Herb Score Stats

Herb Score was born on Wednesday, June 7, 1933, in Rosedale, New York. Score was 21 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 15, 1955, with the Cleveland Indians. 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 Herb Score baseball stats page.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"After Score's first two seasons he appeared headed to the Hall of Fame. He was the whole package. He threw a blazing fastball and a nasty curve. George Kell said of Score's curve, 'If he throws it over the plate you're dead, because you've always got to set yourself for his fast ball.' Although Score's fastball was never clocked, A.L. umpires had a rule of thumb for estimating a pitcher's velocity. Former ump Larry Napp once stated, 'The faster the pitcher, the more foul balls are hit in the stands. About for balls are used in an average game. When Score pitches, we need at least an extra dozen.'" - Author Rich Marazzi in Baseball Players of the 1950s: A Biographical Dictionary of All 1,560 Major Leaguers (McFarland Publishing, 11/30/2009, 'Herb Score,' Page 355)

Herb Score

Herb Score Autograph on a 1954 Topps Archive (#256)

Herb Score Autograph on a 1954 Topps Archive (#256)

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Birth Name:   Herbert Jude Score
Nickname:   Herb
Born On:   06-07-1933  (Gemini)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Rosedale, New York
Year of Death Data Died On:   11-11-2008 (1,000 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   Rocky River, Ohio
Cemetery:   Lakewood Park Cemetery, Rocky River, Ohio
High School:   Holy Name High School (Lake Worth, FL)
College:   None Attended
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Left   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Left
Player Height Chart Height:   6-02   Player Weight Chart Weight:   185
First Game:   04-15-1955 (Age 21)
Last Game:   05-04-1962
Draft:   Not Applicable / Signing Bonus = $60,000

Herb Score

Herb Score Pitching Stats

1955 22 Indians 33 32 0 16 10 .615 2.85 11 2 0 227.1 978 158 72 85 18 154 1 245 12 1 0 -
1956 23 Indians 35 33 1 20 9 .690 2.53 16 5 0 249.1 1,022 162 70 82 18 129 2 263 11 2 0 -
1957 24 Indians 5 5 0 2 1 .667 2.00 3 1 0 36.0 150 18 8 9 0 26 2 39 5 1 0 0
1958 25 Indians 12 5 4 2 3 .400 3.95 2 1 3 41.0 182 29 18 19 1 34 1 48 1 0 0 -
1959 26 Indians 30 25 2 9 11 .450 4.71 9 1 0 160.2 712 123 84 93 28 115 0 147 14 1 1 -
1960 27 White Sox 23 22 1 5 10 .333 3.72 5 1 0 113.2 506 91 47 54 10 87 0 78 8 2 0 -
1961 28 White Sox 8 5 0 1 2 .333 6.66 1 0 0 24.1 119 22 18 19 3 24 1 14 3 0 1 -
1962 29 White Sox 4 0 3 0 0 .000 4.50 0 0 0 6.0 27 6 3 3 1 4 0 3 1 0 0 -
8 Years 150 127 11 55 46 .545 3.36 47 11 3 858.1 3,696 609 320 364 79 573 7 837 55 7 2 0

Herb Score

Herb Score Hitting Stats

1955 22 Indians 33 84 5 10 1 0 0 0 2 3 0 40 8 0 0 2 .119 .149 .131
1956 23 Indians 35 87 11 16 3 0 1 0 8 9 0 32 4 0 0 1 .184 .260 .253
1957 24 Indians 5 11 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 6 0 0 0 0 .091 .231 .091
1958 25 Indians 12 11 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5 0 0 0 0 .091 .231 .091
1959 26 Indians 30 52 1 5 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 22 0 1 0 0 .096 .127 .096
1960 27 White Sox 23 30 2 3 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 16 2 0 0 2 .100 .182 .167
1961 28 White Sox 8 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1962 29 White Sox 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
8 Years 150 281 21 36 4 1 1 0 12 21 0 126 15 1 0 5 .128 .188 .160

