Rip Sewell

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1932-1949)

Rip Sewell was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1949 for the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 18 seasons. Across 390 career appearances, he went 143-97 with a 3.48 ERA and 636 strikeouts. He also batted .203 with 6 home runs. Rip Sewell was a 4-time All-Star.

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

W–L 143–97
ERA 3.48
WHIP 1.34
SO 636
Pitcher PIV -6609.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 180 lb
Born
5/11/1907 in Decatur, AL, USA
Died
9/3/1989 in Plant City, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1932-06-14
Last Game
1949-09-19
Awards
4× All-Star

Full name: Truett Banks Sewell

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Career Pitching Statistics

Rip Sewell — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
143 97 390 243 137 20 15 2119.1 2,101 819 116 748 636 3.48 -6609.5

Career ERA 3.48 vs. league average 3.92 across their career seasons — 11.3% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rip Sewell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1932 DET AL 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 10.2 19 15 8 2 12.66 4.13 (-207%) -883.4
1938 PIT NL 0 1 17 0 0 0 1 38.1 41 18 21 17 4.23 4.35 (+3%) -647.6
1939 PIT NL 10 9 52 12 5 1 2 176.1 177 80 73 69 4.08 4.28 (+5%) 9.0
1940 PIT NL 16 5 33 23 14 2 1 189.2 169 59 67 60 2.80 4.21 (+34%) 1600.0
1941 PIT NL 14 17 39 32 18 2 2 249.0 225 103 84 76 3.72 3.94 (+5%) -1531.7
1942 PIT NL 17 15 40 33 18 5 2 248.0 259 94 72 69 3.41 3.57 (+4%) -177.7
1943 PIT NL 21 9 35 31 25 2 3 265.1 267 75 75 65 2.54 3.50 (+27%) 1240.3
1944 PIT NL 21 12 38 33 24 3 2 286.0 263 101 99 87 3.18 3.57 (+11%) -1765.6
1945 PIT NL 11 9 33 24 9 1 1 188.0 212 85 91 60 4.07 3.67 (-11%) -2436.3
1946 PIT NL 8 12 25 20 11 2 0 149.1 140 61 53 33 3.68 3.59 (-2%) -599.8
1947 PIT NL 6 4 24 12 4 1 0 121.0 121 48 36 36 3.57 3.97 (+10%) -841.3
1948 PIT NL 13 3 21 17 7 0 0 121.2 126 47 37 36 3.48 4.10 (+15%) 71.3
1949 PIT NL 6 1 28 6 2 1 1 76.0 82 33 32 26 3.91 4.12 (+5%) -646.9
Career · 13 seasons 143 97 390 243 137 20 15 2,119.1 2,101 819 748 636 3.48 — -6,610

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

Rip Sewell — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
423 750 81 152 22 3 6 59 12 37 154 .203 .241 .264 .505 -2,472

Career AVG .203 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 23.2% below league average.

Career OBP .241 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 27.7% below league average.

Career SLG .264 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 29.1% below league average.

Career OPS .505 vs. league average .706 across their career seasons — 28.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rip Sewell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1932 DET AL 5 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500 — — — — 0.0
1938 PIT NL 17 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .083 — — — — 0.0
1939 PIT NL 52 55 5 11 1 0 1 4 0 3 11 .200 .274 (-27%) .342 (-29%) .393 (-31%) .735 (-30%) -272.7
1940 PIT NL 47 73 14 14 2 1 1 4 0 3 19 .192 .267 (-28%) .335 (-33%) .387 (-26%) .722 (-29%) -360.2
1941 PIT NL 42 92 12 16 2 0 1 5 0 3 15 .174 .262 (-34%) .332 (-40%) .373 (-39%) .705 (-39%) -578.5
1942 PIT NL 41 87 9 13 3 0 0 4 2 3 19 .149 .253 (-41%) .323 (-45%) .349 (-47%) .672 (-46%) -616.9
1943 PIT NL 41 105 9 30 4 1 0 17 7 2 21 .286 .255 (+12%) .324 (-8%) .346 (-1%) .671 (-4%) -103.0
1944 PIT NL 44 112 10 25 4 1 1 12 1 2 19 .223 .261 (-15%) .325 (-27%) .357 (-15%) .683 (-21%) -390.9
1945 PIT NL 35 64 10 20 3 0 0 6 1 7 11 .312 .260 (+20%) .328 (+16%) .354 (+1%) .683 (+8%) 104.5
1946 PIT NL 26 50 4 9 2 0 0 1 1 4 12 .180 .256 (-30%) .328 (-27%) .358 (-39%) .687 (-33%) -254.4
1947 PIT NL 24 40 2 5 0 0 1 4 0 1 6 .125 — — — — 0.0
1948 PIT NL 21 42 5 6 1 0 1 2 0 6 15 .143 — — — — 0.0
1949 PIT NL 28 16 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 .062 — — — — 0.0
Career · 13 seasons 423 750 81 152 22 3 6 59 12 37 154 .203 — — — — -2,472

