Bob Shawkey was born on Thursday, December 4, 1890, in Sigel, Pennsylvania. Shawkey was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on July 16, 1913, with the Philadelphia Athletics. 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 Bob Shawkey baseball stats page.
"Bob Shawkey was one of the top pitchers in the American League for 15 years, from 1913 to 1927, all but 2 and one-half of them with the New York Yankees. His 195-150 win-loss record included four 20-victory seasons, and he averaged 18 wins a season for Miller Huggins' club between 1916 and 1924. According to J.E. Wray in his 1931 book, How to Pitch, 'Shawkey has the hardest arm motion of any major league pitcher. He puts all his body from his waist up into his pitching motion and twists himself on his pivot foot long before he lets the ball get away. The result is a very wide curve that is hard to bat, especially when Shawkey has a good day and his speed is at its highest development. His delivery is not advised for a young pitcher to copy, although his finger positions are all right.'" - Author William F. McNeil in Evolution of Pitching in Major League Baseball (McFarland Publishing, 03/15/2006, '5. The Lively Ball Era: 1920 to 1946', Page 5)
Bob ShawkeyBob Shawkey Autograph on a 1978 Grand Slam Baseball Card (#175) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bob ShawkeyBob Shawkey Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
1913 | 23 | Athletics | 18 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 5 | .545 | 2.34 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 111.1 | 498 | 92 | 29 | 41 | 2 | 50 | 0 | 52 | 4 | 3 | 0 | - |
1914 | 24 | Athletics | 38 | 31 | 5 | 15 | 8 | .652 | 2.73 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 237.0 | 929 | 223 | 72 | 88 | 4 | 75 | 0 | 89 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - |
1915 | 25 | Athletics | 17 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 6 | .500 | 4.05 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 100.0 | 410 | 103 | 45 | 57 | 3 | 38 | 0 | 56 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - |
1915 | 25 | Yankees | 16 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 7 | .364 | 3.26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 85.2 | 331 | 78 | 31 | 38 | 2 | 35 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - |
1916 | 26 | Yankees | 53 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 14 | .632 | 2.21 | 21 | 4 | 8 | 276.2 | 1,064 | 204 | 68 | 78 | 4 | 81 | 0 | 122 | 2 | 6 | 0 | - |
1917 | 27 | Yankees | 32 | 26 | 5 | 13 | 15 | .464 | 2.44 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 236.1 | 930 | 207 | 64 | 81 | 2 | 72 | 2 | 97 | 4 | 6 | 0 | - |
1918 | 28 | Yankees | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16.0 | 59 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
1919 | 29 | Yankees | 41 | 27 | 11 | 20 | 11 | .645 | 2.72 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 261.1 | 1,041 | 218 | 79 | 94 | 7 | 92 | 5 | 122 | 1 | 5 | 0 | - |
1920 | 30 | Yankees | 38 | 31 | 6 | 20 | 13 | .606 | 2.56 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 267.2 | 1,079 | 246 | 76 | 90 | 10 | 85 | 4 | 126 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - |
1921 | 31 | Yankees | 38 | 31 | 6 | 18 | 12 | .600 | 4.08 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 245.0 | 1,053 | 245 | 111 | 131 | 15 | 86 | 1 | 126 | 2 | 7 | 1 | - |
1922 | 32 | Yankees | 39 | 34 | 4 | 20 | 12 | .625 | 2.91 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 299.2 | 1,253 | 286 | 97 | 112 | 16 | 98 | 5 | 130 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - |
1923 | 33 | Yankees | 36 | 31 | 3 | 16 | 11 | .593 | 3.51 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 258.2 | 1,076 | 232 | 101 | 114 | 17 | 102 | 0 | 125 | 8 | 4 | 0 | - |
1924 | 34 | Yankees | 38 | 25 | 8 | 16 | 11 | .593 | 4.12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 207.2 | 888 | 226 | 95 | 107 | 11 | 74 | 4 | 114 | 5 | 3 | 0 | - |
1925 | 35 | Yankees | 33 | 19 | 8 | 6 | 14 | .300 | 4.11 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 186.0 | 802 | 209 | 85 | 101 | 12 | 67 | 3 | 81 | 4 | 5 | 0 | - |
1926 | 36 | Yankees | 29 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 7 | .533 | 3.62 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 104.1 | 445 | 102 | 42 | 49 | 8 | 37 | 1 | 63 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - |
