George Zuverink
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1951-1959)
George Zuverink was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1959 for 4 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 9 seasons. Across 265 career appearances, he went 32-36 with a 3.54 ERA, 223 strikeouts, and 40 saves.
- 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
- 6'4" / 195 lb
- Died
- 9/8/2014 in Tempe, AZ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1951-04-21
- Last Game
- 1959-06-15
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | CLE | AL | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25.1 | 24 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 5.33 | 4.04 (-32%) | -11.6 |
| 1952 | CLE | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | CIN | NL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 9.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | DET | AL | 9 | 13 | 35 | 25 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 203.0 | 201 | 81 | 62 | 70 | 3.59 | 3.90 (+8%) | -1291.4 |
| 1955 | DET | AL | 0 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.1 | 38 | 22 | 14 | 13 | 6.99 | 4.00 (-75%) | -1270.1 |
| 1955 | BAL | AL | 4 | 3 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 86.1 | 80 | 21 | 17 | 31 | 2.19 | 4.00 (+45%) | 1903.9 |
| 1956 | BAL | AL | 7 | 6 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 97.1 | 112 | 45 | 34 | 33 | 4.16 | 3.96 (-5%) | 823.5 |
| 1957 | BAL | AL | 10 | 6 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 112.2 | 105 | 31 | 39 | 36 | 2.48 | 3.83 (+35%) | -473.0 |
| 1958 | BAL | AL | 2 | 2 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 69.0 | 74 | 26 | 17 | 22 | 3.39 | 3.86 (+12%) | 471.3 |
| 1959 | BAL | AL | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 4.15 | 3.90 (-6%) | -282.7 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 32 | 36 | 265 | 31 | 9 | 2 | 40 | 642.1 | 660 | 253 | 203 | 223 | 3.54 | — | -130 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 266 | 142 | 5 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 39 | .148 | .199 | .176 | .375 | -628 |
Career AVG .148 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 42.7% below league average.
Career OBP .199 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 39.6% below league average.
Career SLG .176 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 54.8% below league average.
Career OPS .375 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — 47.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | CLE | AL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1952 | CLE | AL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | CIN | NL | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | DET | AL | 35 | 64 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | .125 | .261 (-52%) | .333 (-58%) | .390 (-64%) | .723 (-61%) | 0.0 |
| 1955 | DET | AL | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1955 | BAL | AL | 28 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .217 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | BAL | AL | 62 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .118 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1957 | BAL | AL | 56 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .130 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1958 | BAL | AL | 45 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1959 | BAL | AL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 266 | 142 | 5 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 39 | .148 | — | — | — | — | 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 (531 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 130 | 64 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 | .125 |
| Away | 136 | 77 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 3 | .169 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 130 | 333.0 | 318 | 111 | 93 | 120 | 3.00 |
| Away | 135 | 309.1 | 341 | 140 | 111 | 103 | 4.07 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-06-15 | BAL | DET | — | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-06-14 | BAL | CHW | L | 4.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-06-10 | BAL | CLE | — | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-05-27 | BAL | MIN | — | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-05-24 | BAL | NYY | — | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1959-05-23 | BAL | NYY | — | 3.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1958-09-16 | BAL | CHW | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-09-14 | BAL | CLE | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-09-11 | BAL | KC1 | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-09-09 | BAL | KC1 | — | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | CLE | P | 16 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 1952 | CLE | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | CIN | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | DET | P | 35 | 25 | 18 | 46 | 3 | 3 |
| 1955 | DET | P | 14 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955 | BAL | P | 28 | 5 | 7 | 19 | 3 | 2 |
| 1956 | BAL | P | 62 | 0 | 8 | 17 | 0 | 2 |
| 1957 | BAL | P | 56 | 0 | 5 | 26 | 0 | 2 |
| 1958 | BAL | P | 45 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| 1959 | BAL | P | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 265 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
George Zuverink (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
George Zuverink: the record in brief
George Zuverink played a first major league game on April 21, 1951 and a last one on June 15, 1959. By club, Zuverink's seasons break down as the Cleveland Indians (1951 to 1952), the Cincinnati Redlegs (1954), the Detroit Tigers (1954 to 1955), and the Baltimore Orioles (1955 to 1959). Zuverink is listed as a pitcher at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds. The bio says Zuverink batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is August 20, 1924, in Holland, MI, USA. Zuverink died on September 8, 2014, in Tempe, AZ, USA.
Zuverink's career pitching line is 32 wins, 36 losses and a 3.54 ERA over 265 appearances. Zuverink had 223 strikeouts and 40 saves. Against a 3.90 league ERA for the same years, Zuverink was 9.1% better. Zuverink won 10 games in 1957, the most of any season listed. Zuverink struck out 70 batters in 1954, a career high. The most saves in one season was 16, in 1956. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.59 in 1954, when the league's was 3.90.
Frequently Asked Questions about George Zuverink
- What years did George Zuverink play?
- George Zuverink played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1959.
- Was George Zuverink a pitcher?
- Yes. George Zuverink pitched in the major leagues, recording 32 wins and 223 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did George Zuverink hit?
- George Zuverink hit 0 career home runs with 21 hits.
- What teams did George Zuverink play for?
- George Zuverink played for 4 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1951–1952), the Cincinnati Redlegs (1954), the Detroit Tigers (1954–1955), and the Baltimore Orioles (1955–1959).
- What were George Zuverink's career stats?
- In 265 games, George Zuverink went 32-36 with a 3.54 ERA, 223 strikeouts, 642.1 innings pitched, and 40 saves.
- What position did George Zuverink play?
- George Zuverink played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was George Zuverink and how much did he weigh?
- George Zuverink was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 195 pounds.
- What was George Zuverink's career ERA?
- George Zuverink finished with a 3.54 career ERA, going 32-36 with 223 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did George Zuverink have?
- George Zuverink recorded 223 career strikeouts.
- Is George Zuverink in the Hall of Fame?
- No. George Zuverink has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.