Bob Shawkey

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1913-1927)

Bob Shawkey was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1927 for the Philadelphia Athletics and the New York Yankees, a span of 15 seasons. Across 488 career appearances, he went 196-150 with a 3.09 ERA, 1,360 strikeouts, and 28 saves. He also batted .214 with 3 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 3296.7.

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 196–150
ERA 3.09
WHIP 1.27
SO 1,360
Pitcher PIV 3296.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 168 lb
Born
12/4/1890 in Sigel, PA, USA
Died
12/31/1980 in Syracuse, NY, USA
MLB Debut
1913-07-16
Last Game
1927-09-29

Full name: James Robert Shawkey

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bob Shawkey — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
196 150 488 334 197 33 28 2937.0 2,722 1,008 114 1,018 1,360 3.09 3296.7

Career ERA 3.09 vs. league average 3.56 across their career seasons — 13.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Shawkey Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1913 PHA AL 6 5 18 15 8 1 0 111.1 92 29 50 52 2.34 3.07 (+24%) -701.3
1914 PHA AL 16 8 38 31 18 5 2 237.0 223 72 75 89 2.73 2.93 (+7%) 145.1
1915 PHA AL 6 6 17 13 7 1 0 100.0 103 45 38 56 4.05 2.90 (-40%) 100.5
1915 NYA AL 4 7 16 9 5 1 0 85.2 78 31 35 31 3.26 2.90 (-12%) -848.6
1916 NYA AL 24 14 53 27 21 4 8 276.2 204 68 81 122 2.21 2.78 (+20%) 1149.7
1917 NYA AL 13 15 32 26 16 2 0 236.1 207 64 72 97 2.44 2.69 (+9%) 808.5
1918 NYA AL 1 1 3 2 1 1 0 16.0 7 2 10 3 1.12 2.83 (+60%) -385.6
1919 NYA AL 20 11 41 27 22 3 5 261.1 218 79 92 122 2.72 3.09 (+12%) 355.9
1920 NYA AL 20 13 38 31 20 5 2 267.2 246 73 85 126 2.45 3.45 (+29%) 1017.6
1921 NYA AL 18 12 38 31 18 3 2 245.0 245 111 86 126 4.08 4.02 (-1%) -317.1
1922 NYA AL 20 12 39 34 22 3 1 299.2 286 97 98 130 2.91 4.18 (+30%) 1410.6
1923 NYA AL 16 11 36 31 17 1 1 258.2 232 101 102 125 3.51 4.03 (+13%) -765.5
1924 NYA AL 16 11 38 25 10 1 0 207.2 226 95 74 114 4.12 4.13 (avg) 1182.4
1925 NYA AL 6 14 33 20 9 1 0 186.0 209 85 67 81 4.11 4.55 (+10%) -833.8
1926 NYA AL 8 7 29 10 3 1 3 104.1 102 42 37 63 3.62 4.11 (+12%) 339.0
1927 NYA AL 2 3 19 2 0 0 4 43.2 44 14 16 23 2.89 4.08 (+29%) 639.3
Career · 16 seasons 196 150 488 334 197 33 28 2,937.0 2,722 1,008 1,018 1,360 3.09 — 3,297

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

Bob Shawkey — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
488 1,049 90 225 26 6 3 94 0 34 181 .214 .241 .259 .501 -4,007

Career AVG .214 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — 20.7% below league average.

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

Career SLG .259 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — 29.3% below league average.

Career OPS .501 vs. league average .700 across their career seasons — 28.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Shawkey 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
1913 PHA AL 18 44 3 6 1 0 0 5 0 1 10 .136 — — — — 0.0
1914 PHA AL 38 83 6 17 2 0 0 5 0 4 22 .205 .255 (-20%) .322 (-25%) .339 (-33%) .661 (-29%) -358.5
1915 PHA AL 17 31 0 4 2 0 0 2 0 3 11 .129 — — — — 0.0
1915 NYA AL 16 29 3 7 3 1 0 1 0 0 10 .241 — — — — 0.0
1916 NYA AL 53 93 5 17 1 0 0 4 0 3 21 .183 .248 (-26%) .314 (-34%) .326 (-41%) .640 (-37%) -501.8
1917 NYA AL 32 84 3 16 4 0 0 8 0 3 15 .190 .248 (-23%) .312 (-30%) .323 (-26%) .635 (-28%) -354.0
1918 NYA AL 3 4 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .750 — — — — 0.0
1919 NYA AL 41 94 5 22 1 0 0 6 0 1 15 .234 .262 (-11%) .322 (-25%) .347 (-30%) .670 (-27%) -390.8
1920 NYA AL 38 100 13 23 1 0 0 10 0 4 13 .230 .271 (-15%) .331 (-20%) .363 (-34%) .694 (-27%) -407.3
1921 NYA AL 38 90 13 27 2 1 1 11 0 2 13 .300 .286 (+5%) .344 (-8%) .395 (-4%) .739 (-6%) -105.5
1922 NYA AL 39 115 12 21 2 0 1 12 0 2 18 .183 .285 (-36%) .345 (-41%) .397 (-43%) .743 (-42%) -799.8
1923 NYA AL 36 99 8 20 1 1 0 10 0 0 15 .202 .282 (-29%) .344 (-41%) .390 (-40%) .734 (-41%) -667.5
1924 NYA AL 38 69 12 22 4 1 1 15 0 7 5 .319 .283 (+12%) .345 (+13%) .389 (+15%) .734 (+14%) 179.4
1925 NYA AL 33 68 1 10 1 2 0 2 0 0 4 .147 .288 (-49%) .349 (-58%) .407 (-46%) .756 (-51%) -601.4
1926 NYA AL 29 35 4 9 1 0 0 3 0 3 6 .257 — — — — 0.0
1927 NYA AL 19 11 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .091 — — — — 0.0
Career · 16 seasons 488 1,049 90 225 26 6 3 94 0 34 181 .214 — — — — -4,007

