Lary Sorensen
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1977-1988)
Lary Sorensen was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1988 for 7 teams, including the Milwaukee Brewers, a span of 12 seasons. Across 346 career appearances, he went 93-103 with a 4.15 ERA and 569 strikeouts. Lary Sorensen was an All-Star.
- 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
- 6'2" / 200 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1977-06-07
- Last Game
- 1988-09-24
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Lary Alan Sorensen
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | ML4 | AL | 7 | 10 | 23 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 142.1 | 147 | 69 | 36 | 57 | 4.36 | 4.00 (-9%) | 1348.5 |
| 1978 | ML4 | AL | 18 | 12 | 37 | 36 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 280.2 | 277 | 100 | 50 | 78 | 3.21 | 3.69 (+13%) | 3129.1 |
| 1979 | ML4 | AL | 15 | 14 | 34 | 34 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 235.1 | 250 | 104 | 42 | 63 | 3.98 | 4.00 (+1%) | -2579.0 |
| 1980 | ML4 | AL | 12 | 10 | 35 | 29 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 195.2 | 242 | 80 | 45 | 54 | 3.68 | 3.84 (+4%) | 290.5 |
| 1981 | SLN | NL | 7 | 7 | 23 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 140.1 | 149 | 51 | 26 | 52 | 3.27 | 3.58 (+9%) | 3137.7 |
| 1982 | CLE | AL | 10 | 15 | 32 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 189.1 | 251 | 118 | 55 | 62 | 5.61 | 3.86 (-45%) | -1998.9 |
| 1983 | CLE | AL | 12 | 11 | 36 | 34 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 222.2 | 238 | 105 | 65 | 76 | 4.24 | 3.87 (-10%) | -1830.2 |
| 1984 | OAK | AL | 6 | 13 | 46 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 183.1 | 240 | 100 | 44 | 63 | 4.91 | 3.81 (-29%) | -2645.6 |
| 1985 | CHN | NL | 3 | 7 | 45 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 82.1 | 86 | 39 | 24 | 34 | 4.26 | 3.89 (-9%) | -511.2 |
| 1987 | MON | NL | 3 | 4 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 47.2 | 56 | 25 | 12 | 21 | 4.72 | 4.29 (-10%) | -654.9 |
| 1988 | SFN | NL | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16.2 | 24 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 4.86 | 3.73 (-30%) | 303.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 93 | 103 | 346 | 235 | 69 | 10 | 6 | 1,736.1 | 1,960 | 800 | 402 | 569 | 4.15 | — | -2,011 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 346 | 61 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 30 | .049 | .094 | .066 | .159 | 0 |
Career AVG .049 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 81.1% below league average.
Career OBP .094 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 71.2% below league average.
Career SLG .066 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 83.2% below league average.
Career OPS .159 vs. league average .715 across their career seasons — 77.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | ML4 | AL | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | ML4 | AL | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | ML4 | AL | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1980 | ML4 | AL | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1981 | SLN | NL | 23 | 46 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | .065 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | CLE | AL | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | CLE | AL | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1984 | OAK | AL | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1985 | CHN | NL | 45 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | MON | NL | 23 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | SFN | NL | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 346 | 61 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 30 | .049 | — | — | — | — | 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 (692 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 167 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .071 |
| Away | 179 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .030 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 167 | 869.2 | 962 | 391 | 204 | 292 | 4.05 |
| Away | 179 | 866.2 | 998 | 409 | 198 | 277 | 4.25 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-09-24 | SFG | LAD | — | 2.1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-09-16 | SFG | HOU | — | 0.1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-14 | SFG | SDP | — | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-11 | SFG | HOU | — | 1.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1988-09-10 | SFG | HOU | SV | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-09-06 | SFG | SDP | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-05 | SFG | SDP | — | 1.1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-09-02 | SFG | WSN | — | 2.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1988-08-28 | SFG | NYN | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-08-24 | SFG | WSN | — | 2.0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | ML4 | P | 23 | 20 | 15 | 23 | 1 | 4 |
