What years did Kevin Tapani play?

Kevin Tapani played in Major League Baseball from 1989 to 2001.

Was Kevin Tapani a pitcher?

Yes. Kevin Tapani pitched in the major leagues, recording 143 wins and 1482 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Kevin Tapani hit?

Kevin Tapani hit 2 career home runs with 40 hits.

What teams did Kevin Tapani play for?

Kevin Tapani played for 5 teams: the New York Mets (1989), the Minnesota Twins (1989–1995), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1995), the Chicago White Sox (1996), and the Chicago Cubs (1997–2001).

What were Kevin Tapani's career stats?

In 361 games, Kevin Tapani went 143-125 with a 4.35 ERA, 1,482 strikeouts, and 2,265.0 innings pitched. At the plate he had 40 hits and 2 home runs.

What was Kevin Tapani's salary?

Kevin Tapani's last recorded salary was $6,500,000, in 2001. His highest recorded salary was $6,500,000, in 2001, and his lowest was $102,000, in 1990. The Salary History table lists each season from 1990 to 2001.

What position did Kevin Tapani play?

Kevin Tapani played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Kevin Tapani and how much did he weigh?

Kevin Tapani was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.

What was Kevin Tapani's career ERA?

Kevin Tapani finished with a 4.35 career ERA, going 143-125 with 1,482 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Kevin Tapani have?

Kevin Tapani recorded 1,482 career strikeouts.

Is Kevin Tapani in the Hall of Fame?

No. Kevin Tapani has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Kevin Tapani

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1989-2001)

Kevin Tapani was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1989 to 2001 for 5 teams, including the New York Mets, a span of 13 seasons. Across 361 career appearances, he went 143-125 with a 4.35 ERA and 1,482 strikeouts. He also batted .153 with 2 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 17625.7.

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 143–125

ERA 4.35

WHIP 1.31

SO 1,482

Pitcher PIV 17625.7

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'0" / 180 lb
Born: 2/18/1964 in Des Moines, IA, USA
MLB Debut: 1989-07-04
Last Game: 2001-09-27

Full name: Kevin Ray Tapani

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Career Pitching Statistics

Kevin Tapani — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
143	125	361	354	26	9	0	2265.0	2,407	1,094	260	554	1,482	4.35	17625.7

Career ERA 4.35 vs. league average 4.30 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Kevin Tapani Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1989	NYN	NL	0	0	3	0	0	0	7.1	5	3	4	2	3.68	—	0.0
1989	MIN	AL	2	2	5	5	0	0	32.2	34	14	8	21	3.86	3.71 (-4%)	577.6
1990	MIN	AL	12	8	28	28	1	1	159.1	164	72	29	101	4.07	3.86 (-5%)	3118.4
1991	MIN	AL	16	9	34	34	4	1	244.0	225	81	40	135	2.99	3.91 (+24%)	2692.3
1992	MIN	AL	16	11	34	34	4	1	220.0	226	97	48	138	3.97	3.75 (-6%)	2814.6
1993	MIN	AL	12	15	36	35	3	1	225.2	243	111	57	150	4.43	4.19 (-6%)	2859.7
1994	MIN	AL	11	7	24	24	4	1	156.0	181	80	39	91	4.62	4.51 (-2%)	2564.2
1995	MIN	AL	6	11	20	20	3	1	133.2	155	73	34	88	4.92	4.45 (-10%)	-771.1
1995	LAN	NL	4	2	13	11	0	0	57.0	72	32	14	43	5.05	4.45 (-14%)	349.7
1996	CHA	AL	13	10	34	34	1	0	225.1	236	115	76	150	4.59	4.61 (avg)	-1366.7
1997	CHN	NL	9	3	13	13	1	1	85.0	77	32	23	55	3.39	4.39 (+23%)	1343.6
1998	CHN	NL	19	9	35	34	2	2	219.0	244	118	62	136	4.85	4.43 (-9%)	-898.6
1999	CHN	NL	6	12	23	23	1	0	136.0	151	73	33	73	4.83	4.71 (-3%)	2393.4
2000	CHN	NL	8	12	30	30	2	0	195.2	208	109	47	150	5.01	4.77 (-5%)	-0.3
2001	CHN	NL	9	14	29	29	0	0	168.1	186	84	40	149	4.49	4.42 (-2%)	1948.9
Career · 15 seasons			143	125	361	354	26	9	2,265.0	2,407	1,094	554	1,482	4.35	—	17,626

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

Kevin Tapani — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
361	261	14	40	6	0	2	22	1	16	105	.153	.201	.199	.401	-1,235

Career AVG .153 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 42.0% below league average.

