Lefty Gomez

⭐ Hall of Fame 1972

Born: 11/26/1908 in Rodeo, CA, USA

Died: 2/17/1989 in Greenbrae, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1930-04-29 | Final Game: 1943-05-30

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 173 lbs

Full name: Vernon Louis Gomez

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Biography

Lefty Gomez, born in 1908, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1930 until his retirement in 1943. He established himself as one of the game's great left-handed pitchers during the Golden Age of Baseball, a period characterized by the rise of powerful offensive play and the emergence of legendary figures. Over his career, Gomez compiled an impressive record of 189 wins and 102 losses, with a career earned run average (ERA) of 3.34. He struck out 1,468 batters and recorded 9 saves, showcasing both his longevity and effectiveness on the mound. Gomez was selected to the All-Star team seven times and was known for his exceptional pitching skills and charismatic personality. His contributions to the sport were recognized when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. As a member of the New York Yankees, he played a pivotal role in the team’s success during the 1930s and early 1940s, contributing to multiple championship-winning seasons. Lefty Gomez remains a significant figure in baseball history, remembered not only for his statistical achievements but also for his influence on the game during a transformative era.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
189	102	368	320	173	28	9	2503.0	2290	930	138	1095	1468	3.34	0

Career ERA 3.34 vs. league average 4.16 across their career seasons — 19.7% 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
1930	NYY	AL	2	5	15	6	2	0	1	60.0	66	37	28	22	5.55	4.80 (-16%)	-
1931	NYY	AL	21	9	40	26	17	1	3	243.0	206	72	85	150	2.67	4.10 (+35%)	-
1932	NYY	AL	24	7	37	31	21	1	1	265.3	266	124	105	176	4.21	4.13 (-2%)	-
1933	NYY	AL	16	10	35	30	14	4	2	234.7	218	83	106	163	3.18	3.86 (+17%)	-
1934	NYY	AL	26	5	38	33	25	6	1	281.7	223	73	96	158	2.33	4.29 (+46%)	-
1935	NYY	AL	12	15	34	30	15	2	1	246.0	223	87	86	138	3.18	4.35 (+27%)	-
1936	NYY	AL	13	7	31	30	10	0	0	188.7	184	92	122	105	4.39	4.59 (+4%)	-
1937	NYY	AL	21	11	34	34	25	6	0	278.3	233	72	93	194	2.33	4.34 (+46%)	-
1938	NYY	AL	18	12	32	32	20	4	0	239.0	239	89	99	129	3.35	4.35 (+23%)	-
1939	NYY	AL	12	8	26	26	14	2	0	198.0	173	75	84	102	3.41	4.28 (+20%)	-
1940	NYY	AL	3	3	9	5	0	0	0	27.3	37	20	18	14	6.59	4.21 (-56%)	-
1941	NYY	AL	15	5	23	23	8	2	0	156.3	151	65	103	76	3.74	3.94 (+5%)	-
1942	NYY	AL	6	4	13	13	2	0	0	80.0	67	38	65	41	4.28	3.57 (-20%)	-
1943	WSN	AL	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	4.7	4	3	5	0	5.79	—	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
368	904	59	133	11	0	0	58	1	50	252	0.147	0.194	0.159	0.353	-7323.1

Career AVG .147 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 46.1% below league average.

Career OBP .194 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 42.8% below league average.

Career SLG .159 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 58.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.353 vs. league average 0.726 across their career seasons — 51.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1930	NYY	AL	15	20	1	3	0	1	0	0	9	0.150	—	—	—	—	0.0
1931	NYY	AL	40	83	8	11	0	3	0	7	28	0.133	.276 (-52%)	.338 (-41%)	.388 (-66%)	.726 (-54%)	-766.5
1932	NYY	AL	37	104	9	18	2	15	0	6	36	0.173	.275 (-37%)	.335 (-35%)	.391 (-51%)	.726 (-44%)	-770.7
1933	NYY	AL	35	80	3	9	0	3	0	7	23	0.113	.270 (-58%)	.329 (-41%)	.377 (-70%)	.707 (-57%)	-743.3
1934	NYY	AL	38	99	8	13	1	4	0	6	30	0.131	.278 (-53%)	.340 (-45%)	.392 (-64%)	.733 (-55%)	-939.8
1935	NYY	AL	34	83	4	10	0	4	0	3	15	0.120	.279 (-57%)	.342 (-56%)	.399 (-70%)	.742 (-63%)	-913.9
1936	NYY	AL	31	69	1	10	1	5	0	3	23	0.145	.283 (-49%)	.349 (-48%)	.404 (-61%)	.753 (-55%)	-668.2
1937	NYY	AL	34	105	8	21	2	4	1	5	22	0.200	.276 (-28%)	.342 (-31%)	.398 (-45%)	.740 (-39%)	-699.9
1938	NYY	AL	32	86	5	13	2	7	0	4	18	0.151	.272 (-45%)	.341 (-45%)	.392 (-56%)	.734 (-51%)	-752.9
1939	NYY	AL	26	73	3	11	2	4	0	5	22	0.151	.274 (-45%)	.342 (-40%)	.393 (-55%)	.735 (-48%)	-598.1
1940	NYY	AL	9	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1941	NYY	AL	23	59	5	9	1	4	0	3	12	0.153	.262 (-42%)	.332 (-42%)	.373 (-55%)	.705 (-49%)	-469.8
1942	NYY	AL	13	33	4	5	0	4	0	1	12	0.152	—	—	—	—	0.0
1943	WSN	AL	1	1	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
7	20	3	3	0	0	0	4	2	7	0.150

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1939	WS	NYA	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.000
1938	WS	NYA	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0.000
1937	WS	NYA	2	6	2	1	1	2	1	0.167
1936	WS	NYA	2	8	1	2	3	0	3	0.250
1932	WS	NYA	1	3	0	0	0	0	2	0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
6	0	7	7	0	50.3	51	16	15	31	2.86

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1939	WS	NYA	0	1	1	1.0	3	1	0	1	9.00
1938	WS	NYA	1	1	1	7.0	9	3	1	5	3.86
1937	WS	NYA	2	2	2	18.0	16	3	2	8	1.50
1936	WS	NYA	2	2	2	15.3	14	8	11	9	4.70
1932	WS	NYA	1	1	1	9.0	9	1	1	8	1.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	368	0	56	393	20	20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1930	NYA	P	15	1	18	0	0
1931	NYA	P	40	6	43	1	1
1932	NYA	P	37	2	36	2	3
1933	NYA	P	35	4	30	4	0
1934	NYA	P	38	7	42	1	2
1935	NYA	P	34	6	49	2	2
1936	NYA	P	31	4	29	1	3
1937	NYA	P	34	3	36	3	1
1938	NYA	P	32	12	51	1	5
1939	NYA	P	26	2	33	1	0
1940	NYA	P	9	1	2	0	0
1941	NYA	P	23	6	11	2	2
1942	NYA	P	13	2	9	1	0
1943	WS1	P	1	0	4	1	1

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Pitcher	368

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1938	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P2
1938	TSN All-Star	P
1937	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P1
1937	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P2
1937	Pitching Triple Crown
1934	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P1
1934	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P2
1934	Pitching Triple Crown
1934	TSN All-Star	P
1932	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P3
1932	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P3