Urban Shocker
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1916-1928)
Urban Shocker was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1928 for the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Browns, a span of 13 seasons. Across 412 career appearances, he went 187-117 with a 3.17 ERA, 983 strikeouts, and 25 saves. He also batted .209 with 1 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 13246.9.
- 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 / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 170 lb
- Died
- 9/9/1928 in Denver, CO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1916-04-24
- Last Game
- 1928-05-30
Full name: Urban James Shocker
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | NYA | AL | 4 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 82.1 | 67 | 24 | 32 | 43 | 2.62 | 2.78 (+6%) | -515.7 |
| 1917 | NYA | AL | 8 | 5 | 26 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 145.0 | 124 | 42 | 46 | 68 | 2.61 | 2.69 (+3%) | 136.5 |
| 1918 | SLA | AL | 6 | 5 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 94.2 | 69 | 19 | 40 | 33 | 1.81 | 2.83 (+36%) | -156.3 |
| 1919 | SLA | AL | 13 | 11 | 30 | 25 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 211.0 | 193 | 63 | 55 | 86 | 2.69 | 3.09 (+13%) | 1030.3 |
| 1920 | SLA | AL | 20 | 10 | 38 | 28 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 245.2 | 224 | 74 | 70 | 107 | 2.71 | 3.45 (+21%) | 582.8 |
| 1921 | SLA | AL | 27 | 12 | 47 | 38 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 326.2 | 345 | 129 | 86 | 132 | 3.55 | 4.02 (+12%) | -147.7 |
| 1922 | SLA | AL | 24 | 17 | 48 | 38 | 29 | 2 | 3 | 348.0 | 365 | 115 | 57 | 149 | 2.97 | 4.18 (+29%) | 4612.2 |
| 1923 | SLA | AL | 20 | 12 | 43 | 35 | 24 | 3 | 5 | 277.1 | 292 | 105 | 49 | 109 | 3.41 | 4.03 (+15%) | 4850.3 |
| 1924 | SLA | AL | 16 | 13 | 40 | 33 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 246.1 | 270 | 115 | 52 | 88 | 4.20 | 4.13 (-2%) | 2498.3 |
| 1925 | NYA | AL | 12 | 12 | 41 | 30 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 244.1 | 278 | 99 | 58 | 74 | 3.65 | 4.55 (+20%) | -598.7 |
| 1926 | NYA | AL | 19 | 11 | 41 | 32 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 258.1 | 272 | 97 | 71 | 59 | 3.38 | 4.11 (+18%) | -48.5 |
| 1927 | NYA | AL | 18 | 6 | 31 | 27 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 200.0 | 207 | 63 | 41 | 35 | 2.83 | 4.08 (+31%) | 1003.4 |
| 1928 | NYA | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 187 | 117 | 412 | 317 | 200 | 28 | 25 | 2,681.2 | 2,709 | 945 | 657 | 983 | 3.17 | — | 13,247 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 412 | 798 | 89 | 167 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 70 | 1 | 139 | 211 | .209 | .334 | .249 | .584 | -1,753 |
Career AVG .209 vs. league average .275 across their career seasons — 24.0% below league average.
Career OBP .334 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .249 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 33.8% below league average.
Career OPS .584 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — 18.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | NYA | AL | 12 | 21 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | .190 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1917 | NYA | AL | 26 | 45 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 17 | .178 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1918 | SLA | AL | 14 | 34 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | .324 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1919 | SLA | AL | 30 | 58 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 13 | .138 | .262 (-47%) | .322 (-11%) | .347 (-60%) | .670 (-37%) | -273.9 |
| 1920 | SLA | AL | 38 | 80 | 8 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 21 | .225 | .271 (-17%) | .331 (avg) | .363 (-28%) | .694 (-14%) | -129.6 |
| 1921 | SLA | AL | 47 | 104 | 18 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 26 | .260 | .286 (-9%) | .344 (+9%) | .395 (-20%) | .739 (-7%) | -44.4 |
| 1922 | SLA | AL | 48 | 115 | 14 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 34 | .191 | .285 (-33%) | .345 (-19%) | .397 (-34%) | .743 (-27%) | -505.2 |
| 1923 | SLA | AL | 43 | 80 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 21 | .200 | .282 (-29%) | .344 (-3%) | .390 (-46%) | .734 (-26%) | -277.1 |
| 1924 | SLA | AL | 40 | 67 | 11 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 22 | 14 | .239 | .283 (-16%) | .345 (+25%) | .389 (-31%) | .734 (-4%) | 86.7 |
| 1925 | NYA | AL | 41 | 64 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 17 | .172 | .288 (-40%) | .349 (+6%) | .407 (-31%) | .756 (-14%) | -94.6 |
| 1926 | NYA | AL | 41 | 76 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 20 | .171 | .279 (-39%) | .345 (-18%) | .390 (-53%) | .735 (-36%) | -418.0 |
| 1927 | NYA | AL | 31 | 54 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 12 | .241 | .282 (-15%) | .344 (+4%) | .392 (-34%) | .736 (-16%) | -96.9 |
| 1928 | NYA | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 412 | 798 | 89 | 167 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 70 | 1 | 139 | 211 | .209 | — | — | — | — | -1,753 | ||
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 (824 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 208 | 369 | 40 | 62 | 1 | 29 | .168 |