Career OBP .201 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 39.6% below league average.

Career SLG .199 vs. league average .411 across their career seasons — 51.5% below league average.

Career OPS .401 vs. league average .745 across their career seasons — 46.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Kevin Tapani Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1989	NYN	NL	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1989	MIN	AL	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1990	MIN	AL	28	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1991	MIN	AL	34	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1992	MIN	AL	34	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1993	MIN	AL	36	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1994	MIN	AL	24	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1995	MIN	AL	20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1995	LAN	NL	13	17	0	3	1	0	2	0	0	7	.176	—	—	—	—	0.0
1996	CHA	AL	34	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1997	CHN	NL	13	22	2	3	0	0	0	1	2	12	.136	—	—	—	—	0.0
1998	CHN	NL	35	75	7	10	2	1	11	0	7	30	.133	.266 (-50%)	.335 (-39%)	.420 (-52%)	.755 (-46%)	-590.1
1999	CHN	NL	23	39	1	2	1	0	3	0	3	21	.051	—	—	—	—	0.0
2000	CHN	NL	30	56	3	10	2	1	4	0	3	20	.179	.270 (-34%)	.344 (-36%)	.437 (-39%)	.782 (-38%)	-364.9
2001	CHN	NL	29	50	1	12	0	0	2	0	1	14	.240	.263 (-9%)	.332 (-23%)	.426 (-44%)	.758 (-35%)	-279.9
Career · 15 seasons			361	261	14	40	6	2	22	1	16	105	.153	—	—	—	—	-1,235

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

Kevin Tapani — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
7	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Kevin Tapani — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	AVG
1998	NLDS1	CHN	1	1	.000
1995	NLDS2	LAN	2	0	.000
1991	ALCS	MIN	2	0	.000
1991	WS	MIN	2	1	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Kevin Tapani — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1	2	7	5	0	31.2	34	19	12	23	5.40

Playoff Pitching by Year

Kevin Tapani — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1998	NLDS1	CHN	0	0	1	1	9.0	5	1	3	6	1.00
1995	NLDS2	LAN	0	0	2	0	0.1	0	3	4	1	81.00
1991	ALCS	MIN	0	1	2	2	10.1	16	9	3	9	7.84
1991	WS	MIN	1	1	2	2	12.0	13	6	2	7	4.50

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (720 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Kevin Tapani — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	180	121	3	20	0	7	.165
Away	180	139	11	20	2	15	.144

Pitching — Home / Away

Kevin Tapani — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	180	1192.2	1193	505	287	799	3.81
Away	180	1071.1	1211	587	267	683	4.93

Last 10 Games — Batting

Kevin Tapani — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	RBI	SO
2001-09-27	CHC	HOU	L	2	0	0	0	1
2001-09-22	CHC	HOU	L	2	0	1	0	0
2001-09-08	CHC	ATL	L	1	0	0	0	0
2001-09-02	CHC	ATL	L	1	0	1	0	0
2001-08-28	CHC	MIA	L	2	0	0	0	1
2001-08-22	CHC	MIL	W	4	1	1	1	2
2001-08-17	CHC	AZ	L	2	0	0	0	1
2001-08-12	CHC	SFG	L	1	0	1	0	0
2001-08-07	CHC	COL	W	2	0	0	0	0
2001-08-01	CHC	SDP	L	2	0	1	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Kevin Tapani — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
2001-09-27	CHC	HOU	L	6.0	7	6	6	2	4	1
2001-09-22	CHC	HOU	L	4.1	5	6	6	1	7	0
2001-09-08	CHC	ATL	L	5.0	7	4	4	0	4	1
2001-09-02	CHC	ATL	L	6.0	10	6	6	4	4	2
2001-08-28	CHC	MIA	—	7.0	5	3	3	1	3	1
2001-08-22	CHC	MIL	W	7.0	6	3	3	3	7	1
2001-08-17	CHC	AZ	L	6.1	8	3	3	0	4	2
2001-08-12	CHC	SFG	L	5.0	5	4	0	1	6	1
2001-08-07	CHC	COL	—	7.0	6	2	2	0	7	1
2001-08-01	CHC	SDP	—	6.1	6	3	1	1	4	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Kevin Tapani — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	361	354	157	290	8	16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Kevin Tapani — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1989	NYN	P	3	0	1	1	0	0
1989	MIN	P	5	5	3	3	0	1
1990	MIN	P	28	28	14	20	1	1
1991	MIN	P	34	34	26	26	1	2
1992	MIN	P	34	34	17	26	2	0
1993	MIN	P	36	35	17	32	0	2
1994	MIN	P	24	24	11	27	1	2
1995	MIN	P	20	20	16	11	0	1
1995	LAN	P	13	11	4	10	1	0
1996	CHA	P	34	34	15	26	1	4
1997	CHN	P	13	13	4	10	0	0
1998	CHN	P	35	34	11	31	0	1
1999	CHN	P	23	23	2	18	0	0
2000	CHN	P	30	30	11	19	0	1
2001	CHN	P	29	29	5	30	1	1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Kevin Tapani Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	361

