Russ Van Atta
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1933-1939)
Russ Van Atta was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1933 to 1939 for the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Browns, a span of 7 seasons. Across 207 career appearances, he went 33-41 with a 5.60 ERA and 339 strikeouts. He also batted .228 with 2 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
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 184 lb
- Died
- 10/10/1986 in Andover, NJ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1933-04-25
- Last Game
- 1939-05-11
Full name: Russell Van Atta
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | NYA | AL | 12 | 4 | 26 | 22 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 157.0 | 160 | 73 | 63 | 76 | 4.18 | 3.86 (-9%) | 112.6 |
| 1934 | NYA | AL | 3 | 5 | 28 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 88.0 | 107 | 62 | 46 | 39 | 6.34 | 4.29 (-48%) | -269.1 |
| 1935 | NYA | AL | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3.86 | — | 0.0 |
| 1935 | SLA | AL | 9 | 16 | 53 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 170.1 | 201 | 101 | 87 | 87 | 5.34 | 4.35 (-23%) | -723.9 |
| 1936 | SLA | AL | 4 | 7 | 52 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 122.2 | 164 | 90 | 68 | 59 | 6.60 | 4.59 (-44%) | -1455.7 |
| 1937 | SLA | AL | 1 | 2 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 58.2 | 74 | 36 | 32 | 34 | 5.52 | 4.34 (-27%) | 320.0 |
| 1938 | SLA | AL | 4 | 7 | 25 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 104.0 | 118 | 70 | 61 | 35 | 6.06 | 4.35 (-39%) | -1912.9 |
| 1939 | SLA | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 11.57 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 33 | 41 | 207 | 76 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 712.1 | 838 | 443 | 368 | 339 | 5.60 | — | -3,929 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 208 | 206 | 24 | 47 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 34 | .228 | .246 | .306 | .552 | -112 |
Career AVG .228 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — 17.5% below league average.
Career OBP .246 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — 27.8% below league average.
Career SLG .306 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — 22.4% below league average.
Career OPS .552 vs. league average .735 across their career seasons — 24.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | NYA | AL | 26 | 60 | 8 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 8 | .283 | .270 (+5%) | .329 (-7%) | .377 (-16%) | .707 (-12%) | -111.8 |
| 1934 | NYA | AL | 28 | 29 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .207 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1935 | NYA | AL | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1935 | SLA | AL | 53 | 42 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .214 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1936 | SLA | AL | 53 | 29 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .172 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1937 | SLA | AL | 16 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .462 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1938 | SLA | AL | 25 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | .133 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | SLA | AL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 208 | 206 | 24 | 47 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 34 | .228 | — | — | — | — | -112 | ||
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 (415 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 95 | 91 | 11 | 20 | 2 | 11 | .220 |
| Away | 113 | 115 | 13 | 27 | 0 | 6 | .235 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 95 | 334.1 | 383 | 206 | 184 | 148 | 5.55 |
| Away | 112 | 378.0 | 456 | 230 | 186 | 193 | 5.48 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939-05-11 | SLA | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1939-05-02 | SLA | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-10-01 | SLA | CHW | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1938-09-17 | SLA | MIN | L | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-11 | SLA | CLE | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-04 | SLA | CLE | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-08-27 | SLA | PHA | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1938-08-24 | SLA | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-08-16 | SLA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-08-09 | SLA | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939-05-11 | SLA | NYY | — | 4.0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1939-05-02 | SLA | MIN | — | 3.0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 1938-10-01 | SLA | CHW | W | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1938-09-17 | SLA | MIN | — | 7.0 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1938-09-11 | SLA | CLE | W | 9.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 1938-09-04 | SLA | CLE | — | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 1938-08-27 | SLA | PHA | W | 8.0 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 1938-08-24 | SLA | MIN | — | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1938-08-16 | SLA | CLE | — | 4.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1938-08-09 | SLA | CLE | L | 1.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 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 | 207 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University | State College | PA | 1927, 1928 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Russ Van Atta (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Russ Van Atta: the record in brief
The profile opens with Russ Van Atta's first major league game on April 25, 1933; the last one listed came on May 11, 1939. By club, Van Atta's seasons break down as the New York Yankees (1933 to 1935) and the St. Louis Browns (1935 through 1939). The bio lists Van Atta as a pitcher who batted and threw left-handed. Height and weight on file: 184 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. Van Atta was born on June 21, 1906, in Augusta, NJ, USA. Van Atta died on October 10, 1986, in Andover, NJ, USA. On the record, Russ Van Atta was born Russell Van Atta.
Van Atta pitched in 207 games, starting 76, and finished with a 33-41 record and 5.60 ERA. Van Atta had 339 strikeouts and 17 complete games. Against a 4.29 league ERA for the same seasons, the 5.60 mark was 30.4% worse. 1933 brought Van Atta a season-high 12 wins. 1935 produced Van Atta's most strikeouts, 87.
Frequently Asked Questions about Russ Van Atta
- What years did Russ Van Atta play?
- Russ Van Atta played in Major League Baseball from 1933 to 1939.
- Was Russ Van Atta a pitcher?
- Yes. Russ Van Atta pitched in the major leagues, recording 33 wins and 339 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Russ Van Atta hit?
- Russ Van Atta hit 2 career home runs with 47 hits.
- What teams did Russ Van Atta play for?
- Russ Van Atta played for 2 teams: the New York Yankees (1933–1935) and the St. Louis Browns (1935–1939).
- What were Russ Van Atta's career stats?
- In 207 games, Russ Van Atta went 33-41 with a 5.60 ERA, 339 strikeouts, 712.1 innings pitched, and 6 saves. At the plate he had 47 hits and 2 home runs.
- What position did Russ Van Atta play?
- Russ Van Atta played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Russ Van Atta and how much did he weigh?
- Russ Van Atta was listed at 6 feet and 184 pounds.
- What was Russ Van Atta's career ERA?
- Russ Van Atta finished with a 5.60 career ERA, going 33-41 with 339 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Russ Van Atta have?
- Russ Van Atta recorded 339 career strikeouts.
- Is Russ Van Atta in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Russ Van Atta has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.