Joe Horlen

Born: 8/14/1937 in San Antonio, TX, USA

Died: 4/10/2022 in San Antonio, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1961-09-04 | Final Game: 1972-10-04

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Joel Edward Horlen

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Biography

Joe Horlen was a talented pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1972. Born in 1937, Horlen made his mark primarily with the Chicago White Sox, showcasing his skills during an era characterized by a transition in baseball styles and strategies. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 116-117, with a commendable earned run average (ERA) of 3.11, reflecting his effectiveness on the mound. His career spanned a time when pitching was becoming increasingly specialized, and Horlen adapted well to the demands of the game. Horlen struck out a total of 1,065 batters throughout his career, demonstrating his ability to overpower hitters with a mix of skill and strategy. Although he recorded only 4 saves, his role as a starting pitcher was pivotal for his teams, particularly in high-stakes situations. In recognition of his contributions to the game, he was selected as an All-Star once during his career, highlighting his status among his contemporaries. Joe Horlen's legacy remains as a solid pitcher who played a significant role in the pitching-rich environment of the 1960s and early 1970s.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
116	117	361	290	59	18	4	2002.0	1829	691	145	554	1065	3.11	0

Career ERA 3.11 vs. league average 3.54 across their career seasons — 12.3% 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	CHW	AL	1	3	5	4	0	0	0	17.7	25	13	13	11	6.62	4.03 (-64%)	-
1962	CHW	AL	7	6	20	19	5	1	0	108.7	108	59	43	63	4.89	3.96 (-24%)	-
1963	CHW	AL	11	7	33	21	3	0	0	124.0	122	45	55	61	3.27	3.46 (+6%)	-
1964	CHW	AL	13	9	32	28	9	2	0	210.7	142	44	55	138	1.88	3.58 (+47%)	-
1965	CHW	AL	13	13	34	34	7	4	0	219.0	203	70	39	125	2.88	3.50 (+18%)	-
1966	CHW	AL	10	13	37	29	4	2	1	211.0	185	57	53	124	2.43	3.52 (+31%)	-
1967	CHW	AL	19	7	35	35	13	6	0	258.0	188	59	58	103	2.06	3.30 (+38%)	-
1968	CHW	AL	12	14	35	35	4	1	0	223.7	197	59	70	102	2.37	2.98 (+20%)	-
1969	CHW	AL	13	16	36	35	7	2	0	235.7	237	99	77	121	3.78	3.61 (-5%)	-
1970	CHW	AL	6	16	28	26	4	0	0	172.3	198	93	41	77	4.86	3.89 (-25%)	-
1971	CHW	AL	8	9	34	18	3	0	2	137.3	150	65	30	82	4.26	3.47 (-23%)	-
1972	OAK	AL	3	4	32	6	0	0	1	84.0	74	28	20	58	3.00	3.26 (+8%)	1975.0

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
412	618	29	83	4	1	0	26	1	18	127	0.134	0.159	0.144	0.303	-4172.7

Career AVG .134 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — 45.9% below league average.

Career OBP .159 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 49.4% below league average.

Career SLG .144 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 61.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.303 vs. league average 0.686 across their career seasons — 55.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1961	CHW	AL	5	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1962	CHW	AL	20	38	1	2	0	0	0	0	2	11	0.053	—	—	—	—	0.0
1963	CHW	AL	33	40	2	9	0	0	3	0	1	9	0.225	—	—	—	—	0.0
1964	CHW	AL	32	69	2	11	0	0	5	0	2	11	0.159	.250 (-36%)	.312 (-41%)	.377 (-58%)	.690 (-50%)	-554.7
1965	CHW	AL	34	68	0	9	1	0	2	0	5	12	0.132	.245 (-46%)	.310 (-38%)	.371 (-60%)	.682 (-50%)	-542.3
1966	CHW	AL	64	60	6	4	0	0	1	1	2	12	0.067	.248 (-73%)	.309 (-69%)	.376 (-82%)	.685 (-76%)	-787.0
1967	CHW	AL	51	83	8	14	1	0	5	0	1	14	0.169	.242 (-30%)	.306 (-39%)	.357 (-49%)	.663 (-45%)	-607.8
1968	CHW	AL	41	67	2	7	0	1	3	0	3	13	0.104	.236 (-56%)	.298 (-52%)	.340 (-61%)	.638 (-57%)	-586.4
1969	CHW	AL	36	77	4	14	1	0	5	0	0	22	0.182	.248 (-27%)	.320 (-43%)	.369 (-47%)	.689 (-45%)	-574.8
1970	CHW	AL	28	52	2	6	1	0	1	0	2	14	0.115	.253 (-55%)	.325 (-55%)	.385 (-65%)	.711 (-60%)	-519.7
1971	CHW	AL	36	40	1	4	0	0	1	0	0	3	0.100	—	—	—	—	0.0
1972	OAK	AL	32	17	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	4	0.176	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2	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
1972	ALCS	OAK	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1972	WS	OAK	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	1	2	0	0	1.3	2	2	3	1	13.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1972	ALCS	OAK	0	1	1	0	0	0.0	0	1	1	0	0.00
1972	WS	OAK	0	0	1	0	0	1.3	2	1	2	1	6.75

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	361	290	159	421	16	17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1961	CHA	P	5	4	3	3	0	1
1962	CHA	P	20	19	10	28	1	0
1963	CHA	P	33	21	4	30	0	0
1964	CHA	P	32	28	14	46	0	3
1965	CHA	P	34	34	10	41	3	0
1966	CHA	P	37	29	25	57	3	5
1967	CHA	P	35	35	29	53	0	4
1968	CHA	P	35	35	14	47	3	3
1969	CHA	P	36	35	13	32	3	0
1970	CHA	P	28	26	22	42	1	1
1971	CHA	P	34	18	10	27	2	0
1972	OAK	P	32	6	5	15	0	0