Ewell Blackwell, baseball player, 1942-1955

Ewell Blackwell

Born: 10/23/1922 in Fresno, CA, USA

Died: 10/29/1996 in Hendersonville, NC, USA

MLB Debut: 1942-04-21 | Final Game: 1955-04-18

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'6" | Weight: 195 lbs

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Ewell Blackwell was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1942 until 1955. Born in 1922, Blackwell made his mark during an era that combined the tail end of the pre-television age with the burgeoning excitement of post-war baseball. He finished his career with a record of 82-78 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.3, showcasing his effectiveness on the mound. Over his career, he accumulated a total of 839 strikeouts and recorded 10 saves, demonstrating his ability not only to start games but also to close them out when necessary. Blackwell was selected as an All-Star six times, underscoring his status as one of the top pitchers of his time. Known for his powerful fastball and distinctive pitching style, he was able to dominate hitters and was particularly effective during the 1940s and early 1950s, a period characterized by fierce competition and the emergence of many legendary players. His contributions to the game left a lasting legacy, and he is remembered as one of the notable figures in baseball history.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
4.0 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
7.0 0 0 2.0 0 0 0 0.0 7.0 4.0 3.0 0 0 0 3.00

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1947 4.0 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1947 7.0 0 0 2.0 0 0 0 0.0 7.0 4.0 3.0 0 0 0 3.00

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
82 78 236 169 69 15 10 1321.0 1150 484 67 562 839 3.30 0

Career ERA 3.30 vs. league average 3.95 across their career seasons — 16.5% better than 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
1942 CIN NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3.0 3 2 3 1 6.00 — 0.0
1946 CIN NL 9 13 33 25 10 5 0 194.3 160 53 79 100 2.45 3.59 (+32%) 3470.4
1947 CIN NL 22 8 33 33 23 6 0 273.0 227 75 95 193 2.47 3.97 (+38%) 8134.8
1948 CIN NL 7 9 22 20 4 1 1 138.7 134 70 52 114 4.54 4.10 (-11%) 2275.9
1949 CIN NL 5 5 30 4 0 0 1 76.7 80 36 34 55 4.23 4.12 (-3%) 792.8
1950 CIN NL 17 15 40 32 18 1 4 261.0 203 86 112 188 2.97 4.36 (+32%) 8140.2
1951 CIN NL 16 15 38 32 11 2 2 232.7 204 89 97 120 3.44 4.04 (+15%) 2024.5
1952 CIN NL 3 12 23 17 3 0 0 102.0 107 61 60 48 5.38 3.70 (-45%) -1103.2
1952 NYY AL 1 0 5 2 0 0 1 16.0 12 1 12 7 0.56 3.70 (+85%) -
1953 NYY AL 2 0 8 4 0 0 1 19.7 17 8 13 11 3.66 4.14 (+12%) -
1955 KC1 AL 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 4.0 3 3 5 2 6.75 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
237 443 31 77 12 1 1 22 0 12 73 0.174 0.196 0.212 0.408 -2563.9

Career AVG .174 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 33.2% below league average.

Career OBP .196 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 41.6% below league average.

Career SLG .212 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 44.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.408 vs. league average 0.713 across their career seasons — 42.8% 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
1942 CIN NL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1946 CIN NL 33 56 2 6 1 0 0 2 0 1 12 0.107 .256 (-58%) .328 (-63%) .358 (-65%) .687 (-64%) -589.3
1947 CIN NL 33 106 5 13 2 0 0 4 0 1 17 0.123 .262 (-53%) .336 (-61%) .376 (-62%) .712 (-62%) -1113.2
1948 CIN NL 22 48 3 11 3 0 0 1 0 0 6 0.229 — — — — 0.0
1949 CIN NL 30 19 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.211 — — — — 0.0
1950 CIN NL 40 89 7 13 1 0 0 5 0 5 9 0.146 .265 (-45%) .346 (-45%) .401 (-61%) .747 (-53%) -848.8
1951 CIN NL 39 82 10 24 3 1 1 6 0 5 12 0.293 .260 (+12%) .336 (-1%) .385 (+1%) .721 (avg) -12.7
1952 CIN NL 23 32 1 5 2 0 0 3 0 0 11 0.156 — — — — 0.0
1952 NYY AL 5 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1953 NYY AL 8 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1955 KC1 AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1952 WS NYA 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 1 0 5.0 4 4 3 4 7.20

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1952 WS NYA 0 0 1 1 0 5.0 4 4 3 4 7.20

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 236 0 46 311 19 20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1942 CIN P 2 0 0 2 0 0
1946 CIN P 33 0 7 58 3 7
1947 CIN P 33 0 10 70 3 2
1948 CIN P 22 0 7 40 1 2
1949 CIN P 30 0 4 18 1 1
1950 CIN P 40 0 8 54 5 2
1951 CIN P 38 0 6 46 5 5
1952 CIN P 23 0 2 18 0 1
1952 NYA P 5 0 1 2 0 0
1953 NYA P 8 0 1 3 1 0
1955 KC1 P 2 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 236

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1947 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1947 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1947 TSN All-Star P

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of La Verne La Verne CA 1941

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1951 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 6.0 336 0
1950 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 41.0 336 0
1947 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 175.0 336 2