Lefty Stewart
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1921-1935)
Lefty Stewart was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1921 to 1935 for 4 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 15 seasons. Across 279 career appearances, he went 101-98 with a 4.19 ERA and 503 strikeouts. He also batted .204 with 0 home runs.
- 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 / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 160 lb
- Died
- 9/26/1974 in Knoxville, TN, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1921-04-20
- Last Game
- 1935-09-29
Full name: Walter Cleveland Stewart
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9.0 | 20 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 12.00 | 4.02 (-198%) | 0.0 |
| 1927 | SLA | AL | 8 | 11 | 27 | 19 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 155.2 | 187 | 74 | 43 | 43 | 4.28 | 4.08 (-5%) | 374.1 |
| 1928 | SLA | AL | 7 | 9 | 29 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 142.2 | 173 | 74 | 32 | 25 | 4.67 | 4.13 (-13%) | 807.6 |
| 1929 | SLA | AL | 9 | 6 | 23 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 149.2 | 137 | 54 | 49 | 47 | 3.25 | 4.60 (+29%) | -500.1 |
| 1930 | SLA | AL | 20 | 12 | 35 | 33 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 271.0 | 281 | 104 | 70 | 79 | 3.45 | 4.80 (+28%) | -119.8 |
| 1931 | SLA | AL | 14 | 17 | 36 | 33 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 258.0 | 287 | 126 | 85 | 89 | 4.40 | 4.10 (-7%) | -1477.5 |
| 1932 | SLA | AL | 15 | 19 | 41 | 32 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 259.2 | 269 | 133 | 99 | 86 | 4.61 | 4.13 (-12%) | -4010.8 |
| 1933 | WS1 | AL | 15 | 6 | 34 | 31 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 230.2 | 227 | 98 | 60 | 69 | 3.82 | 3.86 (+1%) | -1850.8 |
| 1934 | WS1 | AL | 7 | 11 | 24 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 152.0 | 184 | 68 | 36 | 36 | 4.03 | 4.29 (+6%) | 510.6 |
| 1935 | WS1 | AL | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13.50 | — | 0.0 |
| 1935 | CLE | AL | 6 | 6 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 91.0 | 122 | 55 | 17 | 24 | 5.44 | 4.35 (-25%) | 542.2 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 101 | 98 | 279 | 216 | 107 | 8 | 8 | 1,722.0 | 1,895 | 802 | 498 | 503 | 4.19 | — | -5,724 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 283 | 565 | 60 | 115 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 64 | 114 | .204 | .285 | .257 | .541 | -1,792 |
Career AVG .204 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — 27.7% below league average.
Career OBP .285 vs. league average .343 across their career seasons — 17.0% below league average.
Career SLG .257 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — 35.6% below league average.
Career OPS .541 vs. league average .741 across their career seasons — 27.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | DET | AL | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1927 | SLA | AL | 29 | 49 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 16 | .306 | — | — | — | — | -24.0 |
| 1928 | SLA | AL | 29 | 51 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 | .275 | .280 (-2%) | .342 (+2%) | .395 (-16%) | .737 (-7%) | -46.1 |
| 1929 | SLA | AL | 23 | 51 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 13 | .118 | .289 (-59%) | .353 (-62%) | .415 (-58%) | .769 (-60%) | -522.8 |
| 1930 | SLA | AL | 35 | 90 | 17 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 16 | .244 | .293 (-17%) | .354 (-4%) | .429 (-33%) | .784 (-20%) | -273.6 |
| 1931 | SLA | AL | 36 | 88 | 10 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 10 | .250 | .276 (-9%) | .338 (+2%) | .388 (-6%) | .726 (-2%) | -19.7 |
| 1932 | SLA | AL | 41 | 82 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 16 | .146 | .275 (-47%) | .335 (-26%) | .391 (-50%) | .726 (-39%) | -505.4 |
| 1933 | WS1 | AL | 35 | 77 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 9 | .143 | .270 (-47%) | .329 (-22%) | .377 (-45%) | .707 (-34%) | -400.9 |
| 1934 | WS1 | AL | 25 | 45 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 | .156 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1935 | WS1 | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1935 | CLE | AL | 24 | 30 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 283 | 565 | 60 | 115 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 64 | 114 | .204 | — | — | — | — | -1,792 | ||
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 (562 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 128 | 232 | 33 | 56 | 0 | 29 | .241 |
| Away | 155 | 333 | 26 | 59 | 0 | 19 | .177 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 126 | 742.1 | 825 | 359 | 200 | 234 | 4.35 |
