Dave Smith
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1938-1939)
Dave Smith was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1939 for the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 2 seasons. Across 22 career appearances, he went 2-1 with a 5.08 ERA and 13 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 / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 170 lb
- Died
- 4/1/1998 in Whiteville, NC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1938-06-16
- Last Game
- 1939-04-23
Full name: David Merwin Smith
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | PHA | AL | 2 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44.1 | 50 | 25 | 28 | 13 | 5.08 | 4.35 (-17%) | -134.4 |
| 1939 | PHA | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 2 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44.1 | 51 | 25 | 30 | 13 | 5.08 | — | -134 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .000 | .143 | .000 | .143 | 0 |
Career AVG .000 vs. league average .274 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career OBP .143 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 58.2% below league average.
Career SLG .000 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career OPS .143 vs. league average .735 across their career seasons — 80.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | PHA | AL | 21 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | PHA | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 22 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 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 (44 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 13 | 27.2 | 29 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 4.23 |
| Away | 9 | 16.2 | 22 | 12 | 15 | 6 | 6.48 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939-04-23 | PHA | BOS | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-29 | PHA | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938-09-25 | PHA | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-25 | PHA | MIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938-09-24 | PHA | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-19 | PHA | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-05 | PHA | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-04 | PHA | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-04 | PHA | BOS | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-03 | PHA | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939-04-23 | PHA | BOS | — | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-29 | PHA | NYY | L | 4.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938-09-25 | PHA | MIN | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-25 | PHA | MIN | W | 4.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-24 | PHA | MIN | — | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-19 | PHA | CLE | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-05 | PHA | NYY | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1938-09-04 | PHA | BOS | — | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938-09-04 | PHA | BOS | W | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-03 | PHA | MIN | — | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 22 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke University | Durham | NC | 1936, 1937, 1938 |
Dave Smith: the record in brief
Between the debut on June 16, 1938 and the final game on April 23, 1939, Dave Smith built the record summarized on this page. Every season row on the page belongs to the Philadelphia Athletics, from 1938 through 1939. Listed as a pitcher, Smith batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds. Smith was born on December 17, 1914, in Sellers, SC, USA. Smith died on April 1, 1998, in Whiteville, NC, USA. The bio lists the given name David Merwin.
Smith pitched in 22 games, starting 0, and finished with a 2-1 record and 5.08 ERA. Also on Smith's record: 13 strikeouts. The league ERA over Smith's seasons was 4.32, so the 5.08 figure ran 17.6% worse than average. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 5.08 in 1938, when the league's was 4.35.
The position breakdown shows 22 games, all at pitcher. On the mound, the fielding record shows 0 errors alongside 2 putouts and 8 assists.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dave Smith
- What years did Dave Smith play?
- Dave Smith played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1939.
- Was Dave Smith a pitcher?
- Yes. Dave Smith pitched in the major leagues, recording 2 wins and 13 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Dave Smith hit?
- Dave Smith hit 0 career home runs.
- What was Dave Smith's career batting average?
- Dave Smith batted .000 over his career, with 0 hits in 12 at bats.
- What was Dave Smith's career ERA?
- Dave Smith finished with a 5.08 career ERA, going 2-1 with 13 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Dave Smith have?
- Dave Smith recorded 13 career strikeouts.