Don Drysdale Stats

Don Drysdale was born on Thursday, July 23, 1936, in Van Nuys, California. Drysdale was 19 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 17, 1956, with the Brooklyn Dodgers. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Don Drysdale baseball stats page.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"One day at Dodger Stadium, St. Louis Cardinal catcher Gene Oliver blasted a long homerun off Drysdale. Before beginning a leisurely trot around the bases, Oliver first stood at home plate admiring the flight of the ball and then said, loud enough for Drysdale to hear, 'Hey, batboy, come get the bat.'... The next time Oliver batted, Drysdale drilled him with a fastball. While Oliver writhed in the dirt of the batter's box and teammates and the Cardinals' trainer rushed to his aid, Drysdale said loud enough for everyone to hear, 'Hey, batboy, come get Oliver.'" - Shannon, Mike. Author. Tales from the Dugout: The Greatest True Baseball Stories Ever Told. McGraw-Hill Publishers. 11 January 1998. Page 62. [Don Drysdale Quotes]

Don Drysdale

Don Drysdale Autograph on a 1980 TCMA Baseball Card (#028)

Don Drysdale Autograph on a 1980 TCMA Baseball Card (#028)

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Birth Name:   Donald Scott Drysdale
Nickname:   Big D
Born On:   07-23-1936  (Leo)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Van Nuys, California
Year of Death Data Died On:   07-03-1993 (1,000 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   Montreal, Québec, Canada
Cemetery:   Cremated
High School:   Van Nuys High School (Van Nuys, CA)
College:   None Attended
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Right   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Right
Player Height Chart Height:   6-06   Player Weight Chart Weight:   216
First Game:   04-17-1956 (Age 19)
Last Game:   08-05-1969
Draft:   Not Applicable / Signing Bonus = $4,000

Don Drysdale

Don Drysdale Pitching Stats

1956 20 Dodgers 25 12 6 5 5 .500 2.64 2 0 0 99.0 413 95 29 35 9 31 3 55 3 3 0 -
1957 21 Dodgers 34 29 4 17 9 .654 2.69 9 4 0 221.0 911 197 66 76 17 61 3 148 3 7 1 -
1958 22 Dodgers 44 29 7 12 13 .480 4.17 6 1 0 211.2 913 214 98 107 21 72 6 131 8 14 2 -
1959 23 Dodgers 44 36 7 17 13 .567 3.46 15 4 2 270.2 1,142 237 104 113 26 93 9 242 4 18 2 -
1960 24 Dodgers 41 36 5 15 14 .517 2.84 15 5 2 269.0 1,083 214 85 93 27 72 5 246 6 10 0 -
1961 25 Dodgers 40 37 2 13 10 .565 3.69 10 3 0 244.0 1,047 236 100 111 29 83 15 182 7 20 1 -
1962 26 Dodgers 43 41 2 25 9 .735 2.83 19 2 1 314.1 1,289 272 99 122 21 78 12 232 8 11 0 -
1963 27 Dodgers 42 42 0 19 17 .528 2.63 17 3 0 315.1 1,266 287 92 114 25 57 13 251 4 10 0 0
1964 28 Dodgers 40 40 0 18 16 .529 2.18 21 5 0 321.1 1,264 242 78 91 15 68 9 237 11 10 1 0
1965 29 Dodgers 44 42 1 23 12 .657 2.77 20 7 1 308.1 1,262 270 95 113 30 66 11 210 11 12 0 -
1966 30 Dodgers 40 40 0 13 16 .448 3.42 11 3 0 273.2 1,135 279 104 114 21 45 8 177 7 17 1 0
1967 31 Dodgers 38 38 0 13 16 .448 2.74 9 3 0 282.0 1,151 269 86 101 19 60 19 196 5 8 2 0
1968 32 Dodgers 31 31 0 14 12 .538 2.15 12 8 0 239.0 954 201 57 68 11 56 10 155 4 12 0 0
1969 33 Dodgers 12 12 0 5 4 .556 4.45 1 1 0 62.2 267 71 31 34 9 13 0 24 1 2 0 0
14 Years 518 465 34 209 166 .557 2.95 167 49 6 3,432.0 14,097 3,084 1,124 1,292 280 855 123 2,486 82 154 10 0

