Jose Rijo
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1984-2002)
Jose Rijo was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1984 to 2002 for the New York Yankees, the Athletics, and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 19 seasons. Across 376 career appearances, he went 116-91 with a 3.24 ERA and 1,606 strikeouts. He also batted .191 with 2 home runs. Jose Rijo was an All-Star and a World Series MVP. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 35807.6.
- 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" / 200 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1984-04-05
- Last Game
- 2002-09-28
- Awards
- All-Star · World Series MVP
Full name: Jose Antonio Rijo
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | NYA | AL | 2 | 8 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 62.1 | 74 | 33 | 33 | 47 | 4.76 | 3.81 (-25%) | -200.0 |
| 1985 | OAK | AL | 6 | 4 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63.2 | 57 | 25 | 28 | 65 | 3.53 | 3.89 (+9%) | 1063.3 |
| 1986 | OAK | AL | 9 | 11 | 39 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 193.2 | 172 | 100 | 108 | 176 | 4.65 | 3.97 (-17%) | -1582.8 |
| 1987 | OAK | AL | 2 | 7 | 21 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 82.1 | 106 | 54 | 41 | 67 | 5.90 | 4.29 (-37%) | -197.1 |
| 1988 | CIN | NL | 13 | 8 | 49 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.0 | 120 | 43 | 63 | 160 | 2.39 | 3.73 (+36%) | 4837.9 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | 7 | 6 | 19 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 111.0 | 101 | 35 | 48 | 86 | 2.84 | 3.71 (+24%) | 1257.3 |
| 1990 | CIN | NL | 14 | 8 | 29 | 29 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 197.0 | 151 | 59 | 78 | 152 | 2.70 | 3.86 (+30%) | 3679.3 |
| 1991 | CIN | NL | 15 | 6 | 30 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 204.1 | 165 | 57 | 55 | 172 | 2.51 | 3.91 (+36%) | 7337.9 |
| 1992 | CIN | NL | 15 | 10 | 33 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 211.0 | 185 | 60 | 44 | 171 | 2.56 | 3.75 (+32%) | 5453.1 |
| 1993 | CIN | NL | 14 | 9 | 36 | 36 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 257.1 | 218 | 71 | 62 | 227 | 2.48 | 4.19 (+41%) | 8538.9 |
| 1994 | CIN | NL | 9 | 6 | 26 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172.1 | 177 | 59 | 52 | 171 | 3.08 | 4.51 (+32%) | 5279.0 |
| 1995 | CIN | NL | 5 | 4 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 69.0 | 76 | 32 | 22 | 62 | 4.17 | 4.45 (+6%) | 1850.9 |
| 2001 | CIN | NL | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 | 19 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 2.12 | 4.42 (+52%) | -143.4 |
| 2002 | CIN | NL | 5 | 4 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77.0 | 89 | 44 | 20 | 38 | 5.14 | 4.28 (-20%) | -1366.7 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 116 | 91 | 376 | 269 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 1,880.0 | 1,710 | 676 | 663 | 1,606 | 3.24 | — | 35,808 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 377 | 445 | 25 | 85 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 2 | 8 | 101 | .191 | .205 | .234 | .439 | -1,479 |
Career AVG .191 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 26.6% below league average.
Career OBP .205 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 37.3% below league average.
Career SLG .234 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — 41.3% below league average.
Career OPS .439 vs. league average .726 across their career seasons — 39.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | NYA | AL | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1985 | OAK | AL | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | OAK | AL | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | OAK | AL | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | CIN | NL | 49 | 37 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .054 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | 19 | 38 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | .211 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1990 | CIN | NL | 29 | 62 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | .161 | .257 (-37%) | .324 (-42%) | .385 (-54%) | .710 (-49%) | -470.7 |
| 1991 | CIN | NL | 31 | 67 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 13 | .209 | .255 (-18%) | .323 (-28%) | .384 (-46%) | .708 (-38%) | -387.9 |
| 1992 | CIN | NL | 33 | 72 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | .194 | .255 (-24%) | .322 (-40%) | .377 (-41%) | .699 (-40%) | -455.9 |
| 1993 | CIN | NL | 36 | 82 | 5 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 18 | .268 | .265 (+1%) | .332 (-11%) | .403 (-12%) | .735 (-12%) | -164.6 |
| 1994 | CIN | NL | 26 | 49 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .204 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1995 | CIN | NL | 14 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .136 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2001 | CIN | NL | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2002 | CIN | NL | 31 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 377 | 445 | 25 | 85 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 2 | 8 | 101 | .191 | — | — | — | — | -1,479 | ||
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 (753 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 186 | 202 | 15 | 38 | 2 | 16 | .188 |
| Away | 191 | 243 | 10 | 47 | 0 | 13 | .193 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 186 | 929.1 | 840 | 347 | 342 | 837 | 3.36 |
