Shirley Petway
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Shirley Petway was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball for 4 teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons. In 25 career games, he hit .304 with 24 hits and 9 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- 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
- Catcher
- Height / Weight
- 5'7" / 169 lb
- Died
- 12/27/1984 in Chicago, IL, USA
Full name: Shirley H. Petway
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 79 | 8 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .304 | .375 | .304 | .679 | -2 |
Career AVG .304 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — +12.0% above league average.
Career OBP .375 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +12.1% above league average.
Career SLG .304 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — 20.6% below league average.
Career OPS .679 vs. league average .717 across their career seasons — 5.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | BBB | NSL | 14 | 47 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .298 | — | — | — | — | -2.0 |
| 1932 | LVB | NSL | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | -2.0 |
| 1937 | DTS | NAL | 8 | 24 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .375 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1944 | CBE | NAL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 25 | 79 | 8 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .304 | — | — | — | — | -4 | ||
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 (17 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 9 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .412 |
| Away | 8 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .455 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944-06-12 | CVB | KCM | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-05-23 | CVB | BIR | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-05-14 | CVB | CIA | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-05-10 | CVB | CIA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-05-09 | CVB | CIA | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-08-15 | DT2 | ATN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-08-06 | DT2 | CI1 | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-06-30 | DT2 | CAG | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-06-29 | DT2 | CAG | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-06-26 | DT2 | CAG | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 10 |
| Third Base | 3 |
| Shortstop | 4 |
| Left Field | 2 |
| Right Field | 8 |
Shirley Petway: the record in brief
Shirley Petway's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1932 to 1944. Petway played for the Birmingham Black Barons (1932), the Louisville Black Caps (1932), the Detroit Stars (1937), and the Cleveland Buckeyes (1944). Petway is listed as a catcher at 5 feet, 7 inches and 169 pounds. Petway was born on July 6, 1908, in Nashville, TN, USA. Petway died on December 27, 1984, in Chicago, IL, USA. Petway's full given name, per the bio, is Shirley H. Petway.
Petway finished with 24 hits from 79 at bats in 25 games, which works out to .304, adding 9 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .375 and the slugging percentage .304, for an OPS of .679. Petway's .304 average ran 12.0% above the .271 that the league posted over the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .679 to a league .717, 5.4% below average. The highest hit total in a season was 14, in 1932.
Petway's separate Negro Leagues table shows a .448 average on 13 hits. Negro Leagues totals are drawn from box-score research and sit in their own table on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions about Shirley Petway
- Was Shirley Petway a pitcher?
- No. Shirley Petway was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Shirley Petway hit?
- Shirley Petway hit 0 career home runs with 24 hits.
- What teams did Shirley Petway play for?
- Shirley Petway played for 4 teams: the Birmingham Black Barons (1932), the Louisville Black Caps (1932), the Detroit Stars (1937), and the Cleveland Buckeyes (1944).
- What were Shirley Petway's career stats?
- In 25 games, Shirley Petway had 24 hits, 9 RBI, 8 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .304 batting average.
- What position did Shirley Petway play?
- Shirley Petway played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Shirley Petway and how much did he weigh?
- Shirley Petway was listed at 5 feet 7 inches and 169 pounds.
- What was Shirley Petway's career batting average?
- Shirley Petway batted .304 over his career, with 24 hits in 79 at bats.
- How many RBI did Shirley Petway have?
- Shirley Petway drove in 9 runs in his career.
- Is Shirley Petway in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Shirley Petway has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.