Gene Conley, baseball player, 1952-1963

Gene Conley

Born: 11/10/1930 in Muskogee, OK, USA

Died: 7/4/2017 in Foxboro, MA, USA

MLB Debut: 1952-04-17 | Final Game: 1963-09-21

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'8" | Weight: 225 lbs

Full name: Donald Eugene Conley

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Biography

Gene Conley was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1952 to 1963. Born in 1930, Conley made a significant impact on the game during an era marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensively driven style of play. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 91 wins and 96 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.82. He recorded a total of 888 strikeouts and notched 9 saves, showcasing his ability not only as a starter but also in relief roles. Conley was selected as an All-Star four times, highlighting his status as one of the top pitchers of his time. Known for his strong arm and competitive spirit, he contributed to various teams throughout his career, demonstrating versatility and resilience on the mound. His achievements in baseball were complemented by a successful stint in professional basketball, making him one of the few athletes to excel in two major sports. Gene Conley's legacy is remembered not just for his statistics but for his unique place in sports history as a dual-sport athlete during a transformative era in American athletics.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
91 96 276 214 69 13 9 1588.7 1606 674 162 511 888 3.82 0

Career ERA 3.82 vs. league average 3.85 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
1952 BSN NL 0 3 4 3 0 0 0 12.7 23 11 9 6 7.82 3.70 (-111%) -1413.4
1954 ATL NL 14 9 28 27 12 2 0 194.3 171 64 79 113 2.96 3.90 (+24%) -
1955 ATL NL 11 7 22 21 10 0 0 158.0 152 73 52 107 4.16 4.00 (-4%) -
1956 ATL NL 8 9 31 19 5 1 3 158.3 169 55 52 68 3.13 3.96 (+21%) -
1957 ATL NL 9 9 35 18 6 1 1 148.0 133 52 64 61 3.16 3.83 (+17%) -
1958 ATL NL 0 6 26 7 0 0 2 72.0 89 39 17 53 4.88 3.86 (-26%) -
1959 PHI NL 12 7 25 22 12 3 1 180.0 159 60 42 102 3.00 3.90 (+23%) 3843.5
1960 PHI NL 8 14 29 25 9 2 0 183.3 192 75 42 117 3.68 3.82 (+4%) 5420.1
1961 BOS AL 11 14 33 30 6 2 1 199.7 229 109 65 113 4.91 4.03 (-22%) -3045.4
1962 BOS AL 15 14 34 33 9 2 1 241.7 238 106 68 134 3.95 3.96 (avg) 219.6
1963 BOS AL 3 4 9 9 0 0 0 40.7 51 30 21 14 6.64 3.46 (-92%) -1264.2

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
276 548 33 105 19 1 5 45 0 5 119 0.192 0.203 0.257 0.461 -2611.9

Career AVG .192 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 25.2% below league average.

Career OBP .203 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 37.5% below league average.

Career SLG .257 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 33.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.461 vs. league average 0.714 across their career seasons — 35.5% 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
1952 BSN NL 4 5 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.400 — — — — 0.0
1954 ATL NL 28 77 5 12 1 0 0 3 0 0 13 0.156 .261 (-40%) .333 (-53%) .390 (-57%) .723 (-55%) -714.3
1955 ATL NL 22 54 2 11 1 0 0 4 0 0 12 0.204 .258 (-21%) .332 (-39%) .393 (-44%) .726 (-41%) -374.8
1956 ATL NL 31 45 1 7 1 0 0 4 0 1 3 0.156 — — — — 0.0
1957 ATL NL 35 46 1 9 2 0 0 2 0 1 14 0.196 — — — — 0.0
1958 ATL NL 26 16 2 3 0 0 1 2 0 0 4 0.188 — — — — 0.0
1959 PHI NL 25 67 3 16 2 0 0 5 0 0 16 0.239 .256 (-7%) .323 (-23%) .392 (-31%) .715 (-28%) -306.2
1960 PHI NL 29 63 3 8 2 0 1 5 0 0 14 0.127 .255 (-50%) .323 (-57%) .387 (-47%) .711 (-51%) -545.0
1961 BOS AL 33 73 8 16 3 0 2 8 0 2 22 0.219 .258 (-15%) .328 (-25%) .399 (-14%) .727 (-19%) -259.5
1962 BOS AL 34 87 7 18 6 1 1 11 0 1 20 0.207 .257 (-20%) .326 (-33%) .393 (-15%) .719 (-23%) -412.2
1963 BOS AL 9 15 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.200 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
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
1957 WS ML1 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 0 0 1.7 2 2 1 0 10.80

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1957 WS ML1 0 0 1 0 0 1.7 2 2 1 0 10.80

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 276 211 78 241 19 17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1952 BSN P 4 0 1 2 0 0
1954 ML1 P 28 27 10 29 1 3
1955 ML1 P 22 21 7 24 0 0
1956 ML1 P 31 19 8 25 2 3
1957 ML1 P 35 18 5 27 1 3
1958 ML1 P 26 7 1 12 0 0
1959 PHI P 25 22 9 29 2 2
1960 PHI P 29 25 6 26 5 2
1961 BOS P 33 30 12 28 2 2
1962 BOS P 34 33 17 35 5 2
1963 BOS P 9 9 2 4 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 276

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Washington State University Pullman WA 1950

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1959 Most Valuable Player NL 22th 1.0 336 0
1954 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 3.0 336 0
1954 Rookie of the Year NL 3rd 2.0 24 2