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

Bob Shawkey — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 15 2 4 1 0 0 2 0 4 .267

Playoff Batting by Year

Bob Shawkey — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1926 WS NYA 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1923 WS NYA 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .333
1922 WS NYA 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1921 WS NYA 2 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500
1914 WS PHA 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 .500

Playoff Career Pitching

Bob Shawkey — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 3 8 5 0 41.2 45 21 16 18 4.54

Playoff Pitching by Year

Bob Shawkey — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1926 WS NYA 0 1 3 1 0 10.0 8 6 2 7 5.40
1923 WS NYA 1 0 1 1 0 7.2 12 3 4 2 3.52
1922 WS NYA 0 0 1 1 0 10.0 8 3 2 4 2.70
1921 WS NYA 0 1 2 1 0 9.0 13 7 6 5 7.00
1914 WS PHA 0 1 1 1 0 5.0 4 2 2 0 3.60

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (976 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bob Shawkey — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home24449249104245.211
Away24455542121151.218

Pitching — Home / Away

Bob Shawkey — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home2441489.013014865217482.94
Away2441450.214205245016173.25

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bob Shawkey — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1927-09-29 NYYMINW 100000000
1927-09-11 NYYSLAL 100000001
1927-09-07 NYYBOSW 111000000
1927-09-05 NYYBOSL 000000000
1927-08-20 NYYCLEL 000000000
1927-08-06 NYYCHWL 000000000
1927-08-04 NYYDETL 000000000
1927-07-29 NYYCLEL 000000000
1927-07-15 NYYCLEW 000000000
1927-07-11 NYYDETW 100000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bob Shawkey — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1927-09-29 NYYMIN SV 2.0000030
1927-09-11 NYYSLA — 4.1200350
1927-09-07 NYYBOS W 3.0311010
1927-09-05 NYYBOS — 2.0200000
1927-08-20 NYYCLE L 1.0331000
1927-08-06 NYYCHW — 2.0211110
1927-08-04 NYYDET — 0.2100100
1927-07-29 NYYCLE — 1.0100100
1927-07-15 NYYCLE SV 1.0100000
1927-07-11 NYYDET SV 2.1300010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bob Shawkey — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 488 0 146 697 41 22

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bob Shawkey — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1913 PHA P 18 0 3 40 4 0
1914 PHA P 38 0 6 63 5 1
1915 PHA P 17 0 3 26 1 3
1915 NYA P 16 0 2 23 2 0
1916 NYA P 53 0 12 79 3 2
1917 NYA P 32 0 18 79 4 5
1918 NYA P 3 0 6 4 0 0
1919 NYA P 41 0 22 59 4 1
1920 NYA P 38 0 15 48 1 0
1921 NYA P 38 0 14 35 3 1
1922 NYA P 39 0 13 70 4 4
1923 NYA P 36 0 9 61 2 3
1924 NYA P 38 0 11 39 6 1
1925 NYA P 33 0 7 37 0 1
1926 NYA P 29 0 2 23 1 0
1927 NYA P 19 0 3 11 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bob Shawkey Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 488

College History

Bob Shawkey — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock PA 1910

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Bob Shawkey (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Virgil Trucks
    177-135, 3.39 ERA
  2. 97
    Dolf Luque
    194-179, 3.24 ERA
  3. 96
    Dizzy Trout
    170-161, 3.23 ERA
  4. 92
    Hal Newhouser HOF
    207-150, 3.06 ERA
  5. 90
    Red Ames
    183-167, 2.63 ERA
  6. 89
    Bob Lemon HOF
    207-128, 3.23 ERA

Bob Shawkey: the record in brief

Between the debut on July 16, 1913 and the final game on September 29, 1927, Bob Shawkey built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the Philadelphia Athletics (1913 through 1915) and the New York Yankees (1915 to 1927). Shawkey, born on December 4, 1890, in Sigel, PA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 5 feet, 11 inches and 168 pounds. Shawkey died on December 31, 1980, in Syracuse, NY, USA. The given name on file is James Robert Shawkey.

Across 488 games (334 starts), Shawkey recorded 196 wins against 150 losses with a 3.09 ERA. The totals include 1,360 strikeouts, 197 complete games, 33 shutouts, and 28 saves. That 3.09 ERA compares with a 3.56 league average across the same seasons, 13.2% better. No season topped the 24 wins of 1916. 1922 produced Shawkey's most strikeouts, 130.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bob Shawkey

What years did Bob Shawkey play?
Bob Shawkey played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1927.
Was Bob Shawkey a pitcher?
Yes. Bob Shawkey pitched in the major leagues, recording 196 wins and 1360 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bob Shawkey hit?
Bob Shawkey hit 3 career home runs with 225 hits.
What was Bob Shawkey's career batting average?
Bob Shawkey batted .214 over his career, with 225 hits in 1,049 at bats.
How many RBI did Bob Shawkey have?
Bob Shawkey drove in 94 runs in his career.
What was Bob Shawkey's career ERA?
Bob Shawkey finished with a 3.09 career ERA, going 196-150 with 1,360 strikeouts.