What years did Frank Tanana play?

Frank Tanana played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1993.

Was Frank Tanana a pitcher?

Yes. Frank Tanana pitched in the major leagues, recording 240 wins and 2773 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Frank Tanana hit?

Frank Tanana hit 0 career home runs with 9 hits.

What teams did Frank Tanana play for?

Frank Tanana played for 6 teams: the California Angels (1973–1980), the Boston Red Sox (1981), the Texas Rangers (1982–1985), the Detroit Tigers (1985–1992), the New York Mets (1993), and the New York Yankees (1993).

Did Frank Tanana win a Cy Young Award?

No. Frank Tanana did not win the Cy Young Award.

What awards did Frank Tanana win?

Frank Tanana was selected to 3 All-Star Games.

What were Frank Tanana's career stats?

In 638 games, Frank Tanana went 240-236 with a 3.66 ERA, 2,773 strikeouts, 4,188.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves.

What was Frank Tanana's salary?

Frank Tanana's last recorded salary was $1,500,000, in 1993. His highest recorded salary was $1,900,000, in 1991, and his lowest was $590,000, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1993.

What position did Frank Tanana play?

Frank Tanana played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Frank Tanana and how much did he weigh?

Frank Tanana was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 180 pounds.

What was Frank Tanana's career ERA?

Frank Tanana finished with a 3.66 career ERA, going 240-236 with 2,773 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Frank Tanana have?

Frank Tanana recorded 2,773 career strikeouts.

Is Frank Tanana in the Hall of Fame?

No. Frank Tanana has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Frank Tanana

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1973-1993)

Frank Tanana was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1993 for 6 teams, including the California Angels, a span of 21 seasons. Across 638 career appearances, he went 240-236 with a 3.66 ERA and 2,773 strikeouts. Frank Tanana was a 3-time All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 5623.8.

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 October 15, 2026

W–L 240–236

ERA 3.66

WHIP 1.27

SO 2,773

Pitcher PIV 5623.8

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: L / L
Height / Weight: 6'2" / 180 lb
Born: 7/3/1953 in Detroit, MI, USA
MLB Debut: 1973-09-09
Last Game: 1993-10-01
Awards: 3× All-Star

Full name: Frank Daryl Tanana

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Frank Tanana — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
240	236	638	616	143	34	1	4188.1	4,063	1,704	448	1,255	2,773	3.66	5623.8

Career ERA 3.66 vs. league average 3.84 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Frank Tanana Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1973	CAL	AL	2	2	4	4	2	1	0	26.1	20	9	8	22	3.08	3.75 (+18%)	630.5
1974	CAL	AL	14	19	39	35	12	4	0	268.2	262	93	77	180	3.12	3.63 (+14%)	946.0
1975	CAL	AL	16	9	34	33	16	5	0	257.1	211	75	73	269	2.62	3.71 (+29%)	8269.4
1976	CAL	AL	19	10	34	34	23	2	0	288.1	212	78	73	261	2.43	3.51 (+31%)	5778.4
1977	CAL	AL	15	9	31	31	20	7	0	241.1	201	68	61	205	2.54	4.00 (+37%)	6513.0
1978	CAL	AL	18	12	33	33	10	4	0	239.0	239	97	60	137	3.65	3.69 (+1%)	-189.8
1979	CAL	AL	7	5	18	17	2	1	0	90.1	93	39	25	46	3.89	4.00 (+3%)	221.8
1980	CAL	AL	11	12	32	31	7	0	0	204.0	223	94	45	113	4.15	3.84 (-8%)	1439.2
1981	BOS	AL	4	10	24	23	5	2	0	141.1	142	63	43	78	4.01	3.58 (-12%)	-1675.8
1982	TEX	AL	7	18	30	30	7	0	0	194.1	199	91	55	87	4.21	3.86 (-9%)	72.2
1983	TEX	AL	7	9	29	22	3	0	0	159.1	144	56	49	108	3.16	3.87 (+18%)	1136.8
1984	TEX	AL	15	15	35	35	9	1	0	246.1	234	89	81	141	3.25	3.81 (+15%)	-2803.2
1985	TEX	AL	2	7	13	13	0	0	0	77.2	89	51	23	52	5.91	3.89 (-52%)	-1727.2
1985	DET	AL	10	7	20	20	4	0	0	137.1	131	51	34	107	3.34	3.89 (+14%)	2649.2
1986	DET	AL	12	9	32	31	3	1	0	188.1	196	87	65	119	4.16	3.97 (-5%)	-968.0
1987	DET	AL	15	10	34	34	5	3	0	218.2	216	95	56	146	3.91	4.29 (+9%)	1803.9
1988	DET	AL	14	11	32	32	2	0	0	203.0	213	95	64	127	4.21	3.73 (-13%)	-1979.4
1989	DET	AL	10	14	33	33	6	1	0	223.2	227	89	74	147	3.58	3.71 (+3%)	-327.0
1990	DET	AL	9	8	34	29	1	0	1	176.1	190	104	66	114	5.31	3.86 (-37%)	-3408.1
1991	DET	AL	13	12	33	33	3	2	0	217.1	217	91	78	107	3.77	3.91 (+4%)	-3365.1
1992	DET	AL	13	11	32	31	3	0	0	186.2	188	91	90	91	4.39	3.75 (-17%)	-5384.2
1993	NYN	NL	7	15	29	29	0	0	0	183.0	198	91	48	104	4.48	4.19 (-7%)	-2024.7
1993	NYA	AL	0	2	3	3	0	0	0	19.2	18	7	7	12	3.20	4.19 (+24%)	16.2
Career · 23 seasons			240	236	638	616	143	34	1	4,188.1	4,063	1,704	1,255	2,773	3.66	—	5,624