Herb Score

Herb Score Fielding Stats

1955 Indians P 33 32 682 23 0.7 19 4 15 4 2 n/a n/a n/a .826 0.75
1956 Indians P 35 33 748 22 0.6 20 1 19 2 0 n/a n/a n/a .909 0.72
1957 Indians P 5 5 108 7 1.4 6 0 6 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .857 1.50
1958 Indians P 12 5 123 5 0.4 2 0 2 3 0 n/a n/a n/a .400 0.44
1959 Indians P 30 25 482 21 0.7 16 1 15 5 1 n/a n/a n/a .762 0.90
1960 White Sox P 23 22 341 17 0.7 17 1 16 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.35
1961 White Sox P 8 5 73 6 0.8 6 1 5 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.22
1962 White Sox P 4 0 18 2 0.5 2 0 2 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 3.00
P Totals 150 127 2,575 103 0.7 88 8 80 15 3 n/a n/a n/a .854 0.92
8 Years 150 127 2,575 103 0.7 88 8 80 15 3 n/a n/a n/a .854 0.92

Herb Score

Herb Score Miscellaneous Stats

1955 Indians 0 1 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.1 42.0 1.59 9.70 6.10
1956 Indians 0 1 .000 0 0 n/a 87.0 2.7 10.9 2.04 9.49 4.66
1957 Indians 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 1.8 0.0 1.50 9.75 6.50
1958 Indians 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.2 0.0 1.41 10.54 7.46
1959 Indians 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.4 52.0 1.28 8.23 6.44
1960 White Sox 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 1.9 30.0 0.90 6.18 6.89
1961 White Sox 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 1.2 0.0 0.58 5.18 8.88
1962 White Sox 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.75 4.50 6.00
8 Years 0 2 .000 0 0 n/a 281.0 2.2 23.4 1.46 8.78 6.01

Herb Score

Herb Score Miscellaneous Items of Interest

1955 Cleveland Indians 27 Undetermined Stats -
1956 Cleveland Indians 27 Undetermined Stats -
1957 Cleveland Indians 27 Undetermined - -
1958 Cleveland Indians 27 Undetermined - -
1959 Cleveland Indians 27 Undetermined - -
1960 Chicago White Sox 18 Undetermined - -
1961 Chicago White Sox 18 Undetermined - -
1962 Chicago White Sox 18 Undetermined - -

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In 1955, Herb Score finished the season with 245 strikeouts, the first American League pitcher to ever strike out more than 200-batters during his first season, since joined by Mark Langston (204 strikeouts in 1984), Daisuke Matsuzaka (201 strikeouts in 2007), and Yu Darvish (221 strikeouts in 2012).

Herb Score set the American League record that season (1955) for most strikeouts in a season by a rookie, a mark that remains in the Strikeout Record Book through today. His National League counterpart is Dwight Gooden, who mowed down 276 batters in 1984.

Herb Score followed-up his first season - one where he was also the first Cleveland Indian to win Rookie of the Year - with a second league leading strikeout total, a twenty-win campaign (2nd most wins in the AL / Top 25), and five shutouts - tops in the junior circuit as well. A year later, his career changed:

Herb Score Injury (Hit by Pitch)

Herb Score Injury (Hit by Pitch) | Photo by Life Magazine | May 20, 1957 | Page 135

On May 7, 1957, Gil McDougald hit a fastball back to the mound, striking Herb Score in the face, an injury that ended his season. Life Magazine included the following story with the graphic photo seen above, "Because of his blinding fast ball and his youth (he is 23), Herb Score of the Cleveland Indians has been considered the most valuable pitcher in baseball. The Boston Red Sox offered $1 million for him, the highest bid ever made for a player. Last week Score's speed boomeranged cruelly and he lay crumpled on the mound, his eyesight and his baseball future in danger. Yankee batter Gil McDougald drove one of Score's fast balls directly back at him. Score, whose follow-through leaves him off balance, was unable to protect himself and the ball struck him in the right eye. He had been hit often but never in a frightening place. Although medical reports grew optimistic about his regaining use of the eye, there were doubts when he would pitch again and how well."

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