Larry Benton, baseball player, 1923-1935

Larry Benton

Born: 11/20/1897 in St. Louis, MO, USA

Died: 4/3/1953 in Amberley, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1923-04-19 | Final Game: 1935-08-16

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Lawrence James Benton

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Biography

Larry Benton, born in 1897, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1923 to 1935. He played during a transformative era in baseball that witnessed the transition from the deadball era to a more offense-driven game. Benton compiled a career record of 127 wins and 128 losses, showcasing his resilience and competitiveness on the mound. With an earned run average (ERA) of 4.03, he demonstrated an ability to navigate the challenges of hitting during a time when pitchers often faced formidable lineups. Throughout his career, Benton struck out 670 batters and notched 22 saves, highlighting both his strikeout capability and his effectiveness in late-game situations. Known for his consistency and durability, he contributed significantly to the teams he played for, leaving a lasting impact on the franchises he represented. Benton's journey through the early 20th century baseball landscape offers a glimpse into the evolution of pitching and the strategic changes that shaped the game as it approached the modern era.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
127 128 455 258 122 13 22 2297.0 2559 1029 109 691 670 4.03 0

Career ERA 4.03 vs. league average 4.25 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1923 BSN NL 5 9 35 9 1 0 0 128.0 141 71 57 42 4.99 4.03 (-24%) -594.6
1924 BSN NL 5 7 30 13 4 0 1 128.0 129 59 64 41 4.15 4.13 (-1%) -1364.6
1925 BSN NL 14 7 31 21 16 2 1 183.3 170 63 70 49 3.09 4.55 (+32%) -568.8
1926 BSN NL 14 14 43 27 12 1 1 231.7 244 99 81 103 3.85 4.11 (+6%) 1375.4
1927 BSN NL 4 2 11 10 3 0 0 60.3 72 30 27 25 4.48 4.08 (-10%) -408.5
1927 NY1 NL 13 5 29 23 8 1 2 173.0 183 76 54 65 3.95 4.08 (+3%) 432.6
1928 NY1 NL 25 9 42 35 28 2 4 310.3 299 94 71 90 2.73 4.13 (+34%) 2872.6
1929 NY1 NL 11 17 39 30 14 3 3 237.0 276 109 61 63 4.14 4.60 (+10%) 859.4
1930 NY1 NL 1 3 8 4 1 0 1 30.0 42 26 14 16 7.80 4.80 (-63%) -1968.2
1930 CIN NL 7 12 35 22 9 0 1 177.7 246 101 45 47 5.12 4.80 (-7%) 2074.2
1931 CIN NL 10 15 38 23 12 2 2 204.3 240 76 53 35 3.35 4.10 (+18%) 687.5
1932 CIN NL 6 13 35 21 7 0 2 179.7 201 86 27 35 4.31 4.13 (-4%) 1002.5
1933 CIN NL 10 11 34 19 7 2 2 152.7 160 63 36 33 3.71 3.86 (+4%) 729.9
1934 CIN NL 0 1 16 1 0 0 2 29.0 53 21 7 5 6.52 4.29 (-52%) 177.5
1935 BSN NL 2 3 29 0 0 0 0 72.0 103 55 24 21 6.88 4.35 (-58%) -703.5

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
462 738 54 122 12 2 2 42 1 30 181 0.165 0.202 0.195 0.397 -5268.4

Career AVG .165 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — 41.3% below league average.

Career OBP .202 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 41.2% below league average.

Career SLG .195 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — 50.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.397 vs. league average 0.741 across their career seasons — 46.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1923 BSN NL 35 31 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 4 13 0.161 — — — — 0.0
1924 BSN NL 30 33 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 10 0.091 — — — — 0.0
1925 BSN NL 32 58 6 14 2 0 0 1 1 3 20 0.241 .288 (-16%) .349 (-20%) .407 (-32%) .756 (-27%) -271.8
1926 BSN NL 45 78 3 12 1 0 0 4 0 2 25 0.154 .279 (-45%) .345 (-46%) .390 (-57%) .735 (-52%) -718.6
1927 BSN NL 11 18 1 4 1 0 0 4 0 0 5 0.222 — — — — 0.0
1927 NY1 NL 31 50 4 8 0 0 0 3 0 1 14 0.160 .282 (-43%) .344 (-44%) .392 (-59%) .736 (-52%) 0.0
1928 NY1 NL 42 112 12 16 2 1 0 8 0 5 17 0.143 .280 (-49%) .342 (-48%) .395 (-55%) .737 (-51%) -1025.8
1929 NY1 NL 41 86 2 9 1 0 1 8 0 1 15 0.105 .289 (-64%) .353 (-67%) .415 (-64%) .769 (-65%) -1032.3
1930 NY1 NL 8 10 2 3 0 0 1 3 0 1 4 0.300 — — — — 0.0
1930 CIN NL 35 62 1 11 0 1 0 5 0 3 13 0.177 .293 (-40%) .354 (-39%) .429 (-51%) .784 (-46%) 0.0
1931 CIN NL 38 66 2 11 2 0 0 1 0 3 13 0.167 .276 (-40%) .338 (-40%) .388 (-49%) .726 (-45%) -513.3
1932 CIN NL 35 54 8 11 1 0 0 1 0 3 11 0.204 .275 (-26%) .335 (-27%) .391 (-43%) .726 (-36%) -324.0
1933 CIN NL 34 53 4 9 0 0 0 2 0 1 14 0.170 .270 (-37%) .329 (-39%) .377 (-55%) .707 (-48%) -415.1
1934 CIN NL 16 7 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0.286 — — — — 0.0
1935 BSN NL 29 20 1 4 1 0 0 1 0 1 4 0.200 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 455 0 93 469 22 33

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1923 BSN P 35 0 5 33 4 2
1924 BSN P 30 0 3 30 1 2
1925 BSN P 31 0 6 39 3 2
1926 BSN P 43 0 3 43 0 1
1927 BSN P 11 0 3 10 1 0
1927 NY1 P 29 0 10 33 2 3
1928 NY1 P 42 0 15 69 1 5
1929 NY1 P 39 0 11 58 3 7
1930 NY1 P 8 0 2 3 0 1
1930 CIN P 35 0 12 20 1 1
1931 CIN P 38 0 10 48 2 5
1932 CIN P 35 0 6 38 2 1
1933 CIN P 34 0 5 27 2 1
1934 CIN P 16 0 0 6 0 1
1935 BSN P 29 0 2 12 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 455

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1928 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1928 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1928 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 37.0 80 0