Steve Dunning, baseball player, 1970-1977

Steve Dunning

Born: 5/15/1949 in Denver, CO, USA

MLB Debut: 1970-06-14 | Final Game: 1977-09-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: Steven John Dunning

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Biography

Steve Dunning, born in 1949, was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1977. He made his debut with the Cleveland Indians and later played for the Texas Rangers. Dunning's career was marked by his ability to strike out batters, as evidenced by his total of 390 strikeouts over his time in the league. He finished his career with a record of 23 wins and 41 losses, alongside an earned run average (ERA) of 4.56 and one save. Dunning's playing style showcased a determination on the mound, typical of pitchers during the era of the early 1970s, which was characterized by a mix of emerging power hitters and the last vestiges of the deadball era's influence. While he may not have achieved the same level of fame as some of his contemporaries, Dunning contributed to the teams he played for with his competitive spirit and resilience. His career, spanning nearly a decade, reflected the transitional nature of baseball during a time when the game was evolving both in terms of player development and fan engagement.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
23 41 136 84 7 1 1 613.7 604 311 82 323 390 4.56 0

Career ERA 4.56 vs. league average 3.65 across their career seasons — 25.0% worse 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
1970 CLE AL 4 9 19 17 0 0 0 94.3 93 52 54 77 4.96 3.89 (-28%) -2811.6
1971 CLE AL 8 14 31 29 3 1 1 184.0 173 92 109 132 4.50 3.47 (-30%) -5598.4
1972 CLE AL 6 4 16 16 1 0 0 105.0 98 38 43 52 3.26 3.26 (avg) -3631.2
1973 CLE AL 0 2 4 3 0 0 0 18.0 17 13 13 10 6.50 3.75 (-74%) -596.0
1973 TEX AL 2 6 23 12 2 0 0 94.3 101 56 52 38 5.34 3.75 (-43%) -2922.0
1974 TEX AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.3 3 5 3 1 19.29 — 0.0
1976 LAA AL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6.0 9 5 6 4 7.50 — -
1976 WSN NL 2 6 32 7 1 0 0 91.3 93 42 33 72 4.14 3.51 (-18%) -
1977 OAK AL 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 18.3 17 8 10 4 3.93 4.00 (+2%) -624.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
145 134 11 26 2 0 4 12 0 10 49 0.194 0.248 0.299 0.547 -262.3

Career AVG .194 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 23.8% below league average.

Career OBP .248 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 22.9% below league average.

Career SLG .299 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — 20.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.547 vs. league average 0.696 across their career seasons — 21.4% 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
1970 CLE AL 19 31 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 1 14 0.161 — — — — 0.0
1971 CLE AL 32 55 5 10 1 0 1 7 0 4 19 0.182 .249 (-27%) .316 (-26%) .365 (-30%) .682 (-28%) -262.3
1972 CLE AL 20 33 6 9 1 0 3 4 0 3 9 0.273 — — — — 0.0
1973 CLE AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1973 TEX AL 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 TEX AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 LAA AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 WSN NL 32 15 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0.133 — — — — 0.0
1977 OAK AL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 136 84 41 105 12 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1970 CLE P 19 17 7 17 2 2
1971 CLE P 31 29 13 38 2 0
1972 CLE P 16 16 2 16 2 0
1973 CLE P 4 3 0 3 0 0
1973 TEX P 23 12 9 14 3 0
1974 TEX P 1 0 1 0 0 0
1976 CAL P 4 0 0 1 1 0
1976 MON P 32 7 8 13 2 0
1977 OAK P 6 0 1 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 136

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Stanford University Palo Alto CA 1968, 1969, 1970