Dave Sisler

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1956-1962)

Dave Sisler was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1962 for 4 teams, including the Boston Red Sox, a span of 7 seasons. Across 247 career appearances, he went 38-44 with a 4.33 ERA, 355 strikeouts, and 29 saves.

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 38–44
ERA 4.33
WHIP 1.51
SO 355
Pitcher PIV -9840.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 200 lb
Born
10/16/1931 in St. Louis, MO, USA
Died
1/9/2011 in St. Louis, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1956-04-21
Last Game
1962-09-23

Full name: David Michael Sisler

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Career Pitching Statistics

Dave Sisler — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
38 44 247 59 12 1 29 656.1 622 316 70 368 355 4.33 -9840.5

Career ERA 4.33 vs. league average 3.91 across their career seasons — 10.7% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dave Sisler Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1956 BOS AL 9 8 39 14 3 0 3 142.1 120 73 72 93 4.62 3.96 (-16%) 181.5
1957 BOS AL 7 8 22 19 5 0 1 122.1 135 64 61 55 4.71 3.83 (-23%) -2640.3
1958 BOS AL 8 9 30 25 4 1 0 149.1 157 82 79 71 4.94 3.86 (-28%) -4428.8
1959 BOS AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 6.2 9 5 1 3 6.75 — 0.0
1959 DET AL 1 3 32 0 0 0 7 51.2 46 23 36 29 4.01 3.90 (-3%) -867.1
1960 DET AL 7 5 41 0 0 0 6 80.0 56 22 45 47 2.48 3.82 (+35%) 437.8
1961 WS2 AL 2 8 45 1 0 0 11 60.1 55 28 48 30 4.18 4.03 (-4%) -2084.3
1962 CIN NL 4 3 35 0 0 0 1 43.2 44 19 26 27 3.92 3.96 (+1%) -439.3
Career · 8 seasons 38 44 247 59 12 1 29 656.1 622 316 368 355 4.33 — -9,840

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

Dave Sisler — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
247 159 14 25 1 1 0 5 0 15 48 .157 .227 .176 .403 0

Career AVG .157 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 38.9% below league average.

Career OBP .227 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 30.3% below league average.

Career SLG .176 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — 55.3% below league average.

Career OPS .403 vs. league average .720 across their career seasons — 44.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dave Sisler — 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
1956 BOS AL 39 42 4 5 0 0 0 2 0 4 13 .119 — — — — 0.0
1957 BOS AL 22 42 5 7 0 0 0 0 0 4 12 .167 — — — — 0.0
1958 BOS AL 30 46 4 9 1 1 0 3 0 2 11 .196 — — — — 0.0
1959 BOS AL 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500 — — — — 0.0
1959 DET AL 32 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .200 — — — — 0.0
1960 DET AL 41 16 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 .125 — — — — 0.0
1961 WS2 AL 45 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1962 CIN NL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 247 159 14 25 1 1 0 5 0 15 48 .157 — — — — 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 (494 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Dave Sisler — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1207271504.208
Away1278771001.115

Pitching — Home / Away

Dave Sisler — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home120315.12961421691664.05
Away127341.03261731991894.57

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Dave Sisler — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1962-09-23 CINPHI W 1.1000010
1962-09-18 CINPIT — 1.1100100
1962-09-16 CINNYN — 0.1000000
1962-09-14 CINNYN — 1.0000000
1962-09-08 CINSTL — 2.0000000
1962-09-07 CINSTL W 1.0100000
1962-09-05 CINCHC SV 1.0311010
1962-08-31 CINSFG — 1.0000110
1962-08-28 CINLAD — 2.0444300
1962-08-05 CINNYN — 1.0000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dave Sisler — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 247 59 42 107 4 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dave Sisler — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1956 BOS P 39 14 9 22 0 0
1957 BOS P 22 19 13 22 1 3
1958 BOS P 30 25 7 22 2 1
1959 BOS P 3 0 1 0 0 0
1959 DET P 32 0 0 7 0 0
1960 DET P 41 0 5 18 1 2
1961 WS2 P 45 1 4 11 0 1
1962 CIN P 35 0 3 5 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dave Sisler — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 247

College History

Dave Sisler — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Princeton University Princeton NJ 1951, 1952

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Dave Sisler (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jack Hamilton
    32-40, 4.53 ERA
  2. 87
    Dean Stone
    29-39, 4.47 ERA
  3. 81
    Bill Zuber
    43-42, 4.28 ERA
  4. 79
    Craig McMurtry
    28-42, 4.08 ERA
  5. 78
    Ed Farmer
    30-43, 4.30 ERA
  6. 78
    Earl Johnson
    40-32, 4.30 ERA

Dave Sisler: the record in brief

April 21, 1956 and September 23, 1962 bracket Dave Sisler's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Boston Red Sox (1956 through 1959), the Detroit Tigers (1959 through 1960), the Washington Senators (1961), and the Cincinnati Reds (1962). Sisler, born on October 16, 1931, in St. Louis, MO, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 6'4" and 200 pounds. Sisler's death is recorded on January 9, 2011, in St. Louis, MO, USA. Dave Sisler was the playing name; the full given name is David Michael.

Sisler's career pitching line is 38 wins, 44 losses and a 4.33 ERA over 247 appearances. Also on Sisler's record: 355 strikeouts, 12 complete games, and 29 saves. The league ERA over Sisler's seasons was 3.91, so the 4.33 figure ran 10.7% worse than average. The best win total was 9, in 1956. Sisler saved 11 games in 1961, the season high.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dave Sisler

What years did Dave Sisler play?
Dave Sisler played in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1962.
Was Dave Sisler a pitcher?
Yes. Dave Sisler pitched in the major leagues, recording 38 wins and 355 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Dave Sisler hit?
Dave Sisler hit 0 career home runs with 25 hits.
What teams did Dave Sisler play for?
Dave Sisler played for 4 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1956–1959), the Detroit Tigers (1959–1960), the Washington Senators (1961), and the Cincinnati Reds (1962).
What were Dave Sisler's career stats?
In 247 games, Dave Sisler went 38-44 with a 4.33 ERA, 355 strikeouts, 656.1 innings pitched, and 29 saves.
What position did Dave Sisler play?
Dave Sisler played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Dave Sisler and how much did he weigh?
Dave Sisler was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 200 pounds.
What was Dave Sisler's career ERA?
Dave Sisler finished with a 4.33 career ERA, going 38-44 with 355 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Dave Sisler have?
Dave Sisler recorded 355 career strikeouts.
Is Dave Sisler in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dave Sisler has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.