Cliff Politte
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1998-2006)
Cliff Politte was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2006 for 4 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 9 seasons. Across 330 career appearances, he went 22-23 with a 4.40 ERA and 342 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
- 5'11" / 185 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1998-04-02
- Last Game
- 2006-07-15
Full name: Clifford Anthony Politte
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | SLN | NL | 2 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37.0 | 45 | 26 | 18 | 22 | 6.32 | 4.43 (-43%) | -1079.4 |
| 1999 | PHI | NL | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 | 19 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 7.13 | 4.71 (-51%) | -329.6 |
| 2000 | PHI | NL | 4 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59.0 | 55 | 24 | 27 | 50 | 3.66 | 4.77 (+23%) | 290.7 |
| 2001 | PHI | NL | 2 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26.0 | 24 | 7 | 8 | 23 | 2.42 | 4.42 (+45%) | 718.3 |
| 2002 | PHI | NL | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16.1 | 19 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 3.86 | 4.28 (+10%) | 539.2 |
| 2002 | TOR | AL | 1 | 3 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 57.1 | 38 | 23 | 19 | 57 | 3.61 | 4.28 (+16%) | 1630.3 |
| 2003 | TOR | AL | 1 | 5 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 49.1 | 52 | 31 | 17 | 40 | 5.66 | 4.40 (-29%) | -1237.6 |
| 2004 | CHA | AL | 0 | 3 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 51.1 | 52 | 25 | 22 | 48 | 4.38 | 4.46 (+2%) | 471.4 |
| 2005 | CHA | AL | 7 | 1 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 67.1 | 42 | 15 | 21 | 57 | 2.00 | 4.29 (+53%) | 927.1 |
| 2006 | CHA | AL | 2 | 2 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 | 47 | 29 | 15 | 15 | 8.70 | 4.53 (-92%) | -2339.9 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 22 | 23 | 330 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 411.1 | 393 | 201 | 171 | 342 | 4.40 | — | -410 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 330 | 33 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | .121 | .189 | .152 | .341 | 0 |
Career AVG .121 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 54.5% below league average.
Career OBP .189 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 43.7% below league average.
Career SLG .152 vs. league average .426 across their career seasons — 64.4% below league average.
Career OPS .341 vs. league average .762 across their career seasons — 55.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | SLN | NL | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .071 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1999 | PHI | NL | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2000 | PHI | NL | 12 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .133 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2001 | PHI | NL | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2002 | PHI | NL | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2002 | TOR | AL | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2003 | TOR | AL | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2004 | CHA | AL | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2005 | CHA | AL | 68 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2006 | CHA | AL | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 330 | 33 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | .121 | — | — | — | — | 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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (660 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 169 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .118 |
| Away | 161 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .125 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 169 | 223.0 | 189 | 84 | 87 | 193 | 3.39 |
| Away | 161 | 188.1 | 204 | 117 | 84 | 149 | 5.59 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07-15 | CHW | NYY | — | 2.0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2006-07-09 | CHW | BOS | W | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006-07-07 | CHW | BOS | — | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006-07-06 | CHW | BAL | — | 1.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006-07-03 | CHW | BAL | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006-07-02 | CHW | CHC | — | 2.0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2006-06-29 | CHW | PIT | L | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2006-06-04 | CHW | TEX | — | 0.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2006-06-03 | CHW | TEX | — | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006-05-31 | CHW | CLE | — | 1.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | SLN | P | 8 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | PHI | P | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | PHI | P | 12 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | PHI | P | 23 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002 | PHI | P | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | TOR | P | 55 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | TOR | P | 54 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | CHA | P | 54 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | CHA | P | 68 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | CHA | P | 30 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 330 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | CHA | AL | $1,200,000 |
| 2005 | CHA | AL | $1,000,000 |
| 2004 | CHA | AL | $800,000 |
| 2003 | TOR | AL | $845,000 |
| 2002 | PHI | NL | $245,000 |
| 2001 | PHI | NL | $225,000 |
| 1998 | SLN | NL | $170,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $4,485,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Memphis | Memphis | TN | 1994 |
| Jefferson College | Hillsboro | MO | 1995, 1996 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Cliff Politte (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Cliff Politte: the record in brief
Cliff Politte's major league career runs from a debut on April 2, 1998 to a final game on July 15, 2006. Politte played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1998), the Philadelphia Phillies (1999 through 2002), the Toronto Blue Jays (2002 to 2003), and the Chicago White Sox (2004 through 2006). Politte is listed as a pitcher at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds. Politte batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Politte was born on February 27, 1974, in Kirkwood, MO, USA. The bio lists the given name Clifford Anthony.
The pitching table credits Politte with a 22-23 record and a 4.40 ERA in 330 games. Also on Politte's record: 342 strikeouts and 15 saves. Politte's 4.40 ERA was close to the 4.48 league figure for those seasons. Politte won 7 games in 2005, the most of any season listed. Politte struck out 57 batters in 2002, a career high. The most saves in one season was 12, in 2003. In 2005, one of the busiest seasons, Politte posted a 2.00 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.29.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cliff Politte
- What years did Cliff Politte play?
- Cliff Politte played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2006.
- Was Cliff Politte a pitcher?
- Yes. Cliff Politte pitched in the major leagues, recording 22 wins and 342 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Cliff Politte hit?
- Cliff Politte hit 0 career home runs with 4 hits.
- What was Cliff Politte's career batting average?
- Cliff Politte batted .121 over his career, with 4 hits in 33 at bats.
- How many RBI did Cliff Politte have?
- Cliff Politte drove in 3 runs in his career.
- What was Cliff Politte's career ERA?
- Cliff Politte finished with a 4.40 career ERA, going 22-23 with 342 strikeouts.