Bob Porterfield
Born: 8/10/1923 in Newport, VA, USA
Died: 4/28/1980 in Charlotte, NC, USA
MLB Debut: 1948-08-08 | Final Game: 1959-09-21
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 190 lbs
Full name: Erwin Cooledge Porterfield
Biography
Bob Porterfield was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1959. Born in 1923, he established himself as a reliable arm during a transformative era in the sport, marked by the integration of players and a shift towards more offensive gameplay. Over the course of his career, Porterfield recorded a win-loss record of 87-97 and maintained a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 3.79. He struck out 572 batters and earned 8 saves, demonstrating his versatility and ability to perform in high-pressure situations.
Porterfield's most notable achievement came in 1953 when he was selected as an All-Star, a testament to his skill and contributions to the game during his playing years. Known for his competitive spirit and dedication to the craft, he played for teams such as the Washington Senators and the New York Yankees, leaving an indelible mark on the franchises he represented. His career, while not marked by overwhelming accolades, highlighted the persistence and determination of pitchers during the late 1940s and 1950s, a period when the game was evolving and expanding in popularity.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87 | 97 | 318 | 193 | 92 | 23 | 8 | 1567.7 | 1571 | 660 | 113 | 552 | 572 | 3.79 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | NYY | AL | 5 | 3 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 78.0 | 85 | 39 | 34 | 30 | 4.50 | - |
| 1949 | NYY | AL | 2 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 57.7 | 53 | 26 | 29 | 25 | 4.06 | - |
| 1950 | NYY | AL | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19.7 | 28 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 8.69 | - |
| 1951 | NYY | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 15.00 | - |
| 1951 | WSN | AL | 9 | 8 | 19 | 19 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 133.3 | 109 | 48 | 54 | 53 | 3.24 | - |
| 1952 | WSN | AL | 13 | 14 | 31 | 29 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 231.3 | 222 | 70 | 85 | 80 | 2.72 | - |
| 1953 | WSN | AL | 22 | 10 | 34 | 32 | 24 | 9 | 0 | 255.0 | 243 | 95 | 73 | 77 | 3.35 | - |
| 1954 | WSN | AL | 13 | 15 | 32 | 31 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 244.0 | 249 | 90 | 77 | 82 | 3.32 | - |
| 1955 | WSN | AL | 10 | 17 | 30 | 27 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 178.0 | 197 | 88 | 54 | 74 | 4.45 | - |
| 1956 | BOS | AL | 3 | 12 | 25 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 126.0 | 127 | 72 | 64 | 53 | 5.14 | -4135.0 |
| 1957 | BOS | AL | 4 | 4 | 28 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 102.3 | 107 | 46 | 30 | 28 | 4.05 | -3.6 |
| 1958 | BOS | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4.50 | 0.0 |
| 1958 | PIT | NL | 4 | 6 | 37 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 87.7 | 78 | 32 | 19 | 39 | 3.29 | 1233.8 |
| 1959 | CHC | NL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 11.37 | - |
| 1959 | PIT | NL | 1 | 2 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 36.0 | 45 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 4.75 | 201.4 |
| 1959 | PIT | NL | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1.69 | 201.4 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 322 | 516 | 34 | 95 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 43 | 1 | 20 | 123 | 0.184 | 0.218 | 0.252 | 0.470 | -1928.1 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | NYY | AL | 16 | 24 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 1949 | NYY | AL | 12 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.053 | 0.0 |
| 1950 | NYY | AL | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.333 | 0.0 |
| 1951 | NYY | AL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1951 | WSN | AL | 19 | 46 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0.130 | 0.0 |
| 1952 | WSN | AL | 31 | 79 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 0.190 | -495.2 |
| 1953 | WSN | AL | 37 | 98 | 8 | 25 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 20 | 0.255 | -70.3 |
| 1954 | WSN | AL | 32 | 88 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 0.102 | -917.2 |
| 1955 | WSN | AL | 30 | 63 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0.190 | -445.4 |
| 1956 | BOS | AL | 25 | 43 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0.326 | 0.0 |
| 1957 | BOS | AL | 28 | 29 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0.172 | 0.0 |
| 1958 | BOS | AL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1958 | PIT | NL | 37 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0.050 | 0.0 |
| 1959 | CHC | NL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1959 | PIT | NL | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1959 | PIT | NL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 318 | 91 | 80 | 280 | 15 | 15 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | NYA | P | 16 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949 | NYA | P | 12 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
| 1950 | NYA | P | 10 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951 | NYA | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951 | WS1 | P | 19 | 0 | 8 | 23 | 2 | 0 |
| 1952 | WS1 | P | 31 | 0 | 4 | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953 | WS1 | P | 34 | 0 | 16 | 50 | 0 | 4 |
| 1954 | WS1 | P | 32 | 31 | 10 | 61 | 3 | 4 |
| 1955 | WS1 | P | 30 | 27 | 8 | 28 | 1 | 2 |
| 1956 | BOS | P | 25 | 18 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 1957 | BOS | P | 28 | 9 | 7 | 23 | 3 | 1 |
| 1958 | BOS | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958 | PIT | P | 37 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | CHN | P | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1959 | PIT | P | 30 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 1959 | PIT | P | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 318 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | TSN All-Star | P |
| 1953 | TSN Pitcher of the Year |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 7th | 64.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1952 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 34th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |