Johnny Podgajny
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1940-1946)
Johnny Podgajny was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1946 for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 7 seasons. Across 115 career appearances, he went 20-37 with a 4.20 ERA and 129 strikeouts.
- 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 173 lb
- Died
- 3/2/1971 in Chester, PA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1940-09-15
- Last Game
- 1946-05-13
Full name: John Sigmund Podgajny
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | PHI | NL | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 35.0 | 33 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 2.83 | 4.21 (+33%) | 1520.1 |
| 1941 | PHI | NL | 9 | 12 | 34 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 181.1 | 191 | 93 | 70 | 53 | 4.62 | 3.94 (-17%) | -370.8 |
| 1942 | PHI | NL | 6 | 14 | 43 | 23 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 186.2 | 191 | 81 | 63 | 40 | 3.91 | 3.57 (-9%) | -1848.0 |
| 1943 | PHI | NL | 4 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 64.0 | 77 | 30 | 16 | 13 | 4.22 | 3.50 (-20%) | -487.7 |
| 1943 | PIT | NL | 0 | 4 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.1 | 37 | 18 | 13 | 7 | 4.72 | 3.50 (-35%) | -219.2 |
| 1946 | CLE | AL | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5.00 | 3.59 (-39%) | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 20 | 37 | 115 | 61 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 510.1 | 542 | 238 | 165 | 129 | 4.20 | — | -1,405 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | 161 | 10 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 37 | .168 | .178 | .193 | .370 | -940 |
Career AVG .168 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 35.3% below league average.
Career OBP .178 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 45.9% below league average.
Career SLG .193 vs. league average .363 across their career seasons — 47.0% below league average.
Career OPS .370 vs. league average .692 across their career seasons — 46.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | PHI | NL | 4 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1941 | PHI | NL | 35 | 62 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | .129 | .262 (-51%) | .332 (-57%) | .373 (-57%) | .705 (-57%) | -560.3 |
| 1942 | PHI | NL | 44 | 60 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | .183 | .253 (-28%) | .323 (-43%) | .349 (-38%) | .672 (-41%) | -379.6 |
| 1943 | PHI | NL | 13 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1943 | PIT | NL | 21 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | CLE | AL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 123 | 161 | 10 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 37 | .168 | — | — | — | — | -940 | ||
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 (238 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 63 | 75 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 3 | .133 |
| Away | 60 | 85 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 6 | .200 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 59 | 260.1 | 256 | 106 | 78 | 70 | 3.66 |
| Away | 56 | 250.0 | 287 | 130 | 86 | 59 | 4.68 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-05-13 | CLE | SLA | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-05-09 | CLE | PHA | — | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1946-05-05 | CLE | MIN | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-05-03 | CLE | BOS | — | 2.0 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-05-01 | CLE | NYY | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-04-25 | CLE | CHW | — | 2.0 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1943-09-06 | PIT | STL | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-08-30 | PIT | STL | — | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-08-28 | PIT | CHC | — | 2.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1943-08-18 | PIT | NY1 | — | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 115 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Johnny Podgajny (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Johnny Podgajny: the record in brief
September 15, 1940 and May 13, 1946 bracket Johnny Podgajny's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Podgajny played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1940 to 1942), the Philadelphia Blue Jays (1943), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1943), and the Cleveland Indians (1946). Podgajny, born on June 10, 1920, in Chester, PA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Podgajny's listed size is 173 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. Podgajny died on March 2, 1971, in Chester, PA, USA. Podgajny's full given name, per the bio, is John Sigmund Podgajny.
Podgajny pitched in 115 games, starting 61, and finished with a 20-37 record and 4.20 ERA. Also on Podgajny's record: 129 strikeouts and 20 complete games. The league ERA over Podgajny's seasons was 3.76, so the 4.20 figure ran 11.6% worse than average. The best win total was 9, in 1941. 1942 was Podgajny's sharpest full season, a 3.91 ERA against the league's 3.57.
Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Podgajny
- What years did Johnny Podgajny play?
- Johnny Podgajny played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1946.
- Was Johnny Podgajny a pitcher?
- Yes. Johnny Podgajny pitched in the major leagues, recording 20 wins and 129 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Johnny Podgajny hit?
- Johnny Podgajny hit 0 career home runs with 27 hits.
- What teams did Johnny Podgajny play for?
- Johnny Podgajny played for 3 teams: the Philadelphia Blue Jays (1940–1943), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1943), and the Cleveland Indians (1946).
- What were Johnny Podgajny's career stats?
- In 115 games, Johnny Podgajny went 20-37 with a 4.20 ERA, 129 strikeouts, and 510.1 innings pitched.
- What position did Johnny Podgajny play?
- Johnny Podgajny played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Johnny Podgajny and how much did he weigh?
- Johnny Podgajny was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 173 pounds.
- What was Johnny Podgajny's career ERA?
- Johnny Podgajny finished with a 4.20 career ERA, going 20-37 with 129 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Johnny Podgajny have?
- Johnny Podgajny recorded 129 career strikeouts.
- Is Johnny Podgajny in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Johnny Podgajny has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.