Tom Underwood

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1974-1984)

Tom Underwood was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1984 for 6 teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 11 seasons. Across 379 career appearances, he went 86-87 with a 3.89 ERA and 948 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 86–87
ERA 3.89
WHIP 1.40
SO 948
Pitcher PIV -2244.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / L
Height / Weight
5'11" / 170 lb
Born
12/22/1953 in Kokomo, IN, USA
Died
11/22/2010 in West Palm Beach, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1974-08-19
Last Game
1984-09-23

Full name: Thomas Gerald Underwood

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Career Pitching Statistics

Tom Underwood — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
86 87 379 203 35 6 18 1586.0 1,554 685 130 662 948 3.89 -2244.2

Career ERA 3.89 vs. league average 3.78 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tom Underwood Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1974 PHI NL 1 0 7 0 0 0 0 13.0 15 7 5 8 4.85 3.63 (-34%) 41.1
1975 PHI NL 14 13 35 35 7 2 0 219.1 221 101 84 123 4.14 3.71 (-12%) 1736.1
1976 PHI NL 10 5 33 25 3 0 2 155.2 154 61 63 94 3.53 3.51 (avg) 418.8
1977 PHI NL 3 2 14 0 0 0 1 33.1 44 19 18 20 5.13 4.00 (-28%) 50.7
1977 SLN NL 6 9 19 17 1 0 0 100.0 104 55 57 66 4.95 4.00 (-24%) -173.8
1978 TOR AL 6 14 31 30 7 1 0 197.2 201 90 87 139 4.10 3.69 (-11%) -1753.7
1979 TOR AL 9 16 33 32 12 1 0 227.0 213 93 95 127 3.69 4.00 (+8%) -1718.6
1980 NYA AL 13 9 38 27 2 2 2 187.0 163 76 66 116 3.66 3.84 (+5%) 797.7
1981 NYA AL 1 4 9 6 0 0 0 32.2 32 16 13 29 4.41 3.58 (-23%) 632.2
1981 OAK AL 3 2 16 5 1 0 1 51.0 37 18 25 46 3.18 3.58 (+11%) 231.1
1982 OAK AL 10 6 56 10 2 0 7 153.0 136 56 68 79 3.29 3.86 (+15%) -415.2
1983 OAK AL 9 7 51 15 0 0 4 144.2 156 65 50 62 4.04 3.87 (-4%) -984.0
1984 BAL AL 1 0 37 1 0 0 1 71.2 78 28 31 39 3.52 3.81 (+8%) -1106.7
Career · 13 seasons 86 87 379 203 35 6 18 1,586.0 1,554 685 662 948 3.89 — -2,244

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

Tom Underwood — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
380 154 10 18 2 0 0 16 0 10 45 .117 .169 .130 .299 -674

Career AVG .117 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 55.1% below league average.

Career OBP .169 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 48.1% below league average.

Career SLG .130 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — 66.1% below league average.

Career OPS .299 vs. league average .708 across their career seasons — 57.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tom Underwood Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1974 PHI NL 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 PHI NL 35 74 4 9 1 0 0 8 0 3 19 .122 .257 (-53%) .327 (-52%) .374 (-64%) .701 (-59%) -673.7
1976 PHI NL 34 46 2 5 0 0 0 5 0 3 18 .109 — — — — 0.0
1977 PHI NL 14 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 SLN NL 19 30 4 4 1 0 0 2 0 3 7 .133 — — — — 0.0
1978 TOR AL 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 TOR AL 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 NYA AL 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 NYA AL 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 OAK AL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 OAK AL 56 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 OAK AL 51 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 BAL AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 13 seasons 380 154 10 18 2 0 0 16 0 10 45 .117 — — — — -674

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

Tom Underwood — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Tom Underwood — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1981 ALCS OAK 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 AWDIV OAK 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1980 ALCS NYA 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1976 NLCS PHI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Tom Underwood — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 6 0 0 5.0 8 2 4 4 3.60

Playoff Pitching by Year

Tom Underwood — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1981 ALCS OAK 0 0 2 0 0 1.1 4 2 2 0 13.50
1981 AWDIV OAK 0 0 1 0 0 0.1 0 0 0 1 0.00
1980 ALCS NYA 0 0 2 0 0 3.0 3 0 0 3 0.00
1976 NLCS PHI 0 0 1 0 0 0.1 1 0 2 0 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (759 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Tom Underwood — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home19188812010.136
Away189662606.091

