Steve Blass, baseball player, 1964-1974

Steve Blass

Born: 4/18/1942 in Canaan, CT, USA

MLB Debut: 1964-05-10 | Final Game: 1974-04-17

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Stephen Robert Blass

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Steve Blass, born in 1942, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1964 to 1974. He made a significant impact on the game during the 1960s and early 1970s, showcasing his talents primarily with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Blass compiled a career record of 103 wins and 76 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.63 and a total of 896 strikeouts. His pitching style was characterized by a mix of control and finesse, which earned him a place as an All-Star during his career. Blass is perhaps best remembered for his contributions to the Pirates' success in the early 1970s, particularly during the 1971 season when he played a pivotal role in leading the team to a World Series championship. His performances in high-pressure situations highlighted his competitive spirit and resilience on the mound. Although his career was cut short, Blass left a lasting legacy in baseball as a talented pitcher who embodied the spirit of the game during a transformative era in Major League Baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
103 76 282 231 57 16 2 1597.3 1558 644 128 597 896 3.63 0

Career ERA 3.63 vs. league average 3.51 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
1964 PIT NL 5 8 24 13 3 1 0 104.7 107 47 45 67 4.04 3.58 (-13%) -482.4
1966 PIT NL 11 7 34 25 1 0 0 155.7 173 67 46 76 3.87 3.52 (-10%) 61.2
1967 PIT NL 6 8 32 16 2 0 0 126.7 126 50 47 72 3.55 3.30 (-8%) -1594.9
1968 PIT NL 18 6 33 31 12 7 0 220.3 191 52 57 132 2.12 2.98 (+29%) 1137.5
1969 PIT NL 16 10 38 32 9 0 2 210.0 207 104 86 147 4.46 3.61 (-23%) -602.6
1970 PIT NL 10 12 31 31 6 1 0 196.7 187 77 73 120 3.52 3.89 (+9%) 1803.5
1971 PIT NL 15 8 33 33 12 5 0 240.0 226 76 68 136 2.85 3.47 (+18%) 2576.7
1972 PIT NL 19 8 33 32 11 2 0 249.7 227 69 84 117 2.49 3.26 (+24%) -1262.8
1973 PIT NL 3 9 23 18 1 0 0 88.7 109 97 84 27 9.85 3.75 (-163%) -6932.8
1974 PIT NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 5 5 7 2 9.00 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
295 546 42 94 7 3 1 37 0 11 140 0.172 0.188 0.201 0.389 -3184.6

Career AVG .172 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 30.9% below league average.

Career OBP .188 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — 40.6% below league average.

Career SLG .201 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 45.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.389 vs. league average 0.683 across their career seasons — 43.1% 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
1964 PIT NL 24 30 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 13 0.067 — — — — 0.0
1966 PIT NL 34 52 3 12 1 0 0 6 0 0 15 0.231 .248 (-7%) .309 (-25%) .376 (-34%) .685 (-30%) -251.9
1967 PIT NL 32 39 2 5 0 0 0 5 0 1 12 0.128 — — — — 0.0
1968 PIT NL 35 80 7 11 1 0 0 8 0 2 30 0.138 .236 (-42%) .298 (-48%) .340 (-56%) .638 (-52%) -657.6
1969 PIT NL 44 84 12 21 0 2 1 9 0 1 16 0.250 .248 (+1%) .320 (-19%) .369 (-10%) .689 (-14%) -225.2
1970 PIT NL 32 70 3 8 1 0 0 2 0 2 15 0.114 .253 (-55%) .325 (-58%) .385 (-67%) .711 (-63%) -745.1
1971 PIT NL 34 83 5 10 0 1 0 2 0 1 15 0.120 .249 (-52%) .316 (-59%) .365 (-60%) .682 (-60%) -804.2
1972 PIT NL 35 82 8 15 2 0 0 3 0 2 22 0.183 .243 (-25%) .310 (-35%) .353 (-41%) .664 (-38%) -500.6
1973 PIT NL 24 24 2 10 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.417 — — — — 0.0
1974 PIT NL 1 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
6 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1972 NLCS PIT 2 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000
1971 NLCS PIT 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1971 WS PIT 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
3 1 6 6 0 40.7 33 14 12 29 3.10

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1972 NLCS PIT 1 0 2 2 0 15.7 12 3 6 5 1.72
1971 NLCS PIT 0 1 2 2 0 7.0 14 9 2 11 11.57
1971 WS PIT 2 0 2 2 0 18.0 7 2 4 13 1.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
P 282 231 137 251 16 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1964 PIT P 24 13 10 18 2 2
1966 PIT P 34 25 6 15 3 1
1967 PIT P 32 16 7 23 1 2
1968 PIT OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1968 PIT P 33 31 22 27 0 1
1969 PIT P 38 32 21 41 2 3
1970 PIT P 31 31 21 26 2 1
1971 PIT P 33 33 27 36 4 2
1972 PIT P 33 32 15 46 2 6
1973 PIT P 23 18 8 18 0 1
1974 PIT P 1 0 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 282
Left Field 1

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1972 Cy Young Award NL 2nd 35.0 120 0
1972 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 9.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player NL 22th 3.0 280 0