| Away | 204 | 430 | 48 | 105 | 0 | 41 | .244 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 208 | 1343.1 | 1363 | 475 | 329 | 535 | 3.18 |
| Away | 204 | 1337.0 | 1346 | 464 | 331 | 453 | 3.12 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928-05-30 | NYY | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-09-29 | NYY | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-09-25 | NYY | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-09-17 | NYY | CHW | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-09-09 | NYY | SLA | W | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1927-09-05 | NYY | BOS | W | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1927-08-28 | NYY | SLA | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1927-08-22 | NYY | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-08-18 | NYY | CHW | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1927-08-07 | NYY | CHW | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928-05-30 | NYY | MIN | — | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-09-29 | NYY | MIN | W | 4.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1927-09-25 | NYY | DET | — | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-09-17 | NYY | CHW | W | 9.0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1927-09-09 | NYY | SLA | W | 9.0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 1927-09-05 | NYY | BOS | W | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-08-28 | NYY | SLA | W | 5.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1927-08-22 | NYY | CLE | — | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-08-18 | NYY | CHW | — | 8.0 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1927-08-07 | NYY | CHW | W | 5.0 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | NYA | P | 12 | 0 | 9 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 1917 | NYA | P | 26 | 0 | 6 | 50 | 2 | 2 |
| 1918 | SLA | P | 14 | 0 | 8 | 25 | 0 | 3 |
| 1919 | SLA | P | 30 | 0 | 11 | 48 | 3 | 2 |
| 1920 | SLA | P | 38 | 0 | 13 | 58 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921 | SLA | P | 47 | 0 | 21 | 91 | 2 | 1 |
| 1922 | SLA | P | 48 | 0 | 33 | 59 | 1 | 1 |
| 1923 | SLA | P | 43 | 0 | 11 | 56 | 3 | 3 |
| 1924 | SLA | P | 40 | 0 | 11 | 43 | 0 | 3 |
| 1925 | NYA | P | 41 | 0 | 11 | 50 | 0 | 5 |
| 1926 | NYA | P | 41 | 0 | 11 | 59 | 1 | 0 |
| 1927 | NYA | P | 31 | 0 | 10 | 42 | 1 | 2 |
| 1928 | NYA | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 412 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1923 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P2 |
| 1922 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P2 |
| 1921 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P3 |
| 1920 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P3 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 14th | 5.0 | 64 | 0 |
| 1922 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 17th | 5.0 | 64 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Urban Shocker (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Urban Shocker: the record in brief
Urban Shocker's major league career runs from a debut on April 24, 1916 to a final game on May 30, 1928. Club by club, the record runs the New York Yankees (1916 through 1928) and the St. Louis Browns (1918 through 1924). Shocker played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on September 22, 1890, in Cleveland, OH, USA and a listed size of 5 feet, 10 inches and 170 pounds. Shocker died on September 9, 1928, in Denver, CO, USA. On the record, Urban Shocker was born Urban James Shocker.
Shocker went 187-117 with a 3.17 ERA in 412 games, 317 of them starts. Shocker had 983 strikeouts, 200 complete games, 28 shutouts, and 25 saves. That 3.17 ERA compares with a 3.76 league average across the same seasons, 15.8% better. No season topped the 27 wins of 1921. Shocker struck out 149 batters in 1922, a career high.
Frequently Asked Questions about Urban Shocker
- What years did Urban Shocker play?
- Urban Shocker played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1928.
- Was Urban Shocker a pitcher?
- Yes. Urban Shocker pitched in the major leagues, recording 187 wins and 983 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Urban Shocker hit?
- Urban Shocker hit 1 career home run with 167 hits.
- What teams did Urban Shocker play for?
- Urban Shocker played for 2 teams: the New York Yankees (1916–1917, 1925–1928) and the St. Louis Browns (1918–1924).
- What were Urban Shocker's career stats?
- In 412 games, Urban Shocker went 187-117 with a 3.17 ERA, 983 strikeouts, 2,681.2 innings pitched, and 25 saves. At the plate he had 167 hits and 1 home runs.
- What position did Urban Shocker play?
- Urban Shocker played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Urban Shocker and how much did he weigh?
- Urban Shocker was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 170 pounds.
- What was Urban Shocker's career ERA?
- Urban Shocker finished with a 3.17 career ERA, going 187-117 with 983 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Urban Shocker have?
- Urban Shocker recorded 983 career strikeouts.
- Is Urban Shocker in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Urban Shocker has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.