Spec Shea

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1947-1955)

Spec Shea was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1955 for the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators, a span of 9 seasons. Across 195 career appearances, he went 56-46 with a 3.80 ERA and 361 strikeouts. He also batted .195 with 1 home runs. Spec Shea was an 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 56–46
ERA 3.80
WHIP 1.43
SO 361
Pitcher PIV -8514.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 195 lb
Born
10/2/1920 in Naugatuck, CT, USA
Died
7/19/2002 in New Haven, CT, USA
MLB Debut
1947-04-19
Last Game
1955-08-27
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Francis Joseph Shea

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Career Pitching Statistics

Spec Shea — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
56 46 195 118 48 12 5 943.2 849 398 66 497 361 3.80 -8514.7

Career ERA 3.80 vs. league average 4.00 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Spec Shea Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1947 NYA AL 14 5 27 23 13 3 1 178.2 127 61 89 89 3.07 3.97 (+23%) -77.3
1948 NYA AL 9 10 28 22 8 3 1 155.2 117 59 87 71 3.41 4.10 (+17%) -1200.3
1949 NYA AL 1 1 20 3 0 0 1 52.1 48 31 43 22 5.33 4.12 (-29%) -1647.6
1951 NYA AL 5 5 25 11 2 2 0 95.2 112 46 50 38 4.33 4.04 (-7%) -1992.6
1952 WS1 AL 11 7 22 21 12 2 0 169.0 144 55 92 65 2.93 3.70 (+21%) -206.7
1953 WS1 AL 12 7 23 23 11 1 0 164.2 151 72 75 38 3.94 4.14 (+5%) -1235.0
1954 WS1 AL 2 9 23 11 1 0 0 71.1 97 49 34 22 6.18 3.90 (-59%) -1851.4
1955 WS1 AL 2 2 27 4 1 1 2 56.1 53 25 27 16 3.99 4.00 (avg) -303.8
Career · 8 seasons 56 46 195 118 48 12 5 943.2 849 398 497 361 3.80 — -8,515

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

Spec Shea — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
195 298 29 58 8 4 1 33 0 19 63 .195 .245 .258 .504 -1,143

Career AVG .195 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 25.4% below league average.

Career OBP .245 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 26.9% below league average.

Career SLG .258 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — 32.7% below league average.

Career OPS .504 vs. league average .720 across their career seasons — 30.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Spec Shea — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1947 NYA AL 27 56 8 11 2 1 0 1 0 5 9 .196 .262 (-25%) .336 (-22%) .376 (-29%) .712 (-26%) -236.1
1948 NYA AL 28 47 4 7 0 2 0 4 0 6 11 .149 — — — — -240.7
1949 NYA AL 20 12 1 3 0 0 0 4 0 2 2 .250 — — — — 0.0
1951 NYA AL 25 28 5 6 0 0 1 5 0 2 7 .214 — — — — 0.0
1952 WS1 AL 22 63 6 15 2 0 0 10 0 2 16 .238 .252 (-6%) .326 (-20%) .369 (-27%) .696 (-24%) -238.1
1953 WS1 AL 23 62 2 11 1 1 0 6 0 2 9 .177 .264 (-33%) .335 (-40%) .397 (-43%) .733 (-41%) -427.9
1954 WS1 AL 23 20 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 6 .050 — — — — 0.0
1955 WS1 AL 27 10 1 4 2 0 0 2 0 0 3 .400 — — — — 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 195 298 29 58 8 4 1 33 0 19 63 .195 — — — — -1,143

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

Spec Shea — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 5 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 2 .400

Playoff Batting by Year

Spec Shea — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1947 WS NYA 3 5 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 2 .400

Playoff Career Pitching

Spec Shea — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 0 3 3 0 15.1 10 4 8 10 2.35

Playoff Pitching by Year

Spec Shea — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1947 WS NYA 2 0 3 3 0 15.1 10 4 8 10 2.35

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (390 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Spec Shea — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home981481635123.236
Away971491323010.154

Pitching — Home / Away

Spec Shea — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home98494.24281792492123.26
Away97449.04212182481484.37

Last 10 Games — Batting

Spec Shea — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1955-08-27 MINCHWL 000000000
1955-08-23 MINKC1L 000000000
1955-08-14 MINBOSL 212100000
1955-08-06 MINCLEW 101100000
1955-07-31 MINCHWL 101000200
1955-07-26 MINKC1L 100000000
1955-07-17 MINKC1W 400000003
1955-07-10 MINNYYL 000000000
1955-07-07 MINBOSL 000000000
1955-07-04 MINBALL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Spec Shea — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1955-08-27 MINCHW — 2.2233310
1955-08-23 MINKC1 — 1.0000000
1955-08-14 MINBOS — 5.0544511
1955-08-06 MINCLE W 3.2200210
1955-07-31 MINCHW L 5.01155010
1955-07-26 MINKC1 L 5.0632200
1955-07-17 MINKC1 W 9.0300230
1955-07-10 MINNYY — 1.0100010
1955-07-07 MINBOS — 1.2100100
1955-07-04 MINBAL — 0.2100000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Spec Shea — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 195 15 49 125 6 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Spec Shea — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1947 NYA P 27 0 9 14 0 0
1948 NYA P 28 0 4 17 1 0
1949 NYA P 20 0 2 9 1 1
1951 NYA P 25 0 7 14 1 3
1952 WS1 P 22 0 14 23 0 1
1953 WS1 P 23 0 5 24 0 2
1954 WS1 P 23 11 5 17 1 1
1955 WS1 P 27 4 3 7 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Spec Shea — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 195

Award Voting History

Spec Shea — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1947 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 23.0 336 0
1947 Rookie of the Year ML 3rd 67.0 165 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Spec Shea (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Monty Kennedy
    42-55, 3.84 ERA
  2. 96
    Oscar Judd
    40-51, 3.90 ERA
  3. 86
    Paul Erickson
    37-48, 3.86 ERA
  4. 85
    Eric Erickson
    34-57, 3.85 ERA
  5. 83
    Rube Melton
    30-50, 3.62 ERA
  6. 82
    Phil Marchildon
    68-75, 3.93 ERA

Spec Shea: the record in brief

The profile opens with Spec Shea's first major league game on April 19, 1947; the last one listed came on August 27, 1955. The team column moves through the New York Yankees (1947 through 1951) and the Washington Senators (1952 to 1955). Shea is listed as a pitcher at 195 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. Shea batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is October 2, 1920, in Naugatuck, CT, USA. Shea died on July 19, 2002, in New Haven, CT, USA. Spec Shea was the playing name; the full given name is Francis Joseph.

Shea went 56-46 with a 3.80 ERA in 195 games, 118 of them starts. Shea had 361 strikeouts, 48 complete games, and 12 shutouts. Shea's 3.80 ERA was close to the 4.00 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 14 wins of 1947. In 1952, one of the busiest seasons, Shea posted a 2.93 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.70.

Frequently Asked Questions about Spec Shea

What years did Spec Shea play?
Spec Shea played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1955.
Was Spec Shea a pitcher?
Yes. Spec Shea pitched in the major leagues, recording 56 wins and 361 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Spec Shea hit?
Spec Shea hit 1 career home runs with 58 hits.
What was Spec Shea's career batting average?
Spec Shea batted .195 over his career, with 58 hits in 298 at bats.
How many RBI did Spec Shea have?
Spec Shea drove in 33 runs in his career.
What was Spec Shea's career ERA?
Spec Shea finished with a 3.80 career ERA, going 56-46 with 361 strikeouts.