Pitching — Home / Away

Tom Underwood — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home191880.28373303405483.37
Away188705.17173553224004.53

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Tom Underwood — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1984-09-23 BALBOS — 1.2200000
1984-09-21 BALBOS — 0.2100010
1984-09-17 BALNYY — 0.2111001
1984-09-16 BALMIL — 1.0000000
1984-09-11 BALDET — 0.0311000
1984-09-07 BALMIL — 2.2100200
1984-09-02 BALSEA SV 2.0100020
1984-09-01 BALSEA — 1.1000120
1984-08-28 BALLAA — 3.0300020
1984-08-26 BALOAK W 1.2433110

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Tom Underwood — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 379 203 49 180 26 13

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tom Underwood — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1974 PHI P 7 0 0 0 0 0
1975 PHI P 35 35 2 21 4 1
1976 PHI P 33 25 3 17 1 1
1977 PHI P 14 0 2 4 1 0
1977 SLN P 19 17 2 10 2 2
1978 TOR P 31 30 5 19 5 0
1979 TOR P 33 32 6 36 5 2
1980 NYA P 38 27 10 26 2 2
1981 NYA P 9 6 2 4 1 0
1981 OAK P 16 5 0 9 1 1
1982 OAK P 56 10 9 11 2 0
1983 OAK P 51 15 3 11 2 2
1984 BAL P 37 1 5 12 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tom Underwood Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 379

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Tom Underwood (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ralph Branca
    88-68, 3.79 ERA
  2. 83
    John Curtis
    89-97, 3.96 ERA
  3. 82
    Bill Bonham
    75-83, 4.01 ERA
  4. 81
    Don Larsen
    81-91, 3.78 ERA
  5. 81
    Storm Davis
    113-96, 4.02 ERA
  6. 77
    Ken Brett
    83-85, 3.93 ERA

Tom Underwood: the record in brief

Between the debut on August 19, 1974 and the final game on September 23, 1984, Tom Underwood built the record summarized on this page. By club, Underwood's seasons break down as the Philadelphia Phillies (1974 to 1977), the St. Louis Cardinals (1977), the Toronto Blue Jays (1978 through 1979), the New York Yankees (1980 to 1981), the Oakland Athletics (1981 through 1983), and the Baltimore Orioles (1984). Underwood, a pitcher by primary position, threw left-handed and batted right-handed. Underwood is listed at 170 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Underwood was born on December 22, 1953, in Kokomo, IN, USA. Underwood's death is recorded on November 22, 2010, in West Palm Beach, FL, USA. Underwood's full given name, per the bio, is Thomas Gerald Underwood.

The pitching table credits Underwood with a 86-87 record and a 3.89 ERA in 379 games. Also on Underwood's record: 948 strikeouts, 35 complete games, 6 shutouts, and 18 saves. Underwood's 3.89 ERA was close to the 3.78 league figure for those seasons. Underwood won 14 games in 1975, the most of any season listed.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tom Underwood

What years did Tom Underwood play?
Tom Underwood played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1984.
Was Tom Underwood a pitcher?
Yes. Tom Underwood pitched in the major leagues, recording 86 wins and 948 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Tom Underwood hit?
Tom Underwood hit 0 career home runs with 18 hits.
What teams did Tom Underwood play for?
Tom Underwood played for 6 teams: the Philadelphia Phillies (1974–1977), the St. Louis Cardinals (1977), the Toronto Blue Jays (1978–1979), the New York Yankees (1980–1981), the Oakland Athletics (1981–1983), and the Baltimore Orioles (1984).
What were Tom Underwood's career stats?
In 379 games, Tom Underwood went 86-87 with a 3.89 ERA, 948 strikeouts, 1,586.0 innings pitched, and 18 saves.
What position did Tom Underwood play?
Tom Underwood played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Tom Underwood and how much did he weigh?
Tom Underwood was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 170 pounds.
What was Tom Underwood's career ERA?
Tom Underwood finished with a 3.89 career ERA, going 86-87 with 948 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Tom Underwood have?
Tom Underwood recorded 948 career strikeouts.
Is Tom Underwood in the Hall of Fame?
No. Tom Underwood has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.