Don Drysdale

Don Drysdale Hitting Stats

1956 20 Dodgers 26 26 4 5 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 8 2 0 0 1 .192 .222 .346
1957 21 Dodgers 37 73 7 9 0 0 2 0 6 7 0 29 3 0 0 3 .123 .200 .205
1958 22 Dodgers 47 66 9 15 1 1 7 0 12 3 0 25 3 0 0 0 .227 .261 .591
1959 23 Dodgers 46 91 9 15 1 1 4 0 12 4 0 31 8 1 0 2 .165 .198 .330
1960 24 Dodgers 41 83 3 13 6 2 0 0 4 6 0 32 9 1 0 0 .157 .211 .277
1961 25 Dodgers 40 83 9 16 1 0 5 1 12 6 0 24 5 1 0 4 .193 .244 .386
1962 26 Dodgers 43 111 9 22 4 1 0 0 14 5 0 29 8 0 2 4 .198 .246 .252
1963 27 Dodgers 42 96 5 16 1 1 0 0 5 9 0 35 6 2 1 3 .167 .241 .198
1964 28 Dodgers 40 110 10 19 2 0 1 0 8 4 0 29 14 0 0 3 .173 .202 .218
1965 29 Dodgers 58 130 18 39 4 1 7 0 19 5 0 34 2 0 1 6 .300 .331 .508
1966 30 Dodgers 46 106 6 20 2 0 2 0 8 3 0 28 2 0 0 5 .189 .211 .264
1967 31 Dodgers 38 93 2 12 1 0 0 0 6 5 0 26 2 1 0 1 .129 .172 .140
1968 32 Dodgers 31 79 4 14 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 29 4 0 1 1 .177 .188 .190
1969 33 Dodgers 12 22 1 3 1 0 0 0 3 2 0 11 1 0 0 1 .136 .208 .182
14 Years 547 1,169 96 218 26 7 29 1 113 60 0 370 69 6 5 34 .186 .228 .295

Don Drysdale

Don Drysdale Fielding Stats

1956 Dodgers P 25 12 297 30 1.2 28 8 20 2 1 n/a n/a n/a .933 2.55
1957 Dodgers P 34 29 663 77 2.3 75 15 60 2 4 n/a n/a n/a .974 3.05
1958 Dodgers P 44 29 635 66 1.5 60 15 45 6 10 n/a n/a n/a .909 2.55
1959 Dodgers P 44 36 812 69 1.6 66 18 48 3 4 n/a n/a n/a .957 2.19
1960 Dodgers P 41 36 807 81 2.0 78 18 60 3 3 n/a n/a n/a .963 2.61
1961 Dodgers P 40 37 732 52 1.3 49 13 36 3 3 n/a n/a n/a .942 1.81
1962 Dodgers P 43 41 943 77 1.8 70 10 60 7 5 n/a n/a n/a .909 2.00
1963 Dodgers P 42 42 946 85 2.0 81 19 62 4 7 n/a n/a n/a .953 2.31
1964 Dodgers P 40 40 964 84 2.1 81 13 68 3 5 n/a n/a n/a .964 2.27
1965 Dodgers P 44 42 925 86 2.0 77 22 55 9 4 n/a n/a n/a .895 2.25
1966 Dodgers P 40 40 821 62 1.6 55 10 45 7 1 n/a n/a n/a .887 1.81
1967 Dodgers P 38 38 846 80 2.1 75 11 64 5 3 n/a n/a n/a .938 2.39
1968 Dodgers P 31 31 717 70 2.3 65 15 50 5 4 n/a n/a n/a .929 2.45
1969 Dodgers P 12 12 188 14 1.2 14 1 13 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.01
P Totals 518 465 10,296 933 1.8 874 188 686 59 55 n/a n/a n/a .937 2.29
14 Years 518 465 10,296 933 1.8 874 188 686 59 55 n/a n/a n/a .937 2.29

