Ken Sears
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1943-1946)
Ken Sears was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1946 for the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Browns, a span of 4 seasons. In 67 career games, he hit .282 with 57 hits, 2 home runs, and 23 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 22.
- 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 200 lb
- Died
- 7/17/1968 in Bridgeport, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1943-05-02
- Last Game
- 1946-07-03
Full name: Kenneth Eugene Sears
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 202 | 23 | 57 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 1 | 14 | 18 | .282 | .338 | .347 | .684 | 22 |
Career AVG .282 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — +10.0% above league average.
Career OBP .338 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .347 vs. league average .352 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .684 vs. league average .679 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | NYA | AL | 60 | 187 | 22 | 52 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 1 | 11 | 18 | .278 | .255 (+9%) | .324 (+1%) | .346 (avg) | .671 (+1%) | 21.9 |
| 1946 | SLA | AL | 7 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 67 | 202 | 23 | 57 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 1 | 14 | 18 | .282 | — | — | — | — | 22 | ||
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 (67 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 26 | 80 | 7 | 19 | 1 | 12 | .237 |
| Away | 41 | 122 | 16 | 38 | 1 | 11 | .311 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-07-03 | SLA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-06-23 | SLA | MIN | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-05-06 | SLA | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-05-01 | SLA | PHA | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-04-30 | SLA | PHA | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1946-04-28 | SLA | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1946-04-18 | SLA | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-10-03 | NYY | SLA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-10-02 | NYY | SLA | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-09-28 | NYY | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 54 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa | AL | 1936, 1937, 1938 |
Ken Sears: the record in brief
Ken Sears's major league career runs from a debut on May 2, 1943 to a final game on July 3, 1946. Club by club, the record runs the New York Yankees (1943) and the St. Louis Browns (1946). Sears played primarily as a catcher and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on July 6, 1917, in Streator, IL, USA and a listed size of 200 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Sears's death is recorded on July 17, 1968, in Bridgeport, TX, USA. Sears's full given name, per the bio, is Kenneth Eugene Sears.
Sears's career batting table shows 67 games, 202 at bats and 57 hits, a .282 average; the totals also include 2 home runs and 23 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .338 and .347 give Sears a career OPS of .684. Measured against the leagues Sears played in, the .282 career average compares with a .256 league average over the same seasons, 10.0% above the league. No season topped the 52 hits of 1943.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Sears
- What years did Ken Sears play?
- Ken Sears played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1946.
- Was Ken Sears a pitcher?
- No. Ken Sears was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Ken Sears hit?
- Ken Sears hit 2 career home runs with 57 hits.
- What was Ken Sears's career batting average?
- Ken Sears batted .282 over his career, with 57 hits in 202 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ken Sears have?
- Ken Sears drove in 23 runs in his career.
- Is Ken Sears in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ken Sears has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.