Les Sweetland
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1927-1931)
Les Sweetland was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1931 for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs, a span of 5 seasons. Across 161 career appearances, he went 33-58 with a 6.10 ERA and 159 strikeouts. He also batted .272 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
- 5'11" / 155 lb
- Died
- 3/4/1974 in Melbourne, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1927-07-04
- Last Game
- 1931-09-21
Full name: Lester Leo Sweetland
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | PHI | NL | 2 | 10 | 21 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 103.2 | 147 | 71 | 53 | 21 | 6.16 | 4.08 (-51%) | -1553.1 |
| 1928 | PHI | NL | 3 | 15 | 37 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 135.1 | 163 | 99 | 97 | 23 | 6.58 | 4.13 (-59%) | -8607.2 |
| 1929 | PHI | NL | 13 | 11 | 43 | 25 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 204.1 | 255 | 116 | 87 | 47 | 5.11 | 4.60 (-11%) | -5908.4 |
| 1930 | PHI | NL | 7 | 15 | 34 | 25 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 167.0 | 271 | 143 | 60 | 36 | 7.71 | 4.80 (-61%) | -5895.7 |
| 1931 | CHN | NL | 8 | 7 | 26 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 130.1 | 156 | 73 | 61 | 32 | 5.04 | 4.10 (-23%) | -1194.2 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 33 | 58 | 161 | 95 | 38 | 3 | 4 | 740.2 | 992 | 502 | 358 | 159 | 6.10 | — | -23,159 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 183 | 287 | 38 | 78 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 29 | 55 | .272 | .341 | .338 | .679 | -471 |
Career AVG .272 vs. league average .285 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .341 vs. league average .347 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .338 vs. league average .405 across their career seasons — 16.4% below league average.
Career OPS .679 vs. league average .751 across their career seasons — 9.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | PHI | NL | 25 | 38 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 11 | .316 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | PHI | NL | 41 | 47 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 7 | .191 | — | — | — | — | -218.7 |
| 1929 | PHI | NL | 53 | 89 | 14 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 18 | .292 | .289 (+1%) | .353 (-9%) | .415 (-24%) | .769 (-17%) | -245.9 |
| 1930 | PHI | NL | 35 | 57 | 12 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 8 | .281 | .293 (-4%) | .354 (+7%) | .429 (-6%) | .784 (avg) | 13.5 |
| 1931 | CHN | NL | 29 | 56 | 8 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 11 | .268 | .276 (-3%) | .338 (-6%) | .388 (+6%) | .726 (avg) | -19.8 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 183 | 287 | 38 | 78 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 29 | 55 | .272 | — | — | — | — | -471 | ||
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 (344 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 95 | 129 | 22 | 35 | 0 | 16 | .271 |
| Away | 88 | 158 | 16 | 43 | 0 | 18 | .272 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 81 | 342.0 | 486 | 241 | 158 | 68 | 6.34 |
| Away | 80 | 399.0 | 505 | 262 | 201 | 88 | 5.91 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931-09-21 | CHC | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-06 | CHC | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-04 | CHC | CIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-02 | CHC | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-08-27 | CHC | PIT | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1931-08-22 | CHC | BRO | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1931-08-14 | CHC | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-08-10 | CHC | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1931-08-04 | CHC | CIN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-07-27 | CHC | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931-09-21 | CHC | NY1 | — | 0.1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-06 | CHC | PIT | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-04 | CHC | CIN | — | 5.2 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1931-09-02 | CHC | CIN | — | 0.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-08-27 | CHC | PIT | L | 8.0 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 1931-08-22 | CHC | BRO | L | 8.0 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1931-08-14 | CHC | PHI | — | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-08-10 | CHC | PIT | L | 8.1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 1931-08-04 | CHC | CIN | W | 9.0 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1931-07-27 | CHC | PHI | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 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 | 161 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Les Sweetland (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Les Sweetland: the record in brief
According to the bio, Les Sweetland debuted on July 4, 1927 and played a final game on September 21, 1931. The season rows list, in order, the Philadelphia Phillies (1927 to 1930) and the Chicago Cubs (1931). Sweetland is listed as a pitcher at 5 feet, 11 inches and 155 pounds. Sweetland hit right-handed while throwing left-handed, per the bio block. Sweetland was born on August 15, 1901, in Carp Lake Township Emmet County, MI, USA. Sweetland's death is recorded on March 4, 1974, in Melbourne, FL, USA. Sweetland's full given name, per the bio, is Lester Leo Sweetland.
Sweetland's career pitching line is 33 wins, 58 losses and a 6.10 ERA over 161 appearances. Sweetland had 159 strikeouts and 38 complete games. The league ERA over Sweetland's seasons was 4.34, so the 6.10 figure ran 40.5% worse than average. 1929 brought Sweetland a season-high 13 wins. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 5.04 in 1931, when the league's was 4.10.
Frequently Asked Questions about Les Sweetland
- What years did Les Sweetland play?
- Les Sweetland played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1931.
- Was Les Sweetland a pitcher?
- Yes. Les Sweetland pitched in the major leagues, recording 33 wins and 159 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Les Sweetland hit?
- Les Sweetland hit 0 career home runs with 78 hits.
- What teams did Les Sweetland play for?
- Les Sweetland played for 2 teams: the Philadelphia Phillies (1927–1930) and the Chicago Cubs (1931).
- What were Les Sweetland's career stats?
- In 161 games, Les Sweetland went 33-58 with a 6.10 ERA, 159 strikeouts, 740.2 innings pitched, and 4 saves. At the plate he had 78 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Les Sweetland play?
- Les Sweetland played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Les Sweetland and how much did he weigh?
- Les Sweetland was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 155 pounds.
- What was Les Sweetland's career ERA?
- Les Sweetland finished with a 6.10 career ERA, going 33-58 with 159 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Les Sweetland have?
- Les Sweetland recorded 159 career strikeouts.
- Is Les Sweetland in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Les Sweetland has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.