Don Gross, baseball player, 1955-1960

Don Gross

Born: 6/30/1931 in Weidman, MI, USA

Died: 8/10/2017 in Weidman, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1955-07-21 | Final Game: 1960-05-25

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 186 lbs

Full name: Donald John Gross

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Biography

Don Gross was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 until 1960. Born in 1931, Gross made his debut with the Cincinnati Reds and later played for the Philadelphia Phillies. Throughout his career, he recorded a win-loss record of 20-22 and maintained an earned run average (ERA) of 3.73. His tenure in the league was marked by his ability to strike out batters, finishing with a total of 230 strikeouts, alongside accumulating 10 saves. Gross's playing style was characterized by a solid command of his pitches, which allowed him to be a reliable option both as a starter and a reliever during his time on the mound. Competing in an era that saw the evolution of pitching strategies, Gross contributed to his teams with a balanced skill set that combined durability and effectiveness. His career spanned a transformative period in baseball, where the game was shifting towards a more dynamic style of play, and he played a role in this evolution during the late 1950s. Although he did not achieve Hall of Fame status, Gross remains a notable figure for his contributions to the teams he represented during his relatively brief career in the major leagues.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
20 22 145 37 9 1 10 398.0 400 165 45 117 230 3.73 0

Career ERA 3.73 vs. league average 3.90 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
1955 CIN NL 4 5 17 11 2 1 0 67.3 79 31 16 33 4.14 4.00 (-4%) -462.1
1956 CIN NL 3 0 19 7 2 0 0 69.3 69 15 20 47 1.95 3.96 (+51%) 2273.6
1957 CIN NL 7 9 43 16 5 0 1 148.3 152 71 33 73 4.31 3.83 (-12%) -795.4
1958 PIT NL 5 7 40 3 0 0 7 74.7 67 33 38 59 3.98 3.86 (-3%) 1001.5
1959 PIT NL 1 1 21 0 0 0 2 33.0 28 13 10 15 3.55 3.90 (+9%) 73.3
1960 PIT NL 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 5.3 5 2 0 3 3.38 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
145 104 4 11 0 1 0 10 0 5 32 0.106 0.145 0.125 0.270 0.0

Career AVG .106 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 58.9% below league average.

Career OBP .145 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 55.5% below league average.

Career SLG .125 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 68.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.270 vs. league average 0.719 across their career seasons — 62.4% 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
1955 CIN NL 17 19 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 0.158 — — — — 0.0
1956 CIN NL 19 19 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 5 0.105 — — — — 0.0
1957 CIN NL 43 46 2 5 0 1 0 6 0 1 14 0.109 — — — — 0.0
1958 PIT NL 40 18 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 5 0.056 — — — — 0.0
1959 PIT NL 21 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1960 PIT NL 5 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 145 37 29 72 2 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1955 CIN P 17 11 3 12 2 1
1956 CIN P 19 7 6 13 0 3
1957 CIN P 43 16 14 22 0 1
1958 PIT P 40 3 5 14 0 1
1959 PIT P 21 0 1 11 0 0
1960 PIT P 5 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 145