Red Swanson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1955-1957)

Red Swanson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1957 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 3 seasons. Across 42 career appearances, he went 3-3 with a 4.90 ERA and 34 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

W–L 3–3
ERA 4.90
WHIP 1.54
SO 34
Pitcher PIV -1584.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 175 lb
Born
10/15/1936 in Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Died
1/19/2024 in Baton Rouge, LA, USA
MLB Debut
1955-09-10
Last Game
1957-09-21

Full name: Arthur Leonard Swanson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Red Swanson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
3 3 42 8 1 0 0 86.1 91 47 11 42 34 4.90 -1584.2

Career ERA 4.90 vs. league average 3.93 across their career seasons — 24.6% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Red Swanson — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1955 PIT NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 2 4 3 0 18.00 — 0.0
1956 PIT NL 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 11.2 21 13 8 5 10.03 3.96 (-153%) -209.8
1957 PIT NL 3 3 32 8 1 0 0 72.2 68 30 31 29 3.72 3.83 (+3%) -1374.4
Career · 3 seasons 3 3 42 8 1 0 0 86.1 91 47 42 34 4.90 — -1,584

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

Red Swanson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
43 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 .000 .071 .000 .071 0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .071 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 78.3% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS .071 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — 90.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Red Swanson — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1955 PIT NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1956 PIT NL 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1957 PIT NL 32 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 3 seasons 43 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 .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 (85 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Red Swanson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1930000.000
Away24100000.000

Pitching — Home / Away

Red Swanson — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1932.2391916135.23
Away2353.2522826214.70

Last 10 Games — Batting

Red Swanson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1957-09-21 PITNY1L 000000000
1957-09-15 PITSTLL 000000000
1957-09-07 PITPHIW 300000001
1957-09-02 PITNY1L 000000000
1957-09-01 PITPHIL 000000000
1957-08-31 PITPHIL 000000000
1957-08-25 PITCHCL 000000000
1957-08-16 PITBROL 000000000
1957-08-10 PITBROL 000000000
1957-07-31 PITATLL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Red Swanson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1957-09-21 PITNY1 — 1.0100000
1957-09-15 PITSTL L 0.2354200
1957-09-07 PITPHI W 6.2622420
1957-09-02 PITNY1 — 1.1000130
1957-09-01 PITPHI — 2.0000100
1957-08-31 PITPHI — 1.0000020
1957-08-25 PITCHC — 1.0100100
1957-08-16 PITBRO — 2.1100210
1957-08-10 PITBRO — 3.0100110
1957-07-31 PITATL — 1.0000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Red Swanson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 42 8 5 13 0 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Red Swanson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1955 PIT P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1956 PIT P 9 0 1 5 0 0
1957 PIT P 32 8 4 8 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Red Swanson — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 42

College History

Red Swanson — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Louisiana State University Baton Rouge LA 1954

Red Swanson: the record in brief

The profile opens with Red Swanson's first major league game on September 10, 1955; the last one listed came on September 21, 1957. The team column never changes: it is the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 to 1957. Swanson, born on October 15, 1936, in Baton Rouge, LA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 6 feet, 1 inch and 175 pounds. The bio records the death on January 19, 2024, in Baton Rouge, LA, USA. The bio lists the given name Arthur Leonard.

Swanson pitched in 42 games, starting 8, and finished with a 3-3 record and 4.90 ERA. Swanson had 34 strikeouts. Against a 3.93 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.90 mark was 24.6% worse. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.72 in 1957, when the league's was 3.83.

The position breakdown shows 42 games, all at pitcher. On the mound, Swanson's fielding totals are 5 putouts, 13 assists and 0 errors.

Frequently Asked Questions about Red Swanson

What years did Red Swanson play?
Red Swanson played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1957.
Was Red Swanson a pitcher?
Yes. Red Swanson pitched in the major leagues, recording 3 wins and 34 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Red Swanson hit?
Red Swanson hit 0 career home runs.
What teams did Red Swanson play for?
Red Swanson played for one team, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1955–1957).
What were Red Swanson's career stats?
In 42 games, Red Swanson went 3-3 with a 4.90 ERA, 34 strikeouts, and 86.1 innings pitched.
What position did Red Swanson play?
Red Swanson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Red Swanson and how much did he weigh?
Red Swanson was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 175 pounds.
What was Red Swanson's career ERA?
Red Swanson finished with a 4.90 career ERA, going 3-3 with 34 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Red Swanson have?
Red Swanson recorded 34 career strikeouts.
Is Red Swanson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Red Swanson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.