| Away | 153 | 980.1 | 1070 | 450 | 295 | 271 | 4.13 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935-09-29 | CLE | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-09-12 | CLE | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-09-11 | CLE | NYY | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-09-08 | CLE | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-08-25 | CLE | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1935-08-19 | CLE | MIN | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-08-16 | CLE | NYY | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-08-13 | CLE | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1935-08-10 | CLE | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-08-08 | CLE | SLA | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935-09-29 | CLE | SLA | L | 2.1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1935-09-12 | CLE | MIN | — | 4.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1935-09-11 | CLE | NYY | W | 1.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-09-08 | CLE | NYY | L | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-08-25 | CLE | BOS | — | 1.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1935-08-19 | CLE | MIN | — | 6.0 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1935-08-16 | CLE | NYY | SV | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1935-08-13 | CLE | NYY | L | 7.2 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1935-08-10 | CLE | SLA | — | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1935-08-08 | CLE | SLA | W | 7.1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 279 | 0 | 68 | 370 | 12 | 18 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | DET | P | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927 | SLA | P | 27 | 0 | 7 | 45 | 0 | 2 |
| 1928 | SLA | P | 29 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 0 | 2 |
| 1929 | SLA | P | 23 | 0 | 8 | 30 | 2 | 1 |
| 1930 | SLA | P | 35 | 0 | 13 | 56 | 2 | 3 |
| 1931 | SLA | P | 36 | 0 | 17 | 52 | 3 | 3 |
| 1932 | SLA | P | 41 | 0 | 8 | 50 | 0 | 3 |
| 1933 | WS1 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933 | WS1 | P | 34 | 0 | 5 | 56 | 1 | 2 |
| 1934 | WS1 | P | 24 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 2 |
| 1935 | WS1 | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935 | CLE | P | 24 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 279 |
| Second Base | 1 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 20th | 2.0 | 80 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Lefty Stewart (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Lefty Stewart: the record in brief
Lefty Stewart's major league career runs from a debut on April 20, 1921 to a final game on September 29, 1935. The season rows list, in order, the Detroit Tigers (1921), the St. Louis Browns (1927 to 1932), the Washington Senators (1933 to 1935), and the Cleveland Indians (1935). Listed as a pitcher, Stewart hit right-handed while throwing left-handed. Stewart is listed at 5'10" and 160 pounds. The birth record reads September 23, 1900, in Sparta, TN, USA. The bio records the death on September 26, 1974, in Knoxville, TN, USA. The given name on file is Walter Cleveland Stewart.
The pitching table credits Stewart with a 101-98 record and a 4.19 ERA in 279 games. The same table counts 503 strikeouts, 107 complete games, and 8 shutouts. Stewart's 4.19 ERA was close to the 4.24 league figure for those seasons. 1930 brought Stewart a season-high 20 wins. Stewart struck out 89 batters in 1931, a career high. 1930 was Stewart's sharpest full season, a 3.45 ERA against the league's 4.80.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lefty Stewart
- What years did Lefty Stewart play?
- Lefty Stewart played in Major League Baseball from 1921 to 1935.
- Was Lefty Stewart a pitcher?
- Yes. Lefty Stewart pitched in the major leagues, recording 101 wins and 503 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Lefty Stewart hit?
- Lefty Stewart hit 0 career home runs with 115 hits.
- What teams did Lefty Stewart play for?
- Lefty Stewart played for 4 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1921), the St. Louis Browns (1927–1932), the Washington Senators (1933–1935), and the Cleveland Indians (1935).
- What were Lefty Stewart's career stats?
- In 279 games, Lefty Stewart went 101-98 with a 4.19 ERA, 503 strikeouts, 1,722.0 innings pitched, and 8 saves. At the plate he had 115 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Lefty Stewart play?
- Lefty Stewart played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Lefty Stewart and how much did he weigh?
- Lefty Stewart was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 160 pounds.
- What was Lefty Stewart's career ERA?
- Lefty Stewart finished with a 4.19 career ERA, going 101-98 with 503 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Lefty Stewart have?
- Lefty Stewart recorded 503 career strikeouts.
- Is Lefty Stewart in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Lefty Stewart has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.