Cecil Upshaw
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1966-1975)
Cecil Upshaw was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1966 to 1975 for 5 teams, including the Atlanta Braves, a span of 10 seasons. Across 348 career appearances, he went 34-36 with a 3.13 ERA, 323 strikeouts, and 86 saves. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 2623.7.
- 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'6" / 205 lb
- Died
- 2/7/1995 in Lawrenceville, GA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1966-10-01
- Last Game
- 1975-09-28
Full name: Cecil Lee Upshaw
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | ATL | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1967 | ATL | NL | 2 | 3 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 45.1 | 42 | 13 | 8 | 31 | 2.58 | 3.30 (+22%) | 218.4 |
| 1968 | ATL | NL | 8 | 7 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 116.2 | 98 | 32 | 24 | 74 | 2.47 | 2.98 (+17%) | 1424.5 |
| 1969 | ATL | NL | 6 | 4 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 105.1 | 102 | 34 | 29 | 57 | 2.91 | 3.61 (+20%) | 1259.6 |
| 1971 | ATL | NL | 11 | 6 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 82.0 | 95 | 32 | 28 | 56 | 3.51 | 3.47 (-1%) | 1028.1 |
| 1972 | ATL | NL | 3 | 5 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 53.2 | 50 | 22 | 19 | 23 | 3.69 | 3.26 (-13%) | -814.5 |
| 1973 | ATL | NL | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9.82 | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | HOU | NL | 2 | 3 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 38.1 | 38 | 19 | 15 | 21 | 4.46 | 3.75 (-19%) | 6.2 |
| 1974 | CLE | AL | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 3.38 | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | NYA | AL | 1 | 5 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 59.2 | 53 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 3.02 | 3.63 (+17%) | 571.8 |
| 1975 | CHA | AL | 1 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 47.1 | 49 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 3.23 | 3.71 (+13%) | -1070.4 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 34 | 36 | 348 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 86 | 563.0 | 545 | 196 | 177 | 323 | 3.13 | — | 2,624 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 348 | 75 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 23 | .160 | .192 | .200 | .392 | 0 |
Career AVG .160 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 35.8% below league average.
Career OBP .192 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — 39.2% below league average.
Career SLG .200 vs. league average .365 across their career seasons — 45.3% below league average.
Career OPS .392 vs. league average .682 across their career seasons — 42.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | ATL | NL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1967 | ATL | NL | 30 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1968 | ATL | NL | 52 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .174 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1969 | ATL | NL | 62 | 21 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .238 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | ATL | NL | 49 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | ATL | NL | 42 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | ATL | NL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | HOU | NL | 35 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | CLE | AL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | NYA | AL | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | CHA | AL | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 348 | 75 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 23 | .160 | — | — | — | — | 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 (696 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 175 | 28 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | .143 |
| Away | 173 | 47 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2 | .170 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 175 | 281.2 | 283 | 102 | 92 | 171 | 3.26 |
| Away | 173 | 281.1 | 263 | 94 | 85 | 152 | 3.01 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-09-28 | CHW | MIN | — | 1.1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-09-21 | CHW | TEX | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-09-19 | CHW | TEX | — | 4.2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975-09-18 | CHW | OAK | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975-09-13 | CHW | TEX | — | 3.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 1975-08-24 | CHW | BOS | — | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-08-19 | CHW | NYY | — | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-08-16 | CHW | BOS | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975-08-12 | CHW | CLE | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-08-08 | CHW | BAL | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | ATL | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967 | ATL | P | 30 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 1968 | ATL | P | 52 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969 | ATL | P | 62 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 1 | 1 |
| 1971 | ATL | P | 49 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 1972 | ATL | P | 42 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 1973 | ATL | P | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | HOU | P | 35 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | CLE | P | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1974 | NYA | P | 36 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 1 |
| 1975 | CHA | P | 29 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 348 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centenary College of Louisiana | Shreveport | LA | 1961, 1962, 1963 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Cecil Upshaw (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Cecil Upshaw: the record in brief
Cecil Upshaw played a first major league game on October 1, 1966 and a last one on September 28, 1975. The team column moves through the Atlanta Braves (1966 to 1973), the Houston Astros (1973), the Cleveland Indians (1974), the New York Yankees (1974), and the Chicago White Sox (1975). Upshaw played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Born on October 22, 1942, in Spearsville, LA, USA, Upshaw was listed at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds. Upshaw died on February 7, 1995, in Lawrenceville, GA, USA. Upshaw's full given name, per the bio, is Cecil Lee Upshaw.
Upshaw's career pitching line is 34 wins, 36 losses and a 3.13 ERA over 348 appearances. Also on Upshaw's record: 323 strikeouts and 86 saves. The leagues Upshaw pitched in allowed 3.48 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 10.0% better than average. No season topped the 11 wins of 1971. Upshaw struck out 74 batters in 1968, a career high.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cecil Upshaw
- What years did Cecil Upshaw play?
- Cecil Upshaw played in Major League Baseball from 1966 to 1975.
- Was Cecil Upshaw a pitcher?
- Yes. Cecil Upshaw pitched in the major leagues, recording 34 wins and 323 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Cecil Upshaw hit?
- Cecil Upshaw hit 1 career home runs with 12 hits.
- What was Cecil Upshaw's career batting average?
- Cecil Upshaw batted .160 over his career, with 12 hits in 75 at bats.
- How many RBI did Cecil Upshaw have?
- Cecil Upshaw drove in 3 runs in his career.
- What was Cecil Upshaw's career ERA?
- Cecil Upshaw finished with a 3.13 career ERA, going 34-36 with 323 strikeouts.