Russ Kemmerer, baseball player, 1954-1963

Russ Kemmerer

Born: 11/1/1930 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Died: 12/8/2014 in Indianapolis, IN, USA

MLB Debut: 1954-06-27 | Final Game: 1963-06-23

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 198 lbs

Full name: Russell Paul Kemmerer

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Biography

Russ Kemmerer was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1954 to 1963. Born in 1930, he made his Major League debut during an era characterized by a blend of traditional baseball values and the burgeoning influence of television on the sport. Over his career, Kemmerer recorded a win-loss record of 43-59 and posted an earned run average (ERA) of 4.46. His ability to strike out batters was notable, as he amassed a total of 505 strikeouts throughout his time in the league, complemented by 8 saves. Kemmerer's playing style was marked by his competitive spirit and resilience on the mound, traits that are often celebrated in pitchers of his era. His contributions to various teams during the 1950s and early 1960s helped shape the transition of the game as it moved away from the deadball era towards a more offense-driven approach. While he may not be among the most celebrated pitchers of his time, Kemmerer’s dedication to the sport and his role within his teams left a lasting impact on the players and fans who witnessed his performances.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
43 59 302 109 24 2 8 1066.7 1144 529 103 389 505 4.46 0

Career ERA 4.46 vs. league average 3.85 across their career seasons — 15.8% worse 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
1954 BOS AL 5 3 19 9 2 1 0 75.3 71 32 41 37 3.82 3.90 (+2%) 151.0
1955 BOS AL 1 1 7 2 0 0 0 17.3 18 14 15 13 7.27 4.00 (-82%) -746.3
1957 BOS AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 5 2 2 1 4.50 — 0.0
1957 WSN AL 7 11 39 26 6 0 0 172.3 214 95 71 81 4.96 3.83 (-29%) -
1958 WSN AL 6 15 40 30 6 0 0 224.3 234 115 74 111 4.61 3.86 (-20%) -
1959 WSN AL 8 17 37 28 8 0 0 206.0 221 103 71 89 4.50 3.90 (-15%) -
1960 WSN AL 0 2 3 3 0 0 0 17.3 18 15 10 10 7.79 3.82 (-104%) -
1960 CHW AL 6 3 36 7 2 1 2 120.7 111 40 45 76 2.98 3.82 (+22%) -
1961 CHW AL 3 3 47 2 0 0 2 96.7 102 47 26 35 4.38 4.03 (-9%) -
1962 CHW AL 2 1 20 0 0 0 0 28.0 30 12 11 17 3.86 3.96 (+2%) -
1962 HOU NL 5 3 36 2 0 0 3 68.0 72 31 15 23 4.10 3.96 (-4%) -1191.7
1963 HOU NL 0 0 17 0 0 0 1 36.7 48 23 8 12 5.65 3.46 (-63%) 577.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
302 265 13 34 3 0 2 16 0 23 113 0.128 0.197 0.162 0.359 -1102.9

Career AVG .128 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 49.9% below league average.

Career OBP .197 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 39.2% below league average.

Career SLG .162 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 58.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.359 vs. league average 0.715 across their career seasons — 49.7% 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
1954 BOS AL 19 21 1 3 0 0 0 2 0 3 11 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1955 BOS AL 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1957 BOS AL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1957 WSN AL 39 45 4 3 1 0 2 6 0 4 21 0.067 — — — — 0.0
1958 WSN AL 40 69 3 11 0 0 0 1 0 2 28 0.159 .257 (-38%) .324 (-44%) .394 (-60%) .719 (-52%) -610.2
1959 WSN AL 37 60 1 8 1 0 0 5 0 6 25 0.133 .256 (-48%) .323 (-35%) .392 (-62%) .715 (-49%) -492.7
1960 WSN AL 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1960 CHW AL 36 29 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 14 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1961 CHW AL 47 15 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 2 7 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1962 CHW AL 20 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1962 HOU NL 36 9 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1963 HOU NL 17 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.286 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 302 109 72 181 15 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1954 BOS P 19 9 4 14 2 2
1955 BOS P 7 2 0 2 0 0
1957 BOS P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1957 WS1 P 39 26 4 20 3 2
1958 WS1 P 40 30 13 37 2 2
1959 WS1 P 37 28 18 36 3 1
1960 WS1 P 3 3 3 4 0 0
1960 CHA P 36 7 9 18 1 1
1961 CHA P 47 2 8 21 2 2
1962 CHA P 20 0 2 9 2 0
1962 HOU P 36 2 6 12 0 1
1963 HOU P 17 0 5 8 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 302

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA 1950