Earl Stephenson
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1971-1978)
Earl Stephenson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1978 for the Chicago Cubs, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 8 seasons. Across 54 career appearances, he went 4-5 with a 3.57 ERA and 50 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
- 6'3" / 175 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1971-04-07
- Last Game
- 1978-07-26
Full name: Chester Earl Stephenson
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | CHN | NL | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20.1 | 24 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 4.43 | 3.47 (-28%) | -82.7 |
| 1972 | ML4 | AL | 3 | 5 | 35 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 80.1 | 79 | 29 | 33 | 33 | 3.25 | 3.26 (avg) | -937.8 |
| 1977 | BAL | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | BAL | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2.79 | 3.69 (+24%) | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 4 | 5 | 54 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 113.1 | 118 | 45 | 49 | 50 | 3.57 | — | -1,021 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
Career AVG .000 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career OBP .000 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career SLG .000 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career OPS .000 vs. league average .696 across their career seasons — 100.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | CHN | NL | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | ML4 | AL | 35 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | BAL | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | BAL | AL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 54 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | .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 (108 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 23 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 31 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 23 | 50.1 | 54 | 16 | 26 | 21 | 2.86 |
| Away | 31 | 63.0 | 64 | 29 | 23 | 29 | 4.14 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-07-26 | BAL | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978-07-15 | BAL | TEX | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-09-07 | BAL | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-30 | MIL | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-29 | MIL | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-17 | MIL | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-14 | MIL | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972-09-12 | MIL | CLE | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-11 | MIL | BAL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-03 | MIL | TEX | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-07-26 | BAL | DET | — | 5.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1978-07-15 | BAL | TEX | — | 4.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1977-09-07 | BAL | DET | — | 3.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1972-09-30 | MIL | DET | — | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1972-09-29 | MIL | DET | — | 0.2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-17 | MIL | DET | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-14 | MIL | CLE | W | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1972-09-12 | MIL | CLE | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-11 | MIL | BAL | — | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1972-09-03 | MIL | TEX | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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 | 54 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell University | Buies Creek | NC | 1966 |
Earl Stephenson: the record in brief
April 7, 1971 and July 26, 1978 bracket Earl Stephenson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Stephenson's seasons break down as the Chicago Cubs (1971), the Milwaukee Brewers (1972), and the Baltimore Orioles (1977 through 1978). The bio lists Stephenson as a pitcher who threw and hit left-handed. Stephenson is listed at 6 feet, 3 inches and 175 pounds. The birth record reads July 31, 1947, in Benson, NC, USA. The bio lists the given name Chester Earl.
Stephenson went 4-5 with a 3.57 ERA in 54 games, 8 of them starts. The totals include 50 strikeouts. Stephenson's 3.57 ERA was close to the 3.62 league figure for those seasons. 1972 was Stephenson's sharpest full season, a 3.25 ERA against the league's 3.26.
Every defensive appearance on record for Stephenson, 54 games, came at pitcher. The fielding table credits Stephenson with 6 putouts, 18 assists and 1 errors on the mound.
Frequently Asked Questions about Earl Stephenson
- What years did Earl Stephenson play?
- Earl Stephenson played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1978.
- Was Earl Stephenson a pitcher?
- Yes. Earl Stephenson pitched in the major leagues, recording 4 wins and 50 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Earl Stephenson hit?
- Earl Stephenson hit 0 career home runs.
- What was Earl Stephenson's career batting average?
- Earl Stephenson batted .000 over his career, with 0 hits in 20 at bats.
- What was Earl Stephenson's career ERA?
- Earl Stephenson finished with a 3.57 career ERA, going 4-5 with 50 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Earl Stephenson have?
- Earl Stephenson recorded 50 career strikeouts.