Steve Gromek, baseball player, 1941-1957

Steve Gromek

Born: 1/15/1920 in Hamtramck, MI, USA

Died: 3/12/2002 in Clinton Twp; Macomb County, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1941-08-18 | Final Game: 1957-07-25

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Stephen Joseph Gromek

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Biography

Steve Gromek was a professional baseball pitcher who played from 1941 to 1957, establishing himself as a reliable presence on the mound during a transformative period in Major League Baseball. Born in 1920, Gromek made his debut shortly before the United States entered World War II, a time when many players were called to serve. He finished his career with a record of 123-108 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.41, showcasing his ability to perform consistently against some of the toughest competition of the era. Over his career, Gromek amassed a total of 904 strikeouts and recorded 23 saves, signifying his versatility as both a starter and a reliever. His lone All-Star selection highlighted his skill and recognition among peers, as he contributed significantly to the teams he played for, including the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians. Gromek’s effectiveness on the mound and his dedication to the game left a lasting impact, marking him as a noteworthy figure in baseball history during a time that bridged the gap between the pre- and post-war eras.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
123 108 447 225 92 17 23 2064.7 1940 782 186 630 904 3.41 0

Career ERA 3.41 vs. league average 3.87 across their career seasons — 11.9% 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
1941 CLE AL 1 1 9 2 1 0 2 23.3 25 11 11 19 4.24 3.94 (-8%) 789.0
1942 CLE AL 2 0 14 0 0 0 0 44.3 46 18 23 14 3.65 3.57 (-2%) -581.6
1943 CLE AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4.0 6 4 0 4 9.00 — 0.0
1944 CLE AL 10 9 35 21 12 2 1 203.7 160 58 70 115 2.56 3.57 (+28%) 3356.0
1945 CLE AL 19 9 33 30 21 3 1 251.0 229 71 66 101 2.55 3.67 (+31%) 4016.5
1946 CLE AL 5 15 29 21 5 2 4 153.7 159 74 47 75 4.33 3.59 (-21%) -2728.8
1947 CLE AL 3 5 29 7 0 0 4 84.3 77 35 36 39 3.74 3.97 (+6%) -749.0
1948 CLE AL 9 3 38 9 4 1 2 130.0 109 41 51 50 2.84 4.10 (+31%) -723.3
1949 CLE AL 4 6 27 12 3 0 0 92.0 86 34 40 22 3.33 4.12 (+19%) -973.1
1950 CLE AL 10 7 31 13 4 1 0 113.3 94 46 36 43 3.65 4.36 (+16%) 1027.9
1951 CLE AL 7 4 27 8 4 0 1 107.3 98 33 29 40 2.77 4.04 (+31%) 1803.5
1952 CLE AL 7 7 29 13 3 1 1 122.7 109 50 28 65 3.67 3.70 (+1%) 486.1
1953 CLE AL 1 1 5 1 0 0 0 11.0 11 4 3 8 3.27 4.14 (+21%) 526.4
1953 DET AL 6 8 19 17 6 1 1 125.7 138 63 36 59 4.51 4.14 (-9%) -1045.2
1954 DET AL 18 16 36 32 17 4 1 252.7 236 77 57 102 2.74 3.90 (+30%) 996.8
1955 DET AL 13 10 28 25 8 2 0 181.0 183 80 37 73 3.98 4.00 (+1%) -906.6
1956 DET AL 8 6 40 13 4 0 4 141.0 142 67 47 64 4.28 3.96 (-8%) -3608.9
1957 DET AL 0 1 15 1 0 0 1 23.7 32 16 13 11 6.08 3.83 (-59%) -664.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
470 630 58 124 9 2 0 40 2 71 146 0.197 0.279 0.217 0.497 -1325.3

Career AVG .197 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 24.3% below league average.

Career OBP .279 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 16.0% below league average.

Career SLG .217 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 42.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.497 vs. league average 0.708 across their career seasons — 29.8% 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
1941 CLE AL 9 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1942 CLE AL 14 15 2 5 1 1 0 2 0 2 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1943 CLE AL 3 2 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1944 CLE AL 44 73 11 19 1 1 0 7 1 6 13 0.260 .261 (avg) .325 (-3%) .357 (-16%) .683 (-10%) -109.6
1945 CLE AL 37 91 8 21 2 0 0 10 0 10 17 0.231 .260 (-12%) .328 (-7%) .354 (-29%) .683 (-18%) -244.5
1946 CLE AL 37 56 4 11 0 0 0 0 1 2 14 0.196 .256 (-24%) .328 (-32%) .358 (-45%) .687 (-39%) -356.4
1947 CLE AL 30 22 1 7 1 0 0 1 0 0 5 0.318 — — — — 0.0
1948 CLE AL 38 41 3 6 1 0 0 1 0 3 7 0.146 — — — — 0.0
1949 CLE AL 27 24 2 4 1 0 0 1 0 2 5 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1950 CLE AL 31 38 1 6 0 0 0 1 0 1 9 0.158 — — — — 0.0
1951 CLE AL 27 27 2 8 1 0 0 2 0 5 8 0.296 — — — — 0.0
1952 CLE AL 30 30 2 3 0 0 0 3 0 5 10 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1953 CLE AL 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1953 DET AL 19 41 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 10 0.073 — — — — 0.0
1954 DET AL 36 79 6 15 0 0 0 3 0 8 21 0.190 .261 (-27%) .333 (-18%) .390 (-51%) .723 (-36%) -456.0
1955 DET AL 28 54 10 9 1 0 0 5 0 16 12 0.167 .258 (-36%) .332 (+8%) .393 (-53%) .726 (-25%) -158.8
1956 DET AL 40 27 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 11 10 0.148 — — — — 0.0
1957 DET AL 15 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

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

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1948 WS CLE 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 0 1 1 0 9.0 7 1 1 2 1.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1948 WS CLE 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 7 1 1 2 1.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 447 71 126 248 13 20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1941 CLE P 9 0 0 0 0 0
1942 CLE P 14 0 2 6 2 1
1943 CLE P 3 0 0 0 0 0
1944 CLE P 35 0 10 22 2 3
1945 CLE P 33 0 15 31 2 1
1946 CLE P 29 0 10 21 1 2
1947 CLE P 29 0 2 13 1 0
1948 CLE P 38 0 8 17 2 3
1949 CLE P 27 0 8 18 1 0
1950 CLE P 31 0 11 14 0 3
1951 CLE P 27 0 13 18 0 3
1952 CLE P 29 0 7 9 0 0
1953 CLE P 5 0 1 0 0 0
1953 DET P 19 0 9 13 0 1
1954 DET P 36 32 16 26 1 1
1955 DET P 28 25 12 22 1 2
1956 DET P 40 13 1 16 0 0
1957 DET P 15 1 1 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 447

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1945 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1954 Most Valuable Player AL 26th 1.0 336 0