| Away | 190 | 950.2 | 870 | 329 | 321 | 769 | 3.11 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-09-28 | CIN | WSN | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002-09-22 | CIN | PHI | L | 4.2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2002-09-11 | CIN | PIT | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002-09-07 | CIN | MIL | — | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002-08-31 | CIN | MIL | — | 1.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 2002-08-28 | CIN | STL | — | 1.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002-08-21 | CIN | AZ | — | 3.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002-08-19 | CIN | HOU | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002-08-16 | CIN | HOU | — | 1.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002-08-14 | CIN | AZ | — | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | NYA | P | 24 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | OAK | P | 12 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | OAK | P | 39 | 26 | 13 | 18 | 3 | 0 |
| 1987 | OAK | P | 21 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988 | CIN | P | 49 | 19 | 7 | 23 | 1 | 1 |
| 1989 | CIN | P | 19 | 19 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | CIN | P | 29 | 29 | 19 | 27 | 2 | 0 |
| 1991 | CIN | P | 30 | 30 | 17 | 22 | 3 | 2 |
| 1992 | CIN | P | 33 | 33 | 19 | 31 | 2 | 1 |
| 1993 | CIN | P | 36 | 36 | 27 | 35 | 0 | 8 |
| 1994 | CIN | P | 26 | 26 | 14 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | CIN | P | 14 | 14 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | CIN | P | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | CIN | P | 31 | 9 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 376 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Pitcher of the Month | September |
| 1991 | TSN All-Star | RHP |
| 1990 | Player of the Week | Week of 1990-09-22 |
| 1990 | World Series MVP | |
| 1989 | Player of the Week | Week of 1989-05-13 |
Salary History
Jose Rijo's recorded salaries total $33,762,499 over 12 seasons, 1986 to 2002. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Rijo's career ran from 1984 to 2002. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985, 1987, and 2001.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | CIN | NL | $500,000 |
| 1997 | CIN | NL | $6,150,000 |
| 1996 | CIN | NL | $6,150,000 |
| 1995 | CIN | NL | $5,750,000 |
| 1994 | CIN | NL | $3,975,000 |
| 1993 | CIN | NL | $4,083,333 |
| 1992 | CIN | NL | $3,520,833 |
| 1991 | CIN | NL | $2,333,333 |
| 1990 | CIN | NL | $630,000 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | $457,500 |
| 1988 | CIN | NL | $127,500 |
| 1986 | OAK | AL | $85,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $33,762,499 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Cy Young Award | NL | 5th | 8.0 | 140 | 0 |
| 1993 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 21th | 2.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1991 | Cy Young Award | NL | 4th | 13.0 | 120 | 1 |
| 1990 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 6.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jose Rijo (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Jose Rijo
Jose Rijo: the record in brief
April 5, 1984 and September 28, 2002 bracket Jose Rijo's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Rijo's seasons break down as the New York Yankees (1984), the Oakland Athletics (1985 through 1987), and the Cincinnati Reds (1988 through 2002). Rijo, a pitcher by primary position, both batted and threw right-handed. Rijo is listed at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds. The birth record reads May 13, 1965, in San Cristobal, San Cristóbal, D.R. Jose Rijo was the playing name; the full given name is Jose Antonio.
The pitching table credits Rijo with a 116-91 record and a 3.24 ERA in 376 games. Rijo had 1,606 strikeouts and 22 complete games. Against a 4.05 league ERA for the same years, Rijo was 20.2% better. Rijo won 15 games in 1991, the most of any season listed. 1993 produced Rijo's most strikeouts, 227. 1988 was Rijo's sharpest full season, a 2.39 ERA against the league's 3.73.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jose Rijo
- What years did Jose Rijo play?
- Jose Rijo played in Major League Baseball from 1984 to 2002.
- Was Jose Rijo a pitcher?
- Yes. Jose Rijo pitched in the major leagues, recording 116 wins and 1606 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jose Rijo hit?
- Jose Rijo hit 2 career home runs with 85 hits.
- What teams did Jose Rijo play for?
- Jose Rijo played for 3 teams: the New York Yankees (1984), the Oakland Athletics (1985–1987), and the Cincinnati Reds (1988–1995, 2001–2002).
- Did Jose Rijo win a Cy Young Award?
- No. Jose Rijo did not win the Cy Young Award.
- What awards did Jose Rijo win?
- Jose Rijo won the World Series MVP award (1990). He was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Jose Rijo's career stats?
- In 376 games, Jose Rijo went 116-91 with a 3.24 ERA, 1,606 strikeouts, 1,880.0 innings pitched, and 3 saves. At the plate he had 85 hits and 2 home runs.
- How much did Jose Rijo earn in his career?
- Jose Rijo's recorded salaries total $33,762,499 over 12 seasons, 1986 to 2002. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Rijo's career ran from 1984 to 2002. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985, 1987, and 2001.
- What was Jose Rijo's salary?
- Jose Rijo's last recorded salary was $500,000, in 2002. His highest recorded salary was $6,150,000, in 1996, and his lowest was $85,000, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1986 to 2002.
- What position did Jose Rijo play?
- Jose Rijo played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jose Rijo and how much did he weigh?
- Jose Rijo was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds.
- What was Jose Rijo's career ERA?
- Jose Rijo finished with a 3.24 career ERA, going 116-91 with 1,606 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Jose Rijo have?
- Jose Rijo recorded 1,606 career strikeouts.
- Is Jose Rijo in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jose Rijo has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.