Don Drysdale

Don Drysdale Miscellaneous Stats

1956 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 1 n/a 26.0 3.3 26.0 1.77 5.00 2.82
1957 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 3 n/a 36.5 2.5 12.2 2.43 6.03 2.48
1958 Dodgers 0 0 .000 2 1 n/a 9.4 2.6 5.5 1.82 5.57 3.06
1959 Dodgers 0 1 .000 3 0 n/a 22.8 2.9 7.6 2.60 8.05 3.09
1960 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.6 20.8 3.42 8.23 2.41
1961 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 16.6 3.5 6.9 2.19 6.71 3.06
1962 Dodgers 0 1 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 3.8 7.9 2.97 6.64 2.23
1963 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.7 19.2 4.40 7.16 1.63
1964 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 110.0 3.8 13.8 3.49 6.64 1.90
1965 Dodgers 0 0 .000 14 0 n/a 18.6 3.8 6.8 3.18 6.13 1.93
1966 Dodgers 0 0 .000 6 0 n/a 53.0 3.8 13.3 3.93 5.82 1.48
1967 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 3.6 15.5 3.27 6.26 1.91
1968 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.7 26.3 2.77 5.84 2.11
1969 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.0 7.3 1.85 3.45 1.87
14 Years 0 2 .000 25 5 n/a 40.3 3.2 10.3 2.91 6.52 2.24

Don Drysdale

Don Drysdale Miscellaneous Items of Interest

1956 Brooklyn Dodgers 53 $9,000.00 - Stats
1957 Brooklyn Dodgers 53 $15,500.00 - -
1958 Los Angeles Dodgers 53 $17,500.00 - -
1959 Los Angeles Dodgers 53 $19,000.00 Stats Stats
1960 Los Angeles Dodgers 53 $25,000.00 - -
1961 Los Angeles Dodgers 53 $32,500.00 Stats -
1962 Los Angeles Dodgers 53 $37,500.00 Stats -
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers 53 $46,000.00 Stats Stats
1964 Los Angeles Dodgers 53 $70,000.00 Stats -
1965 Los Angeles Dodgers 53 $85,000.00 Stats Stats
1966 Los Angeles Dodgers 53 $110,000.00 - Stats
1967 Los Angeles Dodgers 53 $100,000.00 Stats -
1968 Los Angeles Dodgers 53 $100,000.00 Stats -
1969 Los Angeles Dodgers 53 $115,000.00 - -

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Donald Scott Drysdale was a Major League Baseball player who spent his entire fourteen-year Hall of Fame career, pitching for the Dodgers franchise. Don, his nickname, started in Brooklyn (1956-1957), and stayed with the franchise after they relocated to Los Angeles (1958-1969), making Big-D the last Brooklyn Dodger and the first LA Dodger to wear #53 in regular season games!

Don Drysdale Rookie Card | Baseball Almanac

Don Drysdale Rookie Card | 1957 Topps Baseball Card (#18 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Research Library

Don Drysdale said, "My own little rule was two for one. If one of my teammates got knocked down, then I knocked down two on the other team." One of his opponents, Hall of Fame first baseman Orlando Cepeda said that, "the trick against Drysdale is to hit him before before he hits you." Drysdale plunked Cepeda four times, second most amongst batters he hit, behind Ernie Banks who he drilled five times. Drysdale led the National League in hit by pitch a record five seasons, including a record four consecutive. [Hit by Pitch Records]

Juan Marichal once said, "For five years I've been here (in the NL), I've seen too much of this. Drysdale has hit Felipe Alou, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda. I'm not saying he tried deliberately to hit them, but he has too good control to be so far off the plate." Branch Rickey, in a scouting report (below) from 1954, also wrote, "Fine pitching hand, and placement on fast and curve ball needs no coaching."

