Ben Shields
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1924-1931)
Ben Shields was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1924 to 1931 for the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 8 seasons. Across 13 career appearances, he went 4-0 with a 8.27 ERA and 9 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 / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 195 lb
- Died
- 1/24/1982 in Woodruff, SC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1924-04-17
- Last Game
- 1931-05-23
Full name: Benjamin Cowan Shields
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | NYA | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 27.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1925 | NYA | AL | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 | 24 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 4.88 | 4.55 (-7%) | -880.2 |
| 1930 | BOS | AL | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 9.00 | 4.80 (-88%) | -101.8 |
| 1931 | PHI | NL | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 15.19 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 4 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 41.1 | 55 | 38 | 27 | 9 | 8.27 | — | -982 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .077 | .077 | .077 | .154 | 0 |
Career AVG .077 vs. league average .286 across their career seasons — 73.1% below league average.
Career OBP .077 vs. league average .347 across their career seasons — 77.8% below league average.
Career SLG .077 vs. league average .404 across their career seasons — 81.0% below league average.
Career OPS .154 vs. league average .751 across their career seasons — 79.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | NYA | AL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1925 | NYA | AL | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1930 | BOS | AL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1931 | PHI | NL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 13 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .077 | — | — | — | — | 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 (26 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 7 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .083 |
| Away | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 7 | 33.0 | 35 | 21 | 18 | 6 | 5.73 |
| Away | 6 | 8.1 | 20 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 18.36 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931-05-23 | PHI | BRO | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-05-20 | PHI | PIT | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1931-04-30 | PHI | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-04-16 | PHI | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-05-22 | BOS | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-05-21 | BOS | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-05-18 | BOS | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1925-10-03 | NYY | PHA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1925-09-28 | NYY | DET | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1925-09-24 | NYY | CHW | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931-05-23 | PHI | BRO | — | 0.2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1931-05-20 | PHI | PIT | W | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-04-30 | PHI | BRO | — | 0.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-04-16 | PHI | NY1 | — | 0.0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-05-22 | BOS | MIN | — | 4.0 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-05-21 | BOS | MIN | — | 1.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-05-18 | BOS | NYY | — | 5.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1925-10-03 | NYY | PHA | W | 4.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-09-28 | NYY | DET | W | 9.0 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 1925-09-24 | NYY | CHW | W | 10.0 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 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 | 13 |
Ben Shields: the record in brief
Ben Shields played a first major league game on April 17, 1924 and a last one on May 23, 1931. The team column moves through the New York Yankees (1924 to 1925), the Boston Red Sox (1930), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1931). Born on June 17, 1903, in Huntersville, NC, USA, Shields is listed as a pitcher and batted right-handed and threw left-handed. Shields's listed size is 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds. The bio records the death on January 24, 1982, in Woodruff, SC, USA. Shields's full given name, per the bio, is Benjamin Cowan Shields.
Across 13 games (2 starts), Shields recorded 4 wins against 0 losses with a 8.27 ERA. The totals include 9 strikeouts. Against a 4.40 league ERA for the same seasons, the 8.27 mark was 88.1% worse. 1925 was Shields's sharpest full season, a 4.88 ERA against the league's 4.55.
Shields appears at one position only: pitcher, in 13 games. Fielding on the mound produced 2 putouts and 7 assists against 0 errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Shields
- What years did Ben Shields play?
- Ben Shields played in Major League Baseball from 1924 to 1931.
- Was Ben Shields a pitcher?
- Yes. Ben Shields pitched in the major leagues, recording 4 wins and 9 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Ben Shields hit?
- Ben Shields hit 0 career home runs with 1 hit.
- What teams did Ben Shields play for?
- Ben Shields played for 3 teams: the New York Yankees (1924–1925), the Boston Red Sox (1930), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1931).
- What were Ben Shields's career stats?
- In 13 games, Ben Shields went 4-0 with a 8.27 ERA, 9 strikeouts, and 41.1 innings pitched.
- What position did Ben Shields play?
- Ben Shields played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ben Shields and how much did he weigh?
- Ben Shields was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 195 pounds.
- What was Ben Shields's career ERA?
- Ben Shields finished with a 8.27 career ERA, going 4-0 with 9 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Ben Shields have?
- Ben Shields recorded 9 career strikeouts.
- Is Ben Shields in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ben Shields has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.