Harry Smythe
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1929-1934)
Harry Smythe was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1934 for the Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Yankees, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 6 seasons. Across 60 career appearances, he went 5-12 with a 6.40 ERA and 33 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
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 179 lb
- Died
- 8/28/1980 in Augusta, GA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1929-07-21
- Last Game
- 1934-06-26
Full name: William Henry Smythe
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | PHI | NL | 4 | 6 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 68.2 | 94 | 40 | 15 | 12 | 5.24 | 4.60 (-14%) | 590.0 |
| 1930 | PHI | NL | 0 | 3 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 49.2 | 84 | 43 | 31 | 9 | 7.79 | 4.80 (-62%) | -1594.1 |
| 1934 | NYA | AL | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15.0 | 24 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 7.80 | 4.29 (-82%) | -173.4 |
| 1934 | BRO | NL | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21.1 | 30 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 5.91 | 4.29 (-38%) | -828.9 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 5 | 12 | 60 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 154.2 | 232 | 110 | 62 | 33 | 6.40 | — | -2,006 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 54 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 7 | .241 | .268 | .278 | .546 | 0 |
Career AVG .241 vs. league average .288 across their career seasons — 16.3% below league average.
Career OBP .268 vs. league average .350 across their career seasons — 23.4% below league average.
Career SLG .278 vs. league average .414 across their career seasons — 32.8% below league average.
Career OPS .546 vs. league average .763 across their career seasons — 28.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | PHI | NL | 20 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .192 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1930 | PHI | NL | 25 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1934 | NYA | AL | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1934 | BRO | NL | 10 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 63 | 54 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 7 | .241 | — | — | — | — | 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 (123 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 30 | 23 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2 | .217 |
| Away | 33 | 31 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 3 | .258 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 30 | 79.1 | 113 | 48 | 33 | 17 | 5.45 |
| Away | 30 | 75.1 | 119 | 62 | 29 | 16 | 7.41 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934-06-26 | BRO | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934-06-23 | BRO | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-06-21 | BRO | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-06-16 | BRO | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1934-06-13 | BRO | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-06-12 | BRO | PIT | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-06-10 | BRO | BSN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-06-05 | BRO | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-06-02 | BRO | BSN | L | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-05-30 | BRO | NY1 | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934-06-23 | BRO | STL | — | 1.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-06-21 | BRO | STL | — | 0.2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-06-16 | BRO | CIN | — | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934-06-12 | BRO | PIT | W | 7.2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1934-06-10 | BRO | BSN | — | 2.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934-06-05 | BRO | PHI | L | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934-06-02 | BRO | BSN | — | 5.2 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1934-05-30 | BRO | NY1 | — | 3.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-05-27 | NYY | SLA | — | 3.1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1934-05-22 | NYY | CLE | — | 0.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 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 | 60 |
Harry Smythe: the record in brief
July 21, 1929 and June 26, 1934 bracket Harry Smythe's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Smythe's seasons break down as the Philadelphia Phillies (1929 through 1930), the New York Yankees (1934), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1934). Smythe is listed as a pitcher at 179 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. The bio says Smythe threw and hit left-handed. Smythe was born on October 24, 1904, in Augusta, GA, USA. Smythe's death is recorded on August 28, 1980, in Augusta, GA, USA. Smythe's full given name, per the bio, is William Henry Smythe.
The pitching table credits Smythe with a 5-12 record and a 6.40 ERA in 60 games. Smythe had 33 strikeouts. Against a 4.58 league ERA for the same seasons, the 6.40 mark was 39.9% worse. In 1929, one of the busiest seasons, Smythe posted a 5.24 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.60.
Frequently Asked Questions about Harry Smythe
- What years did Harry Smythe play?
- Harry Smythe played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1934.
- Was Harry Smythe a pitcher?
- Yes. Harry Smythe pitched in the major leagues, recording 5 wins and 33 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Harry Smythe hit?
- Harry Smythe hit 0 career home runs with 13 hits.
- What teams did Harry Smythe play for?
- Harry Smythe played for 3 teams: the Philadelphia Phillies (1929–1930), the New York Yankees (1934), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1934).
- What were Harry Smythe's career stats?
- In 60 games, Harry Smythe went 5-12 with a 6.40 ERA, 33 strikeouts, 154.2 innings pitched, and 4 saves.
- What position did Harry Smythe play?
- Harry Smythe played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Harry Smythe and how much did he weigh?
- Harry Smythe was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 179 pounds.
- What was Harry Smythe's career ERA?
- Harry Smythe finished with a 6.40 career ERA, going 5-12 with 33 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Harry Smythe have?
- Harry Smythe recorded 33 career strikeouts.
- Is Harry Smythe in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Harry Smythe has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.