Don Drysdale Scouting Report

Don Drysdale Scouting Report | Branch Rickey Collection (Library of Congress) | June 15, 1954

Did you know that Tom Seaver holds the current National League record for most seasons with 200+ strikeouts (10) in a career? Why did we mention this here? Because after Drysdale hung up his cleats in 1969, he held the record himself with six 200+ strikeout seasons. Let's take a closer look at some numbers of interest as they relate to one of the most dominant pitchers of his era:

1 - Don Drysdale won one Cy Young Award during his career, in 1962, at a time when the Baseball Writers Association of America gave exactly one pitcher - the best one in all of Major League Baseball - the award. Drysdale was the second Dodger to receive the honor, but the first who wore a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform (Don Newcombe won in a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform in 1956).

3 - Don Drysdale was a three-time strikeout champion, leading the National League in strikeouts in 1959 (242 strikeouts / Top 25), 1960 (246 strikeouts / Top 25), and 1962 (232 strikeouts / Top 25). Only one Dodger has ever had more strikeout titles than Drysdale, Hall of Fame lefty Sandy Koufax (4x).

5 - Don Drysdale tied the National League record for shutouts in a month when he threw five in May 1968 (more than most modern league leading pitchers have in a full season). No pitcher since has ever thrown six, and only one pitcher has tied the mark since Drysdale, Orel Hershiser in September 1988.

6 - Don Drysdale threw six consecutive shutouts in 1968, five during the month of May (mentioned above), and one additional during his first start in June. No pitcher in Major League history before, or after, has ever thrown six shutouts in a row. The truly historic six took place on May 14, 1968, May 18, 1968, May 22, 1968, May 26, 1968, May 31, 1968 and June 4, 1968.

7 - Don Drysdale hit seven home runs in 1958, tying the National League (NL) record for most home runs in a season by a pitcher, set previously by Don Newcombe in 1955. In 1965, Drysdale hit seven homers again, tying the NL record a second time, a single season hitting feat not matched by any other twirler in baseball history.

14 - Don Drysdale struck out fourteen batters on April 12, 1960, setting a National League record for most strikeouts by a pitcher during an Opening Day game!

49 - Don Drysdale won twenty-three games in 1965, his teammate Sandy Koufax won twenty-six games, giving the 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers duo a combined forty-nine wins!

58 - Don Drysdale threw fifty-eight consecutive scoreless innings in 1968, breaking the all-time Major League record of 55.2 consecutive scoreless innings thrown by Walter Johnson in 1913. The record was considered unbreakable, but it was taken down by a fellow Dodger, Orel Hershiser in 1988. a list of every pitcher in baseball history with at least 40 scoreless innings pitched appears in the Baseball Almanac Innings Pitched Record Book.

154 - Don Drysdale finished his career plunking 154 batters, all in the National League (NL). The only senior circuit pitchers with more HBP; Vic Willis (156), Chick Fraser (187), Pink Hawley (201), all began their career in the nineteenth century, making Big D the modern day NL HBP king.

Don Drysdale Hall of Fame Plaque

Don Drysdale | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 1984 (Link)

The career of Don Drysdale was cut short (33 years young) due to a rotator cuff tear, but in those twelve full seasons (two others were partial), he was widely considered one of the most dominant pitchers. Bill James, in Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame, wrote, "With the possible exception of Bob Gibson, Drysdale was the most intimidating pitcher between Lefty Grove and Rob Dibble. Batters hated to face him." The BBWAA did put Drysdale in the Hall, but not until his tenth appearance on the ballot. The results from those ten ballots were: 1975 (21.0%), 1976 (29.4%), 1977 (51.4%), 1978 (57.8%), 1979 (53.9%), 1980 (61.8%), 1981 (60.6%), 1982 (56.1%), 1984 (64.7%), and 1984 (78.4%).