1927 | 37 | Yankees | 19 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 3 | .400 | 2.89 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 43.2 | 190 | 44 | 14 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
15 Years | 488 | 333 | 117 | 195 | 150 | .565 | 3.10 | 197 | 33 | 28 | 2,937.0 | 12,048 | 2,722 | 1,011 | 1,202 | 114 | 1,018 | 25 | 1,360 | 42 | 48 | 1 | - |
Bob ShawkeyBob Shawkey Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1913 | 23 | Athletics | 18 | 44 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .136 | .156 | .159 |
1914 | 24 | Athletics | 38 | 83 | 6 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .205 | .241 | .229 |
1915 | 25 | Athletics | 17 | 31 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .129 | .206 | .194 |
1915 | 25 | Yankees | 16 | 29 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .241 | .241 | .414 |
1916 | 26 | Yankees | 53 | 93 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .183 | .208 | .194 |
1917 | 27 | Yankees | 32 | 84 | 3 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .190 | .218 | .238 |
1918 | 28 | Yankees | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .750 | .800 | .750 |
1919 | 29 | Yankees | 41 | 94 | 5 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .234 | .242 | .245 |
1920 | 30 | Yankees | 38 | 100 | 13 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .230 | .267 | .240 |
1921 | 31 | Yankees | 38 | 90 | 13 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .300 | .315 | .378 |
1922 | 32 | Yankees | 39 | 115 | 12 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .183 | .203 | .226 |
1923 | 33 | Yankees | 36 | 99 | 8 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .202 | .202 | .232 |
1924 | 34 | Yankees | 38 | 69 | 12 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .319 | .390 | .449 |
1925 | 35 | Yankees | 33 | 68 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .147 | .147 | .221 |
1926 | 36 | Yankees | 29 | 35 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .257 | .316 | .286 |
1927 | 37 | Yankees | 19 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .091 | .091 | .091 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
15 Years | 488 | 1,049 | 90 | 225 | 26 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 94 | 34 | 0 | 181 | 48 | 0 | 3 | 17 | .214 | .241 | .259 |
Bob ShawkeyBob Shawkey Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1913 Athletics | P | 18 | 15 | 334 | 47 | 2.6 | 43 | 3 | 40 | 4 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .915 | 3.48 |
1914 Athletics | P | 38 | 31 | 711 | 74 | 1.9 | 69 | 6 | 63 | 5 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .932 | 2.62 |
1915 Athletics | P | 17 | 13 | 300 | 30 | 1.8 | 29 | 3 | 26 | 1 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .967 | 2.61 |
1915 Yankees | P | 16 | 9 | 257 | 27 | 1.7 | 25 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .926 | 2.63 |
1916 Yankees | P | 53 | 27 | 830 | 94 | 1.8 | 91 | 12 | 79 | 3 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .968 | 2.96 |
1917 Yankees | P | 32 | 26 | 709 | 101 | 3.2 | 97 | 18 | 79 | 4 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .960 | 3.69 |
1918 Yankees | P | 3 | 2 | 48 | 10 | 3.3 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 5.63 |
1919 Yankees | P | 41 | 27 | 784 | 85 | 2.1 | 81 | 22 | 59 | 4 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .953 | 2.79 |
1920 Yankees | P | 38 | 31 | 803 | 64 | 1.7 | 63 | 15 | 48 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .984 | 2.12 |
1921 Yankees | P | 38 | 31 | 735 | 52 | 1.4 | 49 | 14 | 35 | 3 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .942 | 1.80 |
1922 Yankees | P | 39 | 34 | 899 | 87 | 2.2 | 83 | 13 | 70 | 4 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .954 | 2.49 |
1923 Yankees | P | 36 | 31 | 776 | 72 | 2.0 | 70 | 9 | 61 | 2 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .972 | 2.44 |
1924 Yankees | P | 38 | 25 | 623 | 56 | 1.5 | 50 | 11 | 39 | 6 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .893 | 2.17 |
1925 Yankees | P | 33 | 20 | 558 | 44 | 1.3 | 44 | 7 | 37 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.13 |
1926 Yankees | P | 29 | 10 | 313 | 26 | 0.9 | 25 | 2 | 23 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .962 | 2.16 |
1927 Yankees | P | 19 | 2 | 131 | 15 | 0.8 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .933 | 2.89 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
P Totals | 488 | 334 | 8,811 | 884 | 1.8 | 843 | 146 | 697 | 41 | 22 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .954 | 2.58 | |
