob Patterson was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 185 pounds.
What was Bob Patterson's career ERA?
Bob Patterson finished with a 4.08 career ERA, going 39-40 with 483 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bob Patterson have?
Bob Patterson recorded 483 career strikeouts.
Is Bob Patterson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bob Patterson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.