Paul Zahniser

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1923-1929)

Paul Zahniser was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1929 for the Washington Senators, the Boston Red Sox, and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 7 seasons. Across 125 career appearances, he went 25-47 with a 4.66 ERA and 145 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 25–47
ERA 4.66
WHIP 1.66
SO 145
Pitcher PIV -6105.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 170 lb
Born
9/6/1896 in Sac City, IA, USA
Died
9/26/1964 in Klamath Falls, OR, USA
MLB Debut
1923-05-18
Last Game
1929-04-19

Full name: Paul Vernon Zahniser

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Career Pitching Statistics

Paul Zahniser — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
25 47 125 80 29 4 1 618.2 746 320 21 284 145 4.66 -6105.1

Career ERA 4.66 vs. league average 4.28 across their career seasons — 8.7% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Paul Zahniser — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1923 WS1 AL 9 10 33 21 10 1 0 177.0 201 76 76 52 3.86 4.03 (+4%) -1179.9
1924 WS1 AL 5 7 24 14 5 1 0 92.0 98 45 49 28 4.40 4.13 (-7%) -1106.7
1925 BOS AL 5 12 37 21 7 1 1 176.2 232 101 89 30 5.15 4.55 (-13%) -3005.4
1926 BOS AL 6 18 30 24 7 1 0 172.0 213 95 69 35 4.97 4.11 (-21%) -813.1
1929 CIN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 3 1 0 27.00 — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 25 47 125 80 29 4 1 618.2 746 320 284 145 4.66 — -6,105

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

Paul Zahniser — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
125 190 13 25 3 1 0 7 0 19 77 .132 .214 .158 .372 -1,271

Career AVG .132 vs. league average .285 across their career seasons — 53.8% below league average.

Career OBP .214 vs. league average .348 across their career seasons — 38.4% below league average.

Career SLG .158 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — 60.4% below league average.

Career OPS .372 vs. league average .746 across their career seasons — 50.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Paul Zahniser — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1923 WS1 AL 33 52 6 5 1 1 0 1 0 8 27 .096 .282 (-66%) .344 (-33%) .390 (-61%) .734 (-48%) -401.6
1924 WS1 AL 24 31 2 4 0 0 0 2 0 3 13 .129 — — — — 0.0
1925 BOS AL 37 58 2 8 2 0 0 1 0 2 16 .138 .288 (-52%) .349 (-52%) .407 (-58%) .756 (-55%) -537.7
1926 BOS AL 30 49 3 8 0 0 0 3 0 6 21 .163 — — — — -331.6
1929 CIN NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 125 190 13 25 3 1 0 7 0 19 77 .132 — — — — -1,271

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 (250 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Paul Zahniser — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home607831005.128
Away65109111503.138

Pitching — Home / Away

Paul Zahniser — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home60298.0357149124824.50
Away65321.0391169160654.74

Last 10 Games — Batting

Paul Zahniser — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1929-04-19 CINSTLL 000000000
1926-09-26 BOSDETL 200000001
1926-09-22 BOSCLEL 000000000
1926-09-19 BOSCHWL 200000002
1926-09-09 BOSNYYL 000000000
1926-09-03 BOSMINL 201000001
1926-09-01 BOSMINL 000000000
1926-08-27 BOSCLEL 200000000
1926-08-20 BOSCHWL 200000001
1926-08-15 BOSNYYW 401000102

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Paul Zahniser — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1929-04-19 CINSTL — 1.0233101
1926-09-26 BOSDET L 4.0432220
1926-09-22 BOSCLE — 1.0211010
1926-09-19 BOSCHW L 8.01166410
1926-09-09 BOSNYY L 2.0654010
1926-09-03 BOSMIN L 7.0751420
1926-09-01 BOSMIN — 1.0211000
1926-08-27 BOSCLE L 8.01154310
1926-08-20 BOSCHW L 8.0755510
1926-08-15 BOSNYY W 9.0933121

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Paul Zahniser — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 125 0 29 143 5 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Paul Zahniser — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1923 WS1 P 33 0 8 38 3 1
1924 WS1 P 24 0 4 14 0 0
1925 BOS P 37 0 6 34 0 0
1926 BOS P 30 0 11 57 2 1
1929 CIN P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Paul Zahniser — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 125

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Paul Zahniser (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ernie Wingard
    29-43, 4.64 ERA
  2. 95
    Bob Harris
    30-52, 4.96 ERA
  3. 95
    Harry Courtney
    22-27, 4.91 ERA
  4. 85
    Hal Wiltse
    20-40, 4.87 ERA
  5. 80
    James Edwards
    26-37, 4.37 ERA
  6. 69
    Chubby Dean
    30-46, 5.08 ERA

Paul Zahniser: the record in brief

Paul Zahniser's major league career runs from a debut on May 18, 1923 to a final game on April 19, 1929. By club, Zahniser's seasons break down as the Washington Senators (1923 to 1924), the Boston Red Sox (1925 to 1926), and the Cincinnati Reds (1929). Listed as a pitcher, Zahniser threw and hit right-handed. The recorded size is 5 feet, 10 inches and 170 pounds. The birth record reads September 6, 1896, in Sac City, IA, USA. The bio records the death on September 26, 1964, in Klamath Falls, OR, USA. Zahniser's full given name, per the bio, is Paul Vernon Zahniser.

Across 125 games (80 starts), Zahniser recorded 25 wins against 47 losses with a 4.66 ERA. The same table counts 145 strikeouts and 29 complete games. Against a 4.28 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.66 mark was 8.7% worse. 1923 brought Zahniser a season-high 9 wins. 1923 was Zahniser's sharpest full season, a 3.86 ERA against the league's 4.03.

Frequently Asked Questions about Paul Zahniser

What years did Paul Zahniser play?
Paul Zahniser played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1929.
Was Paul Zahniser a pitcher?
Yes. Paul Zahniser pitched in the major leagues, recording 25 wins and 145 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Paul Zahniser hit?
Paul Zahniser hit 0 career home runs with 25 hits.
What teams did Paul Zahniser play for?
Paul Zahniser played for 3 teams: the Washington Senators (1923–1924), the Boston Red Sox (1925–1926), and the Cincinnati Reds (1929).
What were Paul Zahniser's career stats?
In 125 games, Paul Zahniser went 25-47 with a 4.66 ERA, 145 strikeouts, 618.2 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
What position did Paul Zahniser play?
Paul Zahniser played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Paul Zahniser and how much did he weigh?
Paul Zahniser was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 170 pounds.
What was Paul Zahniser's career ERA?
Paul Zahniser finished with a 4.66 career ERA, going 25-47 with 145 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Paul Zahniser have?
Paul Zahniser recorded 145 career strikeouts.
Is Paul Zahniser in the Hall of Fame?
No. Paul Zahniser has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.