Steve Hamilton, baseball player, 1961-1972

Steve Hamilton

Born: 11/30/1934 in Columbia, KY, USA

Died: 12/2/1997 in Morehead, KY, USA

MLB Debut: 1961-04-23 | Final Game: 1972-08-16

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'6" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Steven Absher Hamilton

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Steve Hamilton was a skilled left-handed pitcher whose career spanned from 1961 to 1972. Born in 1934, Hamilton made a significant impact on the game during his tenure in Major League Baseball, showcasing his talents primarily with the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 40-31 and maintained a commendable earned run average (ERA) of 3.05. Known for his ability to strike out batters, Hamilton recorded a total of 531 strikeouts, alongside 42 saves, demonstrating his effectiveness both in starting and relief roles. Hamilton's playing style was characterized by his deceptive delivery and ability to keep hitters off balance, which was crucial during an era when pitching dominated the game. He was part of the Yankees' roster during a period of transition in the league, contributing to a team that sought to reclaim its status as a powerhouse in baseball. His contributions were not only vital in individual games but also in the development of younger players who looked up to him. Steve Hamilton's legacy is remembered through his impressive statistics and the role he played in the evolution of pitching strategies during the early years of modern baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
40 31 421 17 3 1 42 663.0 556 225 51 214 531 3.05 0

Career ERA 3.05 vs. league average 3.54 across their career seasons — 13.8% 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
1961 CLE AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3.0 2 1 3 4 3.00 — 0.0
1962 WS2 AL 3 8 41 10 1 0 2 107.3 103 45 39 83 3.77 3.96 (+5%) 1370.1
1963 WS2 AL 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 2.0 5 3 2 1 13.50 — 0.0
1963 NYY AL 5 1 34 0 0 0 5 62.3 49 18 24 63 2.60 3.46 (+25%) -
1964 NYY AL 7 2 30 3 1 0 3 60.3 55 22 15 49 3.28 3.58 (+8%) -
1965 NYY AL 3 1 46 1 0 0 5 58.3 47 9 16 51 1.39 3.50 (+60%) -
1966 NYY AL 8 3 44 3 1 1 3 90.0 69 30 22 57 3.00 3.52 (+15%) -
1967 NYY AL 2 4 44 0 0 0 4 62.0 57 24 23 55 3.48 3.30 (-5%) -
1968 NYY AL 2 2 40 0 0 0 11 50.7 37 12 13 42 2.13 2.98 (+29%) -
1969 NYY AL 3 4 38 0 0 0 2 57.0 39 21 21 39 3.32 3.61 (+8%) -
1970 NYY AL 4 3 35 0 0 0 3 45.3 36 14 16 33 2.78 3.89 (+28%) -
1970 CHW AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3.0 4 2 1 3 6.00 — -
1971 SFG NL 2 2 39 0 0 0 4 44.7 29 15 11 38 3.02 3.47 (+13%) -
1972 CHC NL 1 0 22 0 0 0 0 17.0 24 9 8 13 4.76 3.26 (-46%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
425 112 8 14 0 2 0 6 0 5 25 0.125 0.162 0.161 0.323 0.0

Career AVG .125 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — 49.7% below league average.

Career OBP .162 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 48.4% below league average.

Career SLG .161 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 56.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.323 vs. league average 0.686 across their career seasons — 52.9% 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
1961 CLE AL 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1962 WS2 AL 43 26 1 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 7 0.077 — — — — 0.0
1963 WS2 AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1963 NYY AL 34 14 2 4 0 1 0 2 0 0 3 0.286 — — — — 0.0
1964 NYY AL 32 20 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 4 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1965 NYY AL 46 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1966 NYY AL 44 19 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.053 — — — — 0.0
1967 NYY AL 44 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1968 NYY AL 40 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1969 NYY AL 38 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1970 NYY AL 35 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1970 CHW AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1971 SFG NL 39 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1972 CHC NL 22 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 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
1971 NLCS SFN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1964 WS NYA 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1963 WS NYA 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 4 0 1 4.0 4 2 0 6 4.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1971 NLCS SFN 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 1 1 0 3 9.00
1964 WS NYA 0 0 2 0 1 2.0 3 1 0 2 4.50
1963 WS NYA 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 1 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 421 17 22 102 6 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1961 CLE P 2 0 1 1 0 0
1962 WS2 P 41 10 8 22 2 0
1963 WS2 P 3 0 0 1 0 0
1963 NYA P 34 0 3 12 0 0
1964 NYA P 30 3 3 9 0 1
1965 NYA P 46 1 0 3 1 0
1966 NYA P 44 3 2 12 2 0
1967 NYA P 44 0 0 12 0 0
1968 NYA P 40 0 2 9 0 1
1969 NYA P 38 0 0 4 0 0
1970 NYA P 35 0 0 9 0 0
1970 CHA P 3 0 0 2 1 0
1971 SFN P 39 0 3 4 0 0
1972 CHN P 22 0 0 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 421

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Morehead State University Morehead KY 1955, 1956, 1957