Rich Wortham
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1978-1983)
Rich Wortham was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1983 for the Chicago White Sox and the Athletics, a span of 6 seasons. Across 84 career appearances, he went 21-23 with a 4.89 ERA and 189 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 185 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1978-05-03
- Last Game
- 1983-07-23
Full name: Richard Cooper Wortham
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | CHA | AL | 3 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 59.0 | 59 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 3.05 | 3.69 (+17%) | 835.7 |
| 1979 | CHA | AL | 14 | 14 | 34 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 204.0 | 195 | 111 | 100 | 119 | 4.90 | 4.00 (-22%) | -2123.8 |
| 1980 | CHA | AL | 4 | 7 | 41 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 92.0 | 102 | 61 | 58 | 45 | 5.97 | 3.84 (-55%) | -1119.3 |
| 1983 | OAK | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 21 | 23 | 84 | 51 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 355.0 | 359 | 193 | 182 | 189 | 4.89 | — | -2,407 | ||
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | CHA | AL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | CHA | AL | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1980 | CHA | AL | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | OAK | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 84 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 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 (168 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Away | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 43 | 193.1 | 208 | 104 | 103 | 113 | 4.84 |
| Away | 41 | 161.2 | 151 | 89 | 79 | 76 | 4.95 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-07-23 | OAK | BAL | — | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-10-01 | CHW | OAK | — | 1.1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980-09-23 | CHW | OAK | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-09-21 | CHW | MIN | — | 3.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1980-09-21 | CHW | MIN | — | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-09-19 | CHW | MIN | — | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-09-18 | CHW | SEA | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-09-03 | CHW | DET | L | 0.1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-09-02 | CHW | DET | — | 0.1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-08-31 | CHW | CLE | — | 1.1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 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 | 84 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin | TX | 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Rich Wortham (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Rich Wortham: the record in brief
May 3, 1978 and July 23, 1983 bracket Rich Wortham's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Chicago White Sox (1978 through 1980) and the Oakland Athletics (1983). Wortham is listed as a pitcher at 6-foot-0 and 185 pounds. Wortham threw left-handed and batted right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is October 22, 1953, in Odessa, TX, USA. Rich Wortham was the playing name; the full given name is Richard Cooper.
Wortham pitched in 84 games, starting 51, and finished with a 21-23 record and 4.89 ERA. Wortham had 189 strikeouts. The league ERA over Wortham's seasons was 3.85, so the 4.89 figure ran 27.1% worse than average. The best win total was 14, in 1979. 1979 was Wortham's sharpest full season, a 4.90 ERA against the league's 4.00.
Wortham's college years, 1973, 1974, 1975, and 1976, were spent at University of Texas at Austin. Retrosheet box scores cover 168 of Wortham's games, and the full game log is linked from the splits section.
Every defensive appearance on record for Wortham, 84 games, came at pitcher. The fielding table credits Wortham with 14 putouts, 54 assists and 10 errors on the mound.
The similarity section pairs Wortham most closely with Scott Scudder, Cloyd Boyer, and Jerry Casale.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rich Wortham
- What years did Rich Wortham play?
- Rich Wortham played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1983.
- Was Rich Wortham a pitcher?
- Yes. Rich Wortham pitched in the major leagues, recording 21 wins and 189 strikeouts.
- What teams did Rich Wortham play for?
- Rich Wortham played for 2 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1978–1980) and the Oakland Athletics (1983).
- What were Rich Wortham's career stats?
- In 84 games, Rich Wortham went 21-23 with a 4.89 ERA, 189 strikeouts, 355.0 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
- What position did Rich Wortham play?
- Rich Wortham played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Rich Wortham and how much did he weigh?
- Rich Wortham was listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds.
- What was Rich Wortham's career ERA?
- Rich Wortham finished with a 4.89 career ERA, going 21-23 with 189 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Rich Wortham have?
- Rich Wortham recorded 189 career strikeouts.
- Is Rich Wortham in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Rich Wortham has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.