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 (813 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Rip Sewell — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2253614374338.205
Away1983903878321.200

Pitching — Home / Away

Rip Sewell — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home2051091.110724013663033.31
Away1851027.210324183833353.66

Last 10 Games — Batting

Rip Sewell — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1949-09-19 PITNY1L 000000000
1949-09-18 PITNY1L 000000000
1949-09-14 PITPHIL 100000000
1949-09-09 PITCHCL 000000000
1949-09-04 PITCHCL 000000000
1949-08-31 PITNY1L 000000000
1949-08-24 PITBSNL 000000000
1949-08-21 PITSTLL 000000000
1949-08-15 PITCINW 110000010
1949-08-12 PITSTLL 100000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Rip Sewell — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1949-09-19 PITNY1 — 0.0110100
1949-09-18 PITNY1 — 1.0200000
1949-09-14 PITPHI — 2.2533111
1949-09-09 PITCHC — 1.0000000
1949-09-04 PITCHC — 1.2122131
1949-08-31 PITNY1 — 0.1555002
1949-08-24 PITBSN — 1.0000100
1949-08-21 PITSTL — 1.0000000
1949-08-15 PITCIN W 4.1422121
1949-08-12 PITSTL — 2.2100010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Rip Sewell — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 390 0 142 445 28 27

Season-by-Season Fielding

Rip Sewell — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1932 DET P 5 0 1 3 0 0
1938 PIT P 17 0 0 13 1 3
1939 PIT P 52 0 9 47 1 3
1940 PIT P 33 0 17 46 5 0
1941 PIT P 39 0 21 56 2 6
1942 PIT P 40 0 19 51 2 3
1943 PIT P 35 0 13 60 4 4
1944 PIT P 38 0 21 49 4 1
1945 PIT P 33 0 10 35 1 2
1946 PIT P 25 0 8 26 2 1
1947 PIT P 24 0 10 26 1 3
1948 PIT P 21 0 10 21 3 1
1949 PIT P 28 0 3 12 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Rip Sewell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 390

Awards & Honors

Rip Sewell — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1943 TSN All-Star P

College History

Rip Sewell — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Marion Military Institute Marion AL 1927, 1928, 1929
Vanderbilt University Nashville TN 1930, 1931

Award Voting History

Rip Sewell — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1944 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 49.0 336 0
1943 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 127.0 336 0
1940 Most Valuable Player NL 25th 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%.

Career Spans

Rip Sewell (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Dutch Ruether
    137-95, 3.50 ERA
  2. 97
    Howie Pollet
    131-116, 3.51 ERA
  3. 96
    Bob Harmon
    107-133, 3.33 ERA
  4. 94
    Thornton Lee
    117-124, 3.56 ERA
  5. 93
    Joe Dobson
    137-103, 3.62 ERA
  6. 90
    Al Smith
    99-101, 3.72 ERA

Rip Sewell: the record in brief

Between the debut on June 14, 1932 and the final game on September 19, 1949, Rip Sewell built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the Detroit Tigers (1932) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1938 through 1949). Sewell played primarily as a pitcher and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Born on May 11, 1907, in Decatur, AL, USA, Sewell was listed at 180 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Sewell died on September 3, 1989, in Plant City, FL, USA. Rip Sewell was the playing name; the full given name is Truett Banks.

Sewell's career pitching line is 143 wins, 97 losses and a 3.48 ERA over 390 appearances. The totals include 636 strikeouts, 137 complete games, 20 shutouts, and 15 saves. The leagues Sewell pitched in allowed 3.92 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 11.3% better than average. Sewell won 21 games in 1943, the most of any season listed. The strikeout high was 87 in 1944.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rip Sewell

What years did Rip Sewell play?
Rip Sewell played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1949.
Was Rip Sewell a pitcher?
Yes. Rip Sewell pitched in the major leagues, recording 143 wins and 636 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Rip Sewell hit?
Rip Sewell hit 6 career home runs with 152 hits.
What teams did Rip Sewell play for?
Rip Sewell played for 2 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1932) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1938–1949).
What awards did Rip Sewell win?
Rip Sewell was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
What were Rip Sewell's career stats?
In 390 games, Rip Sewell went 143-97 with a 3.48 ERA, 636 strikeouts, 2,119.1 innings pitched, and 15 saves. At the plate he had 152 hits and 6 home runs.
What position did Rip Sewell play?
Rip Sewell played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Rip Sewell and how much did he weigh?
Rip Sewell was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 180 pounds.
What was Rip Sewell's career ERA?
Rip Sewell finished with a 3.48 career ERA, going 143-97 with 636 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Rip Sewell have?
Rip Sewell recorded 636 career strikeouts.
Is Rip Sewell in the Hall of Fame?
No. Rip Sewell has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Rip Sewell make?
Rip Sewell was selected to 4 All-Star Games.