Tom Sunkel
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1937-1944)
Tom Sunkel was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1944 for the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Giants, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 8 seasons. Across 63 career appearances, he went 9-15 with a 4.53 ERA and 112 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
- 6'1" / 190 lb
- Died
- 4/6/2002 in Paris, IL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1937-08-26
- Last Game
- 1944-09-29
Full name: Thomas Jacob Sunkel
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | SLN | NL | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 29.1 | 24 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 2.76 | 4.34 (+36%) | 460.9 |
| 1939 | SLN | NL | 4 | 4 | 20 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 85.1 | 79 | 40 | 56 | 54 | 4.22 | 4.28 (+2%) | -281.8 |
| 1941 | NY1 | NL | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15.1 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 14 | 2.93 | 3.94 (+25%) | 159.2 |
| 1942 | NY1 | NL | 3 | 6 | 19 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 63.2 | 65 | 34 | 41 | 29 | 4.81 | 3.57 (-35%) | -1671.9 |
| 1943 | NY1 | NL | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10.12 | — | 0.0 |
| 1944 | BRO | NL | 1 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24.0 | 39 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 7.50 | 3.57 (-110%) | -237.2 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 9 | 15 | 63 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 220.1 | 218 | 111 | 133 | 112 | 4.53 | — | -1,571 | ||
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 | 66 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 22 | .212 | .224 | .242 | .466 | 0 |
Career AVG .212 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 19.6% below league average.
Career OBP .224 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 32.5% below league average.
Career SLG .242 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — 34.4% below league average.
Career OPS .466 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — 33.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | SLN | NL | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | SLN | NL | 20 | 28 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .321 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1941 | NY1 | NL | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | NY1 | NL | 19 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .105 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1943 | NY1 | NL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1944 | BRO | NL | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 63 | 66 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 22 | .212 | — | — | — | — | 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 (126 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 29 | 32 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | .188 |
| Away | 34 | 34 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | .235 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 29 | 107.2 | 93 | 38 | 59 | 48 | 3.18 |
| Away | 34 | 112.1 | 125 | 73 | 74 | 64 | 5.85 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944-09-29 | BRO | CIN | — | 2.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1944-09-26 | BRO | STL | — | 2.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1944-09-21 | BRO | PIT | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1944-09-18 | BRO | BSN | — | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-09-16 | BRO | BSN | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1944-09-10 | BRO | PHI | W | 3.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-09-03 | BRO | NY1 | — | 1.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-09-03 | BRO | NY1 | SV | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-08-27 | BRO | NY1 | L | 0.2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-08-22 | BRO | PIT | L | 0.0 | 1 | 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 | 63 |
Tom Sunkel: the record in brief
Tom Sunkel played a first major league game on August 26, 1937 and a last one on September 29, 1944. Sunkel played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1937 through 1939), the New York Giants (1941 through 1943), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1944). Sunkel played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. Born on August 9, 1912, in Paris, IL, USA, Sunkel was listed at 190 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The bio records the death on April 6, 2002, in Paris, IL, USA. Sunkel's full given name, per the bio, is Thomas Jacob Sunkel.
Sunkel went 9-15 with a 4.53 ERA in 63 games, 29 of them starts. Also on Sunkel's record: 112 strikeouts. Against a 3.86 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.53 mark was 17.4% worse. In 1939, one of the busiest seasons, Sunkel posted a 4.22 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.28.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tom Sunkel
- What years did Tom Sunkel play?
- Tom Sunkel played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1944.
- Was Tom Sunkel a pitcher?
- Yes. Tom Sunkel pitched in the major leagues, recording 9 wins and 112 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Tom Sunkel hit?
- Tom Sunkel hit 0 career home runs with 14 hits.
- What was Tom Sunkel's career batting average?
- Tom Sunkel batted .212 over his career, with 14 hits in 66 at bats.
- How many RBI did Tom Sunkel have?
- Tom Sunkel drove in 1 runs in his career.
- What was Tom Sunkel's career ERA?
- Tom Sunkel finished with a 4.53 career ERA, going 9-15 with 112 strikeouts.