| 1978 | ML4 | P | 37 | 36 | 28 | 44 | 3 | 1 |
| 1979 | ML4 | P | 34 | 34 | 23 | 39 | 6 | 3 |
| 1980 | ML4 | P | 35 | 29 | 18 | 30 | 0 | 5 |
| 1981 | SLN | P | 23 | 23 | 15 | 21 | 2 | 3 |
| 1982 | CLE | P | 32 | 30 | 10 | 28 | 4 | 2 |
| 1983 | CLE | P | 36 | 34 | 20 | 39 | 2 | 1 |
| 1984 | OAK | P | 46 | 21 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 3 |
| 1985 | CHN | P | 45 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 1987 | MON | P | 23 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988 | SFN | P | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 346 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Player of the Week | Week of 1978-06-09 |
Salary History
Lary Sorensen's recorded salaries total $320,000 over 1 season, in 1985. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Sorensen's career ran from 1977 to 1988. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1987 and 1988.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | CHN | NL | $320,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $320,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor | MI | 1974, 1975, 1976 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Lary Sorensen (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Lary Sorensen: the record in brief
Lary Sorensen played a first major league game on June 7, 1977 and a last one on September 24, 1988. The team column moves through the Milwaukee Brewers (1977 to 1980), the St. Louis Cardinals (1981), the Cleveland Indians (1982 through 1983), the Oakland Athletics (1984), the Chicago Cubs (1985), the Montreal Expos (1987), and the San Francisco Giants (1988). At 6 feet, 2 inches and 200 pounds, Sorensen is listed as a pitcher. The bio says Sorensen batted and threw right-handed. Sorensen was born on October 4, 1955, in Detroit, MI, USA. The given name on file is Lary Alan Sorensen.
Sorensen went 93-103 with a 4.15 ERA in 346 games, 235 of them starts. Sorensen had 569 strikeouts, 69 complete games, and 10 shutouts. The league ERA over Sorensen's seasons was 3.88, so the 4.15 figure ran 6.9% worse than average. The best win total was 18, in 1978. In 1978, one of the busiest seasons, Sorensen posted a 3.21 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.69.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lary Sorensen
- What years did Lary Sorensen play?
- Lary Sorensen played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1988.
- Was Lary Sorensen a pitcher?
- Yes. Lary Sorensen pitched in the major leagues, recording 93 wins and 569 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Lary Sorensen hit?
- Lary Sorensen hit 0 career home runs with 3 hits.
- What teams did Lary Sorensen play for?
- Lary Sorensen played for 7 teams: the Milwaukee Brewers (1977–1980), the St. Louis Cardinals (1981), the Cleveland Indians (1982–1983), the Oakland Athletics (1984), the Chicago Cubs (1985), the Montreal Expos (1987), and the San Francisco Giants (1988).
- Did Lary Sorensen win a Cy Young Award?
- No. Lary Sorensen did not win the Cy Young Award.
- What awards did Lary Sorensen win?
- Lary Sorensen was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Lary Sorensen's career stats?
- In 346 games, Lary Sorensen went 93-103 with a 4.15 ERA, 569 strikeouts, 1,736.1 innings pitched, and 6 saves.
- How much did Lary Sorensen earn in his career?
- Lary Sorensen's recorded salaries total $320,000 over 1 season, in 1985. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Sorensen's career ran from 1977 to 1988. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1987 and 1988.
- What was Lary Sorensen's salary?
- Lary Sorensen's recorded salary was $320,000 in 1985.
- What position did Lary Sorensen play?
- Lary Sorensen played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Lary Sorensen and how much did he weigh?
- Lary Sorensen was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 200 pounds.
- What was Lary Sorensen's career ERA?
- Lary Sorensen finished with a 4.15 career ERA, going 93-103 with 569 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Lary Sorensen have?
- Lary Sorensen recorded 569 career strikeouts.
- Is Lary Sorensen in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Lary Sorensen has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.