Rick Sawyer
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1974-1977)
Rick Sawyer was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1977 for the New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres, a span of 4 seasons. Across 74 career appearances, he went 12-9 with a 4.49 ERA and 82 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
- 6'2" / 205 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1974-04-28
- Last Game
- 1977-09-23
Full name: Richard Clyde Sawyer
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | NYA | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 16.20 | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | NYA | AL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1976 | SDN | NL | 5 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 81.2 | 84 | 23 | 38 | 33 | 2.53 | 3.51 (+28%) | -125.1 |
| 1977 | SDN | NL | 7 | 6 | 56 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 111.0 | 136 | 72 | 55 | 45 | 5.84 | 4.00 (-46%) | -3777.2 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 12 | 9 | 74 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 200.1 | 229 | 100 | 96 | 82 | 4.49 | — | -3,902 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | 44 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 10 | .182 | .294 | .182 | .476 | 0 |
Career AVG .182 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 29.7% below league average.
Career OBP .294 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 9.6% below league average.
Career SLG .182 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 51.8% below league average.
Career OPS .476 vs. league average .702 across their career seasons — 32.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | NYA | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | NYA | AL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1976 | SDN | NL | 13 | 24 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .208 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | SDN | NL | 56 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | .150 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 74 | 44 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 10 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 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 (148 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 32 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .111 |
| Away | 42 | 26 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | .231 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 32 | 90.0 | 115 | 52 | 40 | 37 | 5.20 |
| Away | 42 | 110.1 | 114 | 48 | 56 | 45 | 3.92 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-09-23 | SDP | SFG | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-09-17 | SDP | HOU | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977-09-13 | SDP | LAD | — | 0.1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977-09-10 | SDP | ATL | — | 1.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977-09-09 | SDP | ATL | L | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-09-08 | SDP | HOU | — | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-08-28 | SDP | PIT | — | 2.0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977-08-20 | SDP | STL | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-08-19 | SDP | STL | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-08-16 | SDP | CIN | — | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
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 | 74 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield College | Bakersfield | CA | 1967, 1968 |
Rick Sawyer: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 28, 1974 and the final game on September 23, 1977, Rick Sawyer built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the New York Yankees (1974 to 1975) and the San Diego Padres (1976 to 1977). The bio lists Sawyer as a pitcher who threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 205 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. Sawyer was born on April 7, 1948, in Bakersfield, CA, USA. The given name on file is Richard Clyde Sawyer.
Across 74 games (20 starts), Sawyer recorded 12 wins against 9 losses with a 4.49 ERA. Also on Sawyer's record: 82 strikeouts. Against a 3.72 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.49 mark was 20.8% worse. No season topped the 7 wins of 1977. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.53 in 1976, when the league's was 3.51.
Sawyer appears at one position only: pitcher, in 74 games. On the mound, the fielding record shows 2 errors alongside 6 putouts and 38 assists.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rick Sawyer
- What years did Rick Sawyer play?
- Rick Sawyer played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1977.
- Was Rick Sawyer a pitcher?
- Yes. Rick Sawyer pitched in the major leagues, recording 12 wins and 82 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Rick Sawyer hit?
- Rick Sawyer hit 0 career home runs with 8 hits.
- What teams did Rick Sawyer play for?
- Rick Sawyer played for 2 teams: the New York Yankees (1974–1975) and the San Diego Padres (1976–1977).
- What were Rick Sawyer's career stats?
- In 74 games, Rick Sawyer went 12-9 with a 4.49 ERA, 82 strikeouts, and 200.1 innings pitched.
- What position did Rick Sawyer play?
- Rick Sawyer played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Rick Sawyer and how much did he weigh?
- Rick Sawyer was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 205 pounds.
- What was Rick Sawyer's career ERA?
- Rick Sawyer finished with a 4.49 career ERA, going 12-9 with 82 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Rick Sawyer have?
- Rick Sawyer recorded 82 career strikeouts.
- Is Rick Sawyer in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Rick Sawyer has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.