15 Years | 488 | 334 | 8,811 | 884 | 1.8 | 843 | 146 | 697 | 41 | 22 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .954 | 2.58 |
Bob ShawkeyBob Shawkey Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1913 Athletics | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.4 | 8.8 | 1.04 | 4.20 | 4.04 |
1914 Athletics | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 3.8 | 16.6 | 1.19 | 3.38 | 2.85 |
1915 Athletics | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.8 | 15.5 | 1.47 | 5.04 | 3.42 |
1915 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.9 | 29.0 | 0.89 | 3.26 | 3.68 |
1916 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.4 | 23.3 | 1.51 | 3.97 | 2.63 |
1917 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 5.6 | 10.5 | 1.35 | 3.69 | 2.74 |
1918 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.30 | 1.69 | 5.63 |
1919 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 6.3 | 15.7 | 1.33 | 4.20 | 3.17 |
1920 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 7.7 | 10.0 | 1.48 | 4.24 | 2.86 |
1921 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 90.0 | 6.9 | 8.2 | 1.47 | 4.63 | 3.16 |
1922 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 115.0 | 6.4 | 9.6 | 1.33 | 3.90 | 2.94 |
1923 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 6.6 | 9.9 | 1.23 | 4.35 | 3.55 |
1924 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 69.0 | 13.8 | 4.6 | 1.54 | 4.94 | 3.21 |
1925 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 17.0 | 34.0 | 1.21 | 3.92 | 3.24 |
1926 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 5.8 | 11.7 | 1.70 | 5.43 | 3.19 |
1927 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 1.44 | 4.74 | 3.30 |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
15 Years | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 349.7 | 5.8 | 11.2 | 1.34 | 4.17 | 3.12 |
Bob ShawkeyBob Shawkey Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1913 Philadelphia Athletics | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
1914 Philadelphia Athletics | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | Stats |
1915 Philadelphia Athletics | n/a | $3,249.00 | n/a | - |
1915 New York Yankees | n/a | " " | n/a | - |
1916 New York Yankees | n/a | $3,250.00 | n/a | - |
1917 New York Yankees | n/a | $5,000.00 | n/a | - |
1918 New York Yankees | n/a | $5,000.00 | n/a | - |
1919 New York Yankees | n/a | $5,000.00 | n/a | - |
1920 New York Yankees | n/a | $8,000.00 | n/a | - |
1921 New York Yankees | n/a | $8,000.00 | n/a | Stats |
1922 New York Yankees | n/a | $8,500.00 | n/a | Stats |
1923 New York Yankees | n/a | $10,500.00 | n/a | Stats |
1924 New York Yankees | n/a | $10,500.00 | n/a | - |
1925 New York Yankees | n/a | $10,500.00 | n/a | - |
1926 New York Yankees | n/a | $10,500.00 | n/a | Stats |
1927 New York Yankees | n/a | $10,500.00 | n/a | - |
Bob Shawkey Stats by Baseball Almanac |
In 1901, Jack Chesbro became the first New York Yankees pitcher to win at least twenty-games in a single season, a feat he matched again in 1904, and again in 1906. Bob Shawkey surpassed Chesbro, winning at least twenty games in a single season four times for the Bronx Bombers; 1916, 1919, 1920, and 1922. Since Shawkey, only two Hall of Fame pitchers have won 20+ games in season four times for the Yanks - Lefty Gomez (1931, 1932, 1934 and 1937) and Red Ruffing (1936, 1937, 1939, 1939).
Bob Shawkey won nearly 200 games, but said in Baseball Digest (August 1978) the greatest thrill of his life was a win on Opening Day, April 18, 1923. Was it because a new Major League record for attendance in a game was set that day? Was it because John Philip Sousa himself led The Seventh Regiment Band during the National Anthem before the game even started? Was it because the Governor of New York, Alfred E. Smith, threw out the first pitch? We didn't get the opportunity to ask Shawkey, but we think it was a combination of those item as well as it being the first regular season baseball game ever played in Yankee Stadium - a game Shawkey started and won.
Bob Shawkey | First Game at Yankee Stadium | The Davenport Democrat | April 19, 1923 | Page 15Baseball Almanac Research Library
Did you know that Bob Shawkey finished the 1920 season with a 2.45 earned run average, the lowest in the American League (Top 25)? It was the only only ERA championship he won during his career, and it was the first ERA Title ever won by a New York Yankees pitcher!