Awards & Honors

Kevin Tapani — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1993	Player of the Week	Week of 1993-09-11
1991	Pitcher of the Month	August

Salary History

Kevin Tapani's recorded salaries total $34,209,500 over 12 seasons, 1990 to 2001. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Tapani's career ran from 1989 to 2001. No salary is recorded for 1989.

Kevin Tapani — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
2001	CHN	NL	$6,500,000
2000	CHN	NL	$6,000,000
1999	CHN	NL	$3,500,000
1998	CHN	NL	$4,000,000
1997	CHN	NL	$3,750,000
1996	CHA	AL	$1,500,000
1995	MIN	AL	$3,600,000
1994	MIN	AL	$2,575,000
1993	MIN	AL	$2,000,000
1992	MIN	AL	$485,000
1991	MIN	AL	$197,500
1990	MIN	AL	$102,000
Total recorded salary (partial)			$34,209,500

College History

Kevin Tapani — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
Central Michigan University	Mount Pleasant	MI	1983, 1984, 1985, 1986

Award Voting History

Kevin Tapani — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1991	Cy Young Award	AL	7th	6.0	140	1
1990	Rookie of the Year	AL	5th	9.0	140	0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Kevin Tapani (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Kevin Tapani: the record in brief

Kevin Tapani's major league career runs from a debut on July 4, 1989 to a final game on September 27, 2001. By club, Tapani's seasons break down as the New York Mets (1989), the Minnesota Twins (1989 through 1995), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1995), the Chicago White Sox (1996), and the Chicago Cubs (1997 through 2001). Tapani played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Born on February 18, 1964, in Des Moines, IA, USA, Tapani was listed at 6'0" and 180 pounds. Kevin Tapani was the playing name; the full given name is Kevin Ray.

Tapani's career pitching line is 143 wins, 125 losses and a 4.35 ERA over 361 appearances. The same table counts 1,482 strikeouts, 26 complete games, and 9 shutouts. Tapani's 4.35 ERA was close to the 4.30 league figure for those seasons. Tapani won 19 games in 1998, the most of any season listed. The strikeout high was 150 in 1993.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kevin Tapani

What years did Kevin Tapani play?: Kevin Tapani played in Major League Baseball from 1989 to 2001.
Was Kevin Tapani a pitcher?: Yes. Kevin Tapani pitched in the major leagues, recording 143 wins and 1482 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Kevin Tapani hit?: Kevin Tapani hit 2 career home runs with 40 hits.
What teams did Kevin Tapani play for?: Kevin Tapani played for 5 teams: the New York Mets (1989), the Minnesota Twins (1989–1995), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1995), the Chicago White Sox (1996), and the Chicago Cubs (1997–2001).
What were Kevin Tapani's career stats?: In 361 games, Kevin Tapani went 143-125 with a 4.35 ERA, 1,482 strikeouts, and 2,265.0 innings pitched. At the plate he had 40 hits and 2 home runs.
How much did Kevin Tapani earn in his career?: Kevin Tapani's recorded salaries total $34,209,500 over 12 seasons, 1990 to 2001. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Tapani's career ran from 1989 to 2001. No salary is recorded for 1989.
What was Kevin Tapani's salary?: Kevin Tapani's last recorded salary was $6,500,000, in 2001. His highest recorded salary was $6,500,000, in 2001, and his lowest was $102,000, in 1990. The Salary History table lists each season from 1990 to 2001.
What position did Kevin Tapani play?: Kevin Tapani played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Kevin Tapani and how much did he weigh?: Kevin Tapani was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.
What was Kevin Tapani's career ERA?: Kevin Tapani finished with a 4.35 career ERA, going 143-125 with 1,482 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Kevin Tapani have?: Kevin Tapani recorded 1,482 career strikeouts.
Is Kevin Tapani in the Hall of Fame?: No. Kevin Tapani has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.