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

Frank Tanana — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
639	59	3	9	1	1	0	5	0	2	12	.153	.180	.203	.384	-449

Career AVG .153 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 41.1% below league average.

Career OBP .180 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 44.5% below league average.

Career SLG .203 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 47.2% below league average.

Career OPS .384 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — 46.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Frank Tanana Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1973	CAL	AL	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1974	CAL	AL	39	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1975	CAL	AL	34	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1976	CAL	AL	35	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1977	CAL	AL	31	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1978	CAL	AL	33	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1979	CAL	AL	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1980	CAL	AL	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1981	BOS	AL	24	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1982	TEX	AL	30	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1983	TEX	AL	29	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1984	TEX	AL	35	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1985	TEX	AL	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1985	DET	AL	20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1986	DET	AL	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1987	DET	AL	34	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1988	DET	AL	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1989	DET	AL	33	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1990	DET	AL	34	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1991	DET	AL	33	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1992	DET	AL	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1993	NYN	NL	29	58	3	9	1	1	5	2	11	.155	.265 (-41%)	.332 (-45%)	.403 (-49%)	.735 (-47%)	-448.7
1993	NYA	AL	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	-448.7
Career · 23 seasons			639	59	3	9	1	1	5	2	12	.153	—	—	—	—	-897

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Frank Tanana — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Frank Tanana — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1987	ALCS	DET	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1979	ALCS	CAL	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Frank Tanana — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	1	2	2	0	10.1	12	5	6	4	4.35

Playoff Pitching by Year

Frank Tanana — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1987	ALCS	DET	0	1	1	1	0	5.1	6	3	4	1	5.06
1979	ALCS	CAL	0	0	1	1	0	5.0	6	2	2	3	3.60

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1277 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Frank Tanana — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	324	25	1	3	0	0	.120
Away	315	34	2	6	0	5	.176

Pitching — Home / Away

Frank Tanana — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	323	2169.2	2054	849	634	1456	3.52
Away	315	2018.2	2009	853	621	1317	3.80

Last 10 Games — Batting

Frank Tanana — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	3B	RBI	BB	SO
1993-10-01	NYY	DET	W	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1993-09-25	NYY	TOR	L	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1993-09-19	NYY	BOS	L	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1993-09-14	NYN	PHI	W	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
1993-09-08	NYN	HOU	L	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
1993-09-03	NYN	CHC	L	1	0	1	0	0	1	0
1993-08-29	NYN	COL	L	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
1993-08-24	NYN	CIN	W	2	0	0	0	0	0	1
1993-08-18	NYN	CIN	W	4	1	2	1	3	0	0
1993-08-13	NYN	PHI	L	2	0	0	0	0	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Frank Tanana — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1993-10-01	NYY	DET	—	6.1	8	4	3	0	5	1
1993-09-25	NYY	TOR	L	6.1	2	2	1	4	4	0
1993-09-19	NYY	BOS	L	7.0	8	4	3	3	3	1
1993-09-14	NYN	PHI	W	6.0	8	3	3	1	8	1
1993-09-08	NYN	HOU	L	5.0	7	4	4	0	0	2
1993-09-03	NYN	CHC	L	6.0	6	3	3	1	4	2
1993-08-29	NYN	COL	L	8.0	7	5	5	0	4	2
1993-08-24	NYN	CIN	—	7.0	3	2	2	2	5	1
1993-08-18	NYN	CIN	W	8.0	5	2	2	0	2	2
1993-08-13	NYN	PHI	—	6.0	4	3	3	0	4	1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Frank Tanana — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	638	616	226	638	19	40

