Phil Rizzuto
Shortstop · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1941-1956)
Phil Rizzuto was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1956 for the New York Yankees, a span of 16 seasons. In 1,661 career games, he hit .273 with 1,588 hits, 38 home runs, and 563 RBI. Phil Rizzuto was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994 and was a 5-time All-Star, an MVP, and a Babe Ruth Award. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 662.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'6" / 150 lb
- Died
- 8/13/2007 in West Orange, NJ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1941-04-14
- Last Game
- 1956-08-16
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1994 (BBWAA)
- Awards
- 5× All-Star · MVP · Babe Ruth Award
Full name: Philip Francis Rizzuto
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,661 | 5,816 | 877 | 1,588 | 239 | 62 | 38 | 563 | 149 | 651 | 398 | .273 | .351 | .355 | .706 | 662 |
Career AVG .273 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .351 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .355 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — 6.6% below league average.
Career OPS .706 vs. league average .715 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | NYA | AL | 133 | 515 | 65 | 158 | 20 | 9 | 3 | 46 | 14 | 27 | 36 | .307 | .262 (+17%) | .332 (+3%) | .373 (+7%) | .705 (+5%) | 371.4 |
| 1942 | NYA | AL | 144 | 553 | 79 | 157 | 24 | 7 | 4 | 68 | 22 | 44 | 40 | .284 | .253 (+12%) | .323 (+6%) | .349 (+7%) | .672 (+7%) | 680.0 |
| 1946 | NYA | AL | 126 | 471 | 53 | 121 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 38 | 14 | 34 | 39 | .257 | .256 (avg) | .328 (-4%) | .358 (-14%) | .687 (-9%) | -627.9 |
| 1947 | NYA | AL | 153 | 549 | 78 | 150 | 26 | 9 | 2 | 60 | 11 | 57 | 31 | .273 | .262 (+4%) | .336 (+4%) | .376 (-3%) | .712 (avg) | 77.7 |
| 1948 | NYA | AL | 128 | 464 | 65 | 117 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 24 | .252 | .263 (-4%) | .340 (avg) | .379 (-14%) | .719 (-7%) | -422.5 |
| 1949 | NYA | AL | 153 | 614 | 110 | 169 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 65 | 18 | 72 | 34 | .275 | .262 (+5%) | .343 (+3%) | .384 (-7%) | .727 (-2%) | -183.6 |
| 1950 | NYA | AL | 155 | 617 | 125 | 200 | 36 | 7 | 7 | 66 | 12 | 92 | 39 | .324 | .265 (+22%) | .346 (+21%) | .401 (+9%) | .747 (+15%) | 2244.1 |
| 1951 | NYA | AL | 144 | 540 | 87 | 148 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 43 | 18 | 58 | 27 | .274 | .260 (+5%) | .336 (+4%) | .385 (-10%) | .721 (-4%) | -227.3 |
| 1952 | NYA | AL | 152 | 578 | 89 | 147 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 43 | 17 | 67 | 42 | .254 | .252 (+1%) | .326 (+3%) | .369 (-8%) | .696 (-3%) | -179.3 |
| 1953 | NYA | AL | 134 | 413 | 54 | 112 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 54 | 4 | 71 | 39 | .271 | .264 (+3%) | .335 (+14%) | .397 (-12%) | .733 (avg) | 309.3 |
| 1954 | NYA | AL | 127 | 307 | 47 | 60 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 41 | 23 | .195 | .261 (-25%) | .333 (-13%) | .390 (-36%) | .723 (-25%) | -1168.0 |
| 1955 | NYA | AL | 81 | 143 | 19 | 37 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 18 | .259 | .258 (avg) | .332 (+11%) | .393 (-18%) | .726 (-5%) | -18.8 |
| 1956 | NYA | AL | 31 | 52 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | .231 | .258 (-11%) | .331 (-6%) | .397 (-42%) | .728 (-26%) | -192.5 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 1,661 | 5,816 | 877 | 1,588 | 239 | 62 | 38 | 563 | 149 | 651 | 398 | .273 | — | — | — | — | 662 | ||
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.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 183 | 21 | 45 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 30 | 11 | .246 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | WS | NYA | 7 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | .267 |
| 1953 | WS | NYA | 6 | 19 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .316 |
| 1952 | WS | NYA | 7 | 27 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | .148 |
| 1951 | WS | NYA | 6 | 25 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | .320 |
| 1950 | WS | NYA | 4 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .143 |
| 1949 | WS | NYA | 5 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | .167 |
| 1947 | WS | NYA | 7 | 26 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | .308 |
| 1942 | WS | NYA | 5 | 21 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .381 |
| 1941 | WS | NYA | 5 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .111 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1661 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 825 | 2812 | 421 | 777 | 21 | 274 | .276 |
| Away | 836 | 3007 | 456 | 811 | 17 | 288 | .270 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-08-16 | NYY | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-08-02 | NYY | CLE | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1956-07-28 | NYY | KC1 | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-07-22 | NYY | KC1 | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-07-22 | NYY | KC1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-07-18 | NYY | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-07-15 | NYY | CHW | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-07-08 | NYY | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-07-01 | NYY | MIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-07-01 | NYY | MIN | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 1647 | 155 | 3219 | 4666 | 263 | 1217 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | NYA | SS | 128 | 0 | 252 | 399 | 29 | 109 |
