Dave Jolly, baseball player, 1953-1957

Dave Jolly

Born: 10/14/1924 in Stony Point, NC, USA

Died: 5/27/1963 in Durham, NC, USA

MLB Debut: 1953-05-09 | Final Game: 1957-09-14

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 160 lbs

Full name: David Jolly

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Biography

Dave Jolly, born in 1924, was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1957. Known for his competitive spirit and effective pitching repertoire, Jolly carved out a niche for himself in the game during the mid-20th century. Over the course of his career, he achieved a win-loss record of 16-14 and posted an earned run average (ERA) of 3.77. His ability to strike out batters was highlighted by his 155 strikeouts, while he also demonstrated his versatility and effectiveness in late-game situations with 19 saves. Jolly’s playing years coincided with a dynamic period in baseball history that witnessed the integration of the sport and the rise of power hitting. As a pitcher, he exemplified the traditional style of the era, focusing on control and strategy on the mound. Though his career was relatively brief, spanning just over four seasons, Jolly left a lasting impact on the teams he played for, showcasing the resilience and talent of pitchers during a transformative time in the game.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
16 14 159 1 0 0 19 291.3 255 122 27 198 155 3.77 0

Career ERA 3.77 vs. league average 3.97 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
1953 ATL NL 0 1 24 0 0 0 0 38.3 34 15 27 23 3.52 4.14 (+15%) -
1954 ATL NL 11 6 47 1 0 0 10 111.3 87 30 64 62 2.43 3.90 (+38%) -
1955 ATL NL 2 3 36 0 0 0 1 58.3 58 37 51 23 5.71 4.00 (-43%) -
1956 ATL NL 2 3 29 0 0 0 7 45.7 39 19 35 20 3.74 3.96 (+6%) -
1957 ATL NL 1 1 23 0 0 0 1 37.7 37 21 21 27 5.02 3.83 (-31%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
160 48 8 14 2 0 1 7 0 3 13 0.292 0.333 0.396 0.729 0.0

Career AVG .292 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +12.2% above league average.

Career OBP .333 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .396 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.729 vs. league average 0.725 across their career seasons — near 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
1953 ATL NL 24 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1954 ATL NL 48 31 6 9 1 0 1 3 0 1 7 0.290 — — — — 0.0
1955 ATL NL 36 6 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1956 ATL NL 29 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1957 ATL NL 23 5 1 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0.600 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 159 1 9 54 4 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1953 ML1 P 24 0 2 6 0 0
1954 ML1 P 47 1 4 21 1 3
1955 ML1 P 36 0 2 15 2 2
1956 ML1 P 29 0 0 5 1 1
1957 ML1 P 23 0 1 7 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 159