Johnny Rigney
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1937-1947)
Johnny Rigney was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1947 for the Chicago White Sox, a span of 11 seasons. Across 197 career appearances, he went 63-64 with a 3.59 ERA and 605 strikeouts. He also batted .177 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 1254.1.
- 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" / 190 lb
- Died
- 10/21/1984 in Lombard, IL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1937-04-21
- Last Game
- 1947-07-04
Full name: John Dungan Rigney
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | CHA | AL | 2 | 5 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 90.2 | 107 | 50 | 46 | 38 | 4.96 | 4.34 (-14%) | -2450.3 |
| 1938 | CHA | AL | 9 | 9 | 38 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 167.0 | 164 | 66 | 72 | 84 | 3.56 | 4.35 (+18%) | -1311.8 |
| 1939 | CHA | AL | 15 | 8 | 35 | 29 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 218.2 | 208 | 90 | 84 | 119 | 3.70 | 4.28 (+14%) | 3032.2 |
| 1940 | CHA | AL | 14 | 18 | 39 | 33 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 280.2 | 240 | 97 | 90 | 141 | 3.11 | 4.21 (+26%) | 1580.0 |
| 1941 | CHA | AL | 13 | 13 | 30 | 29 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 237.0 | 224 | 101 | 92 | 119 | 3.84 | 3.94 (+3%) | -1221.2 |
| 1942 | CHA | AL | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 59.0 | 40 | 21 | 16 | 34 | 3.20 | 3.57 (+10%) | 1253.3 |
| 1946 | CHA | AL | 5 | 5 | 15 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 82.2 | 76 | 37 | 35 | 51 | 4.03 | 3.59 (-12%) | -99.0 |
| 1947 | CHA | AL | 2 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.2 | 42 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 1.95 | 3.97 (+51%) | 470.9 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 63 | 64 | 197 | 132 | 66 | 10 | 5 | 1,186.1 | 1,101 | 473 | 450 | 605 | 3.59 | — | 1,254 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 198 | 401 | 25 | 71 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 17 | 113 | .177 | .211 | .209 | .420 | -1,852 |
Career AVG .177 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 33.4% below league average.
Career OBP .211 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 37.2% below league average.
Career SLG .209 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 44.7% below league average.
Career OPS .420 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — 41.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | CHA | AL | 22 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1938 | CHA | AL | 38 | 55 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 17 | .145 | .272 (-47%) | .341 (-53%) | .392 (-58%) | .734 (-56%) | -500.6 |
| 1939 | CHA | AL | 35 | 80 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 18 | .200 | .274 (-27%) | .342 (-36%) | .393 (-36%) | .735 (-36%) | -481.4 |
| 1940 | CHA | AL | 40 | 93 | 5 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 28 | .215 | .267 (-20%) | .335 (-29%) | .387 (-33%) | .722 (-31%) | -472.6 |
| 1941 | CHA | AL | 30 | 84 | 8 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 27 | .202 | .262 (-23%) | .332 (-23%) | .373 (-36%) | .705 (-30%) | -396.9 |
| 1942 | CHA | AL | 7 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .053 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | CHA | AL | 15 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .154 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1947 | CHA | AL | 11 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 198 | 401 | 25 | 71 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 17 | 113 | .177 | — | — | — | — | -1,852 | ||
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 (395 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 100 | 217 | 13 | 39 | 0 | 19 | .180 |
| Away | 98 | 183 | 12 | 31 | 0 | 9 | .169 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 99 | 666.0 | 578 | 222 | 225 | 358 | 3.00 |
| Away | 98 | 520.0 | 524 | 249 | 223 | 251 | 4.31 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-07-04 | CHW | SLA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-06-26 | CHW | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-06-22 | CHW | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-06-07 | CHW | MIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-06-02 | CHW | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947-05-25 | CHW | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-05-13 | CHW | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-05-08 | CHW | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947-04-30 | CHW | MIN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-04-24 | CHW | CLE | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-07-04 | CHW | SLA | — | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-06-26 | CHW | CLE | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-06-22 | CHW | PHA | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-06-07 | CHW | MIN | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-06-02 | CHW | BOS | L | 6.1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1947-05-25 | CHW | DET | — | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1947-05-13 | CHW | BOS | — | 4.2 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 1947-05-08 | CHW | BOS | L | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1947-04-30 | CHW | MIN | W | 9.0 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1947-04-24 | CHW | CLE | L | 9.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 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 | 197 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of St. Thomas | St. Paul | MN | 1933, 1934, 1935 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 20th | 9.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Johnny Rigney (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Johnny Rigney: the record in brief
Johnny Rigney played a first major league game on April 21, 1937 and a last one on July 4, 1947. All of the seasons listed were played for the Chicago White Sox. Born on October 28, 1914, in Oak Park, IL, USA, Rigney is listed as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. The bio gives 6 feet, 2 inches and 190 pounds. Rigney's death is recorded on October 21, 1984, in Lombard, IL, USA. The given name on file is John Dungan Rigney.
The pitching table credits Rigney with a 63-64 record and a 3.59 ERA in 197 games. The totals include 605 strikeouts, 66 complete games, and 10 shutouts. Against a 4.03 league ERA for the same years, Rigney was 10.9% better. 1939 brought Rigney a season-high 15 wins. The strikeout high was 141 in 1940. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.11 in 1940, when the league's was 4.21. Pitcher PIV, the site's era-adjusted run-prevention measure, totals 1,254.1 for Rigney's career.
Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Rigney
- What years did Johnny Rigney play?
- Johnny Rigney played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1947.
- Was Johnny Rigney a pitcher?
- Yes. Johnny Rigney pitched in the major leagues, recording 63 wins and 605 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Johnny Rigney hit?
- Johnny Rigney hit 0 career home runs with 71 hits.
- What teams did Johnny Rigney play for?
- Johnny Rigney played for one team, the Chicago White Sox (1937–1942, 1946–1947).
- What were Johnny Rigney's career stats?
- In 197 games, Johnny Rigney went 63-64 with a 3.59 ERA, 605 strikeouts, 1,186.1 innings pitched, and 5 saves. At the plate he had 71 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Johnny Rigney play?
- Johnny Rigney played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Johnny Rigney and how much did he weigh?
- Johnny Rigney was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 190 pounds.
- What was Johnny Rigney's career ERA?
- Johnny Rigney finished with a 3.59 career ERA, going 63-64 with 605 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Johnny Rigney have?
- Johnny Rigney recorded 605 career strikeouts.
- Is Johnny Rigney in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Johnny Rigney has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.