| 1942 | NYA | SS | 144 | 0 | 324 | 445 | 30 | 114 |
| 1946 | NYA | SS | 125 | 0 | 267 | 378 | 26 | 97 |
| 1947 | NYA | SS | 151 | 0 | 340 | 450 | 25 | 111 |
| 1948 | NYA | SS | 128 | 0 | 259 | 348 | 17 | 85 |
| 1949 | NYA | SS | 152 | 0 | 329 | 440 | 23 | 118 |
| 1950 | NYA | SS | 155 | 0 | 301 | 452 | 14 | 123 |
| 1951 | NYA | SS | 144 | 0 | 317 | 407 | 24 | 113 |
| 1952 | NYA | SS | 152 | 0 | 308 | 458 | 19 | 116 |
| 1953 | NYA | SS | 133 | 0 | 214 | 409 | 24 | 100 |
| 1954 | NYA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | NYA | SS | 126 | 97 | 184 | 294 | 16 | 84 |
| 1955 | NYA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955 | NYA | SS | 79 | 43 | 93 | 132 | 10 | 30 |
| 1956 | NYA | SS | 30 | 15 | 31 | 54 | 6 | 17 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 3 |
| Shortstop | 1646 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | TSN All-Star | SS |
| 1951 | Babe Ruth Award | SS |
| 1951 | TSN All-Star | SS |
| 1950 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | SS |
| 1950 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1950 | TSN All-Star | SS |
| 1950 | TSN Major League Player of the Year | |
| 1950 | TSN Player of the Year | |
| 1949 | TSN All-Star | SS |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 6th | 76.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1952 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 14th | 33.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1951 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 11th | 47.0 | 336 | 1 |
| 1950 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 1st | 284.0 | 336 | 16 |
| 1949 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 2nd | 175.0 | 336 | 5 |
| 1948 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 33th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1942 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 19th | 9.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1941 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 20th | 7.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Phil Rizzuto (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Phil Rizzuto
Phil Rizzuto: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 14, 1941 and the final game on August 16, 1956, Phil Rizzuto built the record summarized on this page. All of the seasons listed were played for the New York Yankees. Rizzuto played primarily as a shortstop and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on September 25, 1917, in Brooklyn, NY, USA and a listed size of 5 feet, 6 inches and 150 pounds. Rizzuto's death is recorded on August 13, 2007, in West Orange, NJ, USA. Rizzuto's full given name, per the bio, is Philip Francis Rizzuto.
Across 1,661 games at the plate, Rizzuto's career line reads 1,588 hits in 5,816 at bats for a .273 average; the totals also include 38 homers, 563 RBI, and 149 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .351 and .355 give Rizzuto a career OPS of .706. Against a .260 league average for those years, Rizzuto's .273 average was near the norm.
Frequently Asked Questions about Phil Rizzuto
- What years did Phil Rizzuto play?
- Phil Rizzuto played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1956.
- Was Phil Rizzuto a pitcher?
- No. Phil Rizzuto was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Phil Rizzuto hit?
- Phil Rizzuto hit 38 career home runs with 1,588 hits.
- Is Phil Rizzuto in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Phil Rizzuto was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.
- What teams did Phil Rizzuto play for?
- Phil Rizzuto played for one team, the New York Yankees (1941–1942, 1946–1956).
- How many MVP awards did Phil Rizzuto win?
- Phil Rizzuto won 1 MVP award, in 1950.
- What awards did Phil Rizzuto win?
- Phil Rizzuto won the MVP award (1950). He was selected to 5 All-Star Games.
- What were Phil Rizzuto's career stats?
- In 1,661 games, Phil Rizzuto had 1,588 hits, 38 home runs, 563 RBI, 877 runs, and 149 stolen bases, with a .273 batting average.
- What position did Phil Rizzuto play?
- Phil Rizzuto played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Phil Rizzuto and how much did he weigh?
- Phil Rizzuto was listed at 5 feet 6 inches and 150 pounds.
- How many home runs did Phil Rizzuto hit each season?
- Phil Rizzuto's home runs by season: 3 in 1941, 4 in 1942, 2 in 1946, 2 in 1947, 6 in 1948, 5 in 1949, 7 in 1950, 2 in 1951, 2 in 1952, 2 in 1953, 2 in 1954, 1 in 1955, and 0 in 1956. His most in one season was 7, in 1950.
- What was Phil Rizzuto's career batting average?
- Phil Rizzuto batted .273 over his career, with 1,588 hits in 5,816 at bats.
- How many RBI did Phil Rizzuto have?
- Phil Rizzuto drove in 563 runs in his career.
- How many All-Star Games did Phil Rizzuto make?
- Phil Rizzuto was selected to 5 All-Star Games.