Sidney Ponson
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1998-2009)
Sidney Ponson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2009 for 7 teams, including the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 12 seasons. Across 298 career appearances, he went 91-113 with a 5.03 ERA and 1,031 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
- 6'1" / 220 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1998-04-19
- Last Game
- 2009-07-31
Full name: Sidney Alton Ponson
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 | BAL | AL | 8 | 9 | 31 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 135.0 | 157 | 79 | 42 | 85 | 5.27 | 4.43 (-19%) | -937.8 |
| 1999 | BAL | AL | 12 | 12 | 32 | 32 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 210.0 | 227 | 110 | 80 | 112 | 4.71 | 4.71 (avg) | -3583.9 |
| 2000 | BAL | AL | 9 | 13 | 32 | 32 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 222.0 | 223 | 119 | 83 | 152 | 4.82 | 4.77 (-1%) | 655.0 |
| 2001 | BAL | AL | 5 | 10 | 23 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 138.1 | 161 | 76 | 37 | 84 | 4.94 | 4.42 (-12%) | -1117.7 |
| 2002 | BAL | AL | 7 | 9 | 28 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 176.0 | 172 | 80 | 63 | 120 | 4.09 | 4.28 (+4%) | -1534.6 |
| 2003 | BAL | AL | 14 | 6 | 21 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 148.0 | 147 | 62 | 43 | 100 | 3.77 | 4.40 (+14%) | 3387.4 |
| 2003 | SFN | NL | 3 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68.0 | 64 | 28 | 18 | 34 | 3.71 | 4.40 (+16%) | 660.0 |
| 2004 | BAL | AL | 11 | 15 | 33 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 215.2 | 265 | 127 | 69 | 115 | 5.30 | 4.46 (-19%) | 137.2 |
| 2005 | BAL | AL | 7 | 11 | 23 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 130.1 | 177 | 90 | 48 | 68 | 6.21 | 4.29 (-45%) | -1483.9 |
| 2006 | SLN | NL | 4 | 4 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68.2 | 82 | 40 | 29 | 33 | 5.24 | 4.53 (-16%) | -730.8 |
| 2006 | NYA | AL | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16.1 | 26 | 19 | 7 | 15 | 10.47 | 4.53 (-131%) | -186.5 |
| 2007 | MIN | AL | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37.2 | 54 | 29 | 17 | 23 | 6.93 | 4.47 (-55%) | -1463.5 |
| 2008 | TEX | AL | 4 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 55.2 | 71 | 24 | 16 | 25 | 3.88 | 4.32 (+10%) | 590.2 |
| 2008 | NYA | AL | 4 | 4 | 16 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80.0 | 99 | 52 | 32 | 33 | 5.85 | 4.32 (-35%) | -2316.4 |
| 2009 | KCA | AL | 1 | 7 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58.2 | 79 | 48 | 25 | 32 | 7.36 | 4.32 (-70%) | -578.8 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 91 | 113 | 298 | 278 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 1,760.1 | 2,004 | 983 | 609 | 1,031 | 5.03 | — | -8,504 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 298 | 65 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 22 | .138 | .176 | .185 | .361 | 0 |
Career AVG .138 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 47.9% below league average.
Career OBP .176 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 47.4% below league average.
Career SLG .185 vs. league average .424 across their career seasons — 56.5% below league average.
Career OPS .361 vs. league average .760 across their career seasons — 52.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | BAL | AL | 31 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1999 | BAL | AL | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2000 | BAL | AL | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2001 | BAL | AL | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2002 | BAL | AL | 28 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2003 | BAL | AL | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2003 | SFN | NL | 10 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .091 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2004 | BAL | AL | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2005 | BAL | AL | 23 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2006 | SLN | NL | 14 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2006 | NYA | AL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2007 | MIN | AL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2008 | TEX | AL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2008 | NYA | AL | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2009 | KCA | AL | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 298 | 65 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 22 | .138 | — | — | — | — | 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 (596 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 154 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .143 |
| Away | 144 | 51 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1 | .137 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 154 | 924.2 | 1044 | 486 | 311 | 524 | 4.73 |
| Away | 144 | 835.2 | 960 | 497 | 298 | 507 | 5.35 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-07-31 | KCR | TBR | L | 4.1 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2009-07-26 | KCR | TEX | — | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 2009-07-21 | KCR | LAA | L | 5.0 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2009-05-29 | KCR | CHW | — | 0.1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-05-25 | KCR | DET | — | 3.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009-05-20 | KCR | CLE | L | 1.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-05-14 | KCR | BAL | — | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009-05-12 | KCR | OAK | — | 2.0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009-05-06 | KCR | SEA | W | 7.1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009-05-01 | KCR | MIN | L | 4.1 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | BAL | P | 31 | 20 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999 | BAL | P | 32 | 32 | 12 | 26 | 2 | 6 |
| 2000 | BAL | P | 32 | 32 | 13 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | BAL | P | 23 | 23 | 14 | 19 | 0 | 2 |
| 2002 | BAL | P | 28 | 28 | 20 | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| 2003 | BAL | P | 21 | 21 | 12 | 18 | 1 | 2 |
| 2003 | SFN | P | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
| 2004 | BAL | P | 33 | 33 | 21 | 28 | 1 | 4 |
| 2005 | BAL | P | 23 | 23 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 1 |
| 2006 | SLN | P | 14 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 2006 | NYA | P | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | MIN | P | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | TEX | P | 9 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | NYA | P | 16 | 15 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 2009 | KCA | P | 14 | 9 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 298 |
Salary History
Sidney Ponson's recorded salaries total $23,320,000 over 10 seasons, 1998 to 2007. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Ponson's career ran from 1998 to 2009. No salary is recorded for 2008 and 2009.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | MIN | AL | $1,000,000 |
| 2006 | SLN | NL | $1,000,000 |
| 2005 | BAL | AL | $8,500,000 |
| 2004 | BAL | AL | $3,000,000 |
| 2003 | BAL | AL | $4,250,000 |
| 2002 | BAL | AL | $2,650,000 |
| 2001 | BAL | AL | $2,100,000 |
| 2000 | BAL | AL | $400,000 |
| 1999 | BAL | AL | $250,000 |
| 1998 | BAL | AL | $170,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $23,320,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 5th | 1.0 | 140 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Sidney Ponson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Sidney Ponson: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 19, 1998 and the final game on July 31, 2009, Sidney Ponson built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the Baltimore Orioles (1998 to 2005), the San Francisco Giants (2003), the St. Louis Cardinals (2006), the New York Yankees (2006 to 2008), the Minnesota Twins (2007), the Texas Rangers (2008), and the Kansas City Royals (2009). Ponson played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on November 2, 1976, in Noord, Noord, Aruba and a listed size of 6 feet, 1 inch and 220 pounds. On the record, Sidney Ponson was born Sidney Alton Ponson.
The pitching table credits Ponson with a 91-113 record and a 5.03 ERA in 298 games. Ponson had 1,031 strikeouts and 29 complete games. The league ERA over Ponson's seasons was 4.45, so the 5.03 figure ran 12.9% worse than average. Ponson won 14 games in 2003, the most of any season listed. The strikeout high was 152 in 2000.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sidney Ponson
- What years did Sidney Ponson play?
- Sidney Ponson played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2009.
- Was Sidney Ponson a pitcher?
- Yes. Sidney Ponson pitched in the major leagues, recording 91 wins and 1031 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Sidney Ponson hit?
- Sidney Ponson hit 0 career home runs with 9 hits.
- What teams did Sidney Ponson play for?
- Sidney Ponson played for 7 teams: the Baltimore Orioles (1998–2005), the San Francisco Giants (2003), the St. Louis Cardinals (2006), the New York Yankees (2006, 2008), the Minnesota Twins (2007), the Texas Rangers (2008), and the Kansas City Royals (2009).
- What were Sidney Ponson's career stats?
- In 298 games, Sidney Ponson went 91-113 with a 5.03 ERA, 1,031 strikeouts, 1,760.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
- How much did Sidney Ponson earn in his career?
- Sidney Ponson's recorded salaries total $23,320,000 over 10 seasons, 1998 to 2007. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Ponson's career ran from 1998 to 2009. No salary is recorded for 2008 and 2009.
- What was Sidney Ponson's salary?
- Sidney Ponson's last recorded salary was $1,000,000, in 2007. His highest recorded salary was $8,500,000, in 2005, and his lowest was $170,000, in 1998. The Salary History table lists each season from 1998 to 2007.
- What position did Sidney Ponson play?
- Sidney Ponson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Sidney Ponson and how much did he weigh?
- Sidney Ponson was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 220 pounds.
- What was Sidney Ponson's career ERA?
- Sidney Ponson finished with a 5.03 career ERA, going 91-113 with 1,031 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Sidney Ponson have?
- Sidney Ponson recorded 1,031 career strikeouts.
- Is Sidney Ponson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Sidney Ponson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.