Season-by-Season Fielding

Frank Tanana — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1973	CAL	P	4	4	0	5	0	0
1974	CAL	P	39	35	9	39	1	4
1975	CAL	P	34	33	9	44	2	5
1976	CAL	P	34	34	12	45	1	1
1977	CAL	P	31	31	15	37	1	2
1978	CAL	P	33	33	8	25	0	2
1979	CAL	P	18	17	3	12	1	1
1980	CAL	P	32	31	12	24	0	1
1981	BOS	P	24	23	9	25	1	2
1982	TEX	P	30	30	8	30	1	0
1983	TEX	P	29	22	9	37	2	0
1984	TEX	P	35	35	18	35	0	2
1985	TEX	P	13	13	5	11	1	1
1985	DET	P	20	20	9	20	0	1
1986	DET	P	32	31	19	26	2	5
1987	DET	P	34	34	14	35	0	2
1988	DET	P	32	32	11	31	1	4
1989	DET	P	33	33	16	41	0	2
1990	DET	P	34	29	9	27	0	0
1991	DET	P	33	33	12	36	1	3
1992	DET	P	32	31	8	30	2	1
1993	NYN	P	29	29	11	22	1	1
1993	NYA	P	3	3	0	1	1	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Frank Tanana Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	638
Designated Hitter	1

Awards & Honors

Frank Tanana — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1978	Player of the Month	April
1977	Player of the Month	May
1977	TSN All-Star	LHP
1976	Player of the Month	September
1976	TSN All-Star	LHP
1975	Player of the Week	Week of 1975-07-18
1974	TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year

Salary History

Frank Tanana's recorded salaries total $10,140,000 over 9 seasons, 1985 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Tanana's career ran from 1973 to 1993. His seasons before 1985 are not included.

Frank Tanana — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
1993	NYN	NL	$1,500,000
1992	DET	AL	$1,700,000
1991	DET	AL	$1,900,000
1990	DET	AL	$1,100,000
1989	DET	AL	$925,000
1988	DET	AL	$1,100,000
1987	DET	AL	$662,500
1986	DET	AL	$662,500
1985	TEX	AL	$590,000
Total recorded salary (partial)			$10,140,000

Award Voting History

Frank Tanana — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max
1978	Most Valuable Player	AL	36th	1.0	392
1977	Cy Young Award	AL	9th	3.0	140
1976	Cy Young Award	AL	3rd	18.0	120
1976	Most Valuable Player	AL	15th	19.0	336
1975	Cy Young Award	AL	4th	7.0	120

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Frank Tanana (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Frank Tanana

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

Frank Tanana: the record in brief

Frank Tanana played a first major league game on September 9, 1973 and a last one on October 1, 1993. By club, Tanana's seasons break down as the California Angels (1973 through 1980), the Boston Red Sox (1981), the Texas Rangers (1982 through 1985), the Detroit Tigers (1985 to 1992), the New York Mets (1993), and the New York Yankees (1993). Born on July 3, 1953, in Detroit, MI, USA, Tanana is listed as a pitcher and threw and hit left-handed. Tanana's listed size is 180 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. The given name on file is Frank Daryl Tanana.

Tanana's career pitching line is 240 wins, 236 losses and a 3.66 ERA over 638 appearances. Also on Tanana's record: 2,773 strikeouts, 143 complete games, and 34 shutouts. Tanana's 3.66 ERA was close to the 3.84 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 19 wins of 1976. Tanana struck out 269 batters in 1975, a career high.

Frequently Asked Questions about Frank Tanana

What years did Frank Tanana play?: Frank Tanana played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1993.
Was Frank Tanana a pitcher?: Yes. Frank Tanana pitched in the major leagues, recording 240 wins and 2773 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Frank Tanana hit?: Frank Tanana hit 0 career home runs with 9 hits.
What teams did Frank Tanana play for?: Frank Tanana played for 6 teams: the California Angels (1973–1980), the Boston Red Sox (1981), the Texas Rangers (1982–1985), the Detroit Tigers (1985–1992), the New York Mets (1993), and the New York Yankees (1993).
Did Frank Tanana win a Cy Young Award?: No. Frank Tanana did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Frank Tanana win?: Frank Tanana was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
What were Frank Tanana's career stats?: In 638 games, Frank Tanana went 240-236 with a 3.66 ERA, 2,773 strikeouts, 4,188.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
How much did Frank Tanana earn in his career?: Frank Tanana's recorded salaries total $10,140,000 over 9 seasons, 1985 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Tanana's career ran from 1973 to 1993. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
What was Frank Tanana's salary?: Frank Tanana's last recorded salary was $1,500,000, in 1993. His highest recorded salary was $1,900,000, in 1991, and his lowest was $590,000, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1993.
What position did Frank Tanana play?: Frank Tanana played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Frank Tanana and how much did he weigh?: Frank Tanana was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 180 pounds.
What was Frank Tanana's career ERA?: Frank Tanana finished with a 3.66 career ERA, going 240-236 with 2,773 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Frank Tanana have?: Frank Tanana recorded 2,773 career strikeouts.
Is Frank Tanana in the Hall of Fame?: No. Frank Tanana has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.