Sam Zoldak
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1944-1952)
Sam Zoldak was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1944 to 1952 for the St. Louis Browns, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 9 seasons. Across 250 career appearances, he went 43-53 with a 3.54 ERA and 207 strikeouts. He also batted .175 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 32.4.
- 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
- 5'11" / 185 lb
- Died
- 8/25/1966 in New Hyde Park, NY, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1944-05-13
- Last Game
- 1952-08-26
Full name: Samuel Walter Zoldak
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | SLA | AL | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38.2 | 49 | 16 | 19 | 15 | 3.72 | 3.57 (-4%) | -133.5 |
| 1945 | SLA | AL | 3 | 2 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 69.2 | 74 | 26 | 18 | 19 | 3.36 | 3.67 (+8%) | 283.3 |
| 1946 | SLA | AL | 9 | 11 | 35 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 170.1 | 166 | 65 | 57 | 51 | 3.43 | 3.59 (+4%) | -1097.4 |
| 1947 | SLA | AL | 9 | 10 | 35 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 171.0 | 162 | 66 | 76 | 36 | 3.47 | 3.97 (+13%) | -721.8 |
| 1948 | SLA | AL | 2 | 4 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54.0 | 64 | 28 | 19 | 13 | 4.67 | 4.10 (-14%) | -354.9 |
| 1948 | CLE | AL | 9 | 6 | 23 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 105.2 | 104 | 33 | 24 | 17 | 2.81 | 4.10 (+32%) | 626.6 |
| 1949 | CLE | AL | 1 | 2 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53.0 | 60 | 25 | 18 | 11 | 4.25 | 4.12 (-3%) | 29.5 |
| 1950 | CLE | AL | 4 | 2 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 63.2 | 64 | 28 | 21 | 15 | 3.96 | 4.36 (+9%) | -25.3 |
| 1951 | PHA | AL | 6 | 10 | 26 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 128.0 | 127 | 45 | 24 | 18 | 3.16 | 4.04 (+22%) | 1201.3 |
| 1952 | PHA | AL | 0 | 6 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 75.1 | 86 | 34 | 25 | 12 | 4.06 | 3.70 (-10%) | 224.6 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 43 | 53 | 250 | 93 | 30 | 5 | 8 | 929.1 | 956 | 366 | 301 | 207 | 3.54 | — | 32 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 251 | 286 | 16 | 50 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 52 | .175 | .205 | .196 | .401 | -705 |
Career AVG .175 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 33.0% below league average.
Career OBP .205 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 38.6% below league average.
Career SLG .196 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 47.6% below league average.
Career OPS .401 vs. league average .708 across their career seasons — 43.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | SLA | AL | 18 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1945 | SLA | AL | 27 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .050 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | SLA | AL | 35 | 52 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | .173 | .256 (-33%) | .328 (-34%) | .358 (-46%) | .687 (-40%) | -322.1 |
| 1947 | SLA | AL | 35 | 58 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | .172 | .262 (-34%) | .336 (-37%) | .376 (-45%) | .712 (-41%) | -383.1 |
| 1948 | SLA | AL | 11 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .273 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1948 | CLE | AL | 23 | 36 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .139 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1949 | CLE | AL | 27 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .375 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | CLE | AL | 33 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .188 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | PHA | AL | 26 | 45 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .156 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1952 | PHA | AL | 16 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .174 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 251 | 286 | 16 | 50 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 52 | .175 | — | — | — | — | -705 | ||
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 (501 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 130 | 151 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 5 | .159 |
| Away | 121 | 136 | 10 | 26 | 0 | 6 | .191 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 130 | 485.0 | 501 | 182 | 141 | 112 | 3.38 |
| Away | 120 | 444.1 | 455 | 184 | 160 | 95 | 3.73 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-08-26 | PHA | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-08-17 | PHA | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-08-11 | PHA | MIN | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-08-01 | PHA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1952-07-29 | PHA | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-07-24 | PHA | SLA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1952-07-17 | PHA | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1952-07-12 | PHA | CLE | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-07-06 | PHA | NYY | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-07-04 | PHA | BOS | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-08-26 | PHA | CLE | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-08-17 | PHA | MIN | L | 0.2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-08-11 | PHA | MIN | — | 6.0 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1952-08-01 | PHA | CLE | — | 6.0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1952-07-29 | PHA | DET | — | 0.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-07-24 | PHA | SLA | L | 8.0 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1952-07-17 | PHA | SLA | — | 2.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-07-12 | PHA | CLE | L | 8.0 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 1952-07-06 | PHA | NYY | — | 3.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-07-04 | PHA | BOS | SV | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | SLA | P | 18 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| 1945 | SLA | P | 26 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 1946 | SLA | P | 35 | 0 | 10 | 32 | 1 | 3 |
| 1947 | SLA | P | 35 | 0 | 6 | 44 | 1 | 2 |
| 1948 | SLA | P | 11 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| 1948 | CLE | P | 23 | 0 | 5 | 28 | 1 | 3 |
| 1949 | CLE | P | 27 | 0 | 12 | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| 1950 | CLE | P | 33 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951 | PHA | P | 26 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952 | PHA | P | 16 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 0 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 250 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Sam Zoldak (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Sam Zoldak: the record in brief
According to the bio, Sam Zoldak debuted on May 13, 1944 and played a final game on August 26, 1952. The team column moves through the St. Louis Browns (1944 to 1948), the Cleveland Indians (1948 through 1950), and the Philadelphia Athletics (1951 through 1952). Zoldak played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on December 8, 1918, in Brooklyn, NY, USA and a listed size of 5'11" and 185 pounds. Zoldak's death is recorded on August 25, 1966, in New Hyde Park, NY, USA. Zoldak's full given name, per the bio, is Samuel Walter Zoldak.
The pitching table credits Zoldak with a 43-53 record and a 3.54 ERA in 250 games. Also on Zoldak's record: 207 strikeouts, 30 complete games, and 5 shutouts. That 3.54 ERA compares with a 3.89 league average across the same seasons, 8.9% better. Zoldak won 9 games in 1946, the most of any season listed.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Zoldak
- What years did Sam Zoldak play?
- Sam Zoldak played in Major League Baseball from 1944 to 1952.
- Was Sam Zoldak a pitcher?
- Yes. Sam Zoldak pitched in the major leagues, recording 43 wins and 207 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Sam Zoldak hit?
- Sam Zoldak hit 0 career home runs with 50 hits.
- What teams did Sam Zoldak play for?
- Sam Zoldak played for 3 teams: the St. Louis Browns (1944–1948), the Cleveland Indians (1948–1950), and the Philadelphia Athletics (1951–1952).
- What were Sam Zoldak's career stats?
- In 250 games, Sam Zoldak went 43-53 with a 3.54 ERA, 207 strikeouts, 929.1 innings pitched, and 8 saves. At the plate he had 50 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Sam Zoldak play?
- Sam Zoldak played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Sam Zoldak and how much did he weigh?
- Sam Zoldak was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 185 pounds.
- What was Sam Zoldak's career ERA?
- Sam Zoldak finished with a 3.54 career ERA, going 43-53 with 207 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Sam Zoldak have?
- Sam Zoldak recorded 207 career strikeouts.
- Is Sam Zoldak in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Sam Zoldak has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.