Max Lanier, baseball player, 1938-1953

Max Lanier

Born: 8/18/1915 in Denton, NC, USA

Died: 1/30/2007 in Lecanto, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1938-04-20 | Final Game: 1953-07-04

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Hubert Max Lanier

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Biography

Max Lanier, born in 1915, was a prominent pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1938 until his retirement in 1953. He established a solid career with a win-loss record of 108-82 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.01. Lanier was known for his effective pitching style, which contributed to his total of 821 strikeouts and 17 saves over his career. His skill on the mound earned him two selections as an All-Star, highlighting his status as one of the standout pitchers of his era. Lanier's career unfolded during a dynamic period in baseball history, bridging the pre- and post-World War II eras. He played for teams such as the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Giants, where he showcased his talents in the major leagues. His contributions to the game were significant, as he helped define the role of the modern pitcher with his ability to control games and maintain low ERAs. Lanier's legacy remains a testament to his talent and dedication to the sport, marking him as an important figure in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
108 82 327 204 91 21 17 1619.3 1490 541 65 611 821 3.01 0

Career ERA 3.01 vs. league average 3.92 across their career seasons — 23.3% 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
1938 STL NL 0 3 18 3 1 0 0 45.0 57 21 28 14 4.20 4.35 (+3%) -
1939 STL NL 2 1 7 6 2 0 0 37.7 29 10 13 14 2.39 4.28 (+44%) -
1940 STL NL 9 6 35 11 4 2 3 105.0 113 39 38 49 3.34 4.21 (+21%) -
1941 STL NL 10 8 35 18 8 2 3 153.0 126 48 59 93 2.82 3.94 (+28%) -
1942 STL NL 13 8 34 20 8 2 2 161.0 137 53 60 93 2.96 3.57 (+17%) -
1943 STL NL 15 7 32 25 14 2 3 213.3 195 45 75 123 1.90 3.50 (+46%) -
1944 STL NL 17 12 33 30 16 5 0 224.3 192 66 71 141 2.65 3.57 (+26%) -
1945 STL NL 2 2 4 3 3 0 0 26.0 22 5 8 16 1.73 3.67 (+53%) -
1946 STL NL 6 0 6 6 6 2 0 56.0 45 12 19 36 1.93 3.59 (+46%) -
1949 STL NL 5 4 15 15 4 1 0 92.0 92 39 35 37 3.82 4.12 (+7%) -
1950 STL NL 11 9 27 27 10 2 0 181.3 173 63 68 89 3.13 4.36 (+28%) -
1951 STL NL 11 9 31 23 9 2 1 160.0 149 58 50 59 3.26 4.04 (+19%) -
1952 NY1 NL 7 12 37 16 6 1 5 137.0 124 60 65 47 3.94 3.70 (-6%) -1885.6
1953 NY1 NL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 5.3 8 4 3 2 6.75 — 0.0
1953 SLA AL 0 1 10 1 0 0 0 22.3 28 18 19 8 7.25 4.14 (-75%) -815.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
328 535 46 99 4 1 0 27 0 23 45 0.185 0.219 0.196 0.415 -2581.8

Career AVG .185 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 29.5% below league average.

Career OBP .219 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 34.4% below league average.

Career SLG .196 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — 47.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.415 vs. league average 0.708 across their career seasons — 41.4% 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
1938 STL NL 18 10 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1939 STL NL 7 14 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.286 — — — — 0.0
1940 STL NL 35 30 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1941 STL NL 35 52 3 10 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.192 .262 (-27%) .332 (-38%) .373 (-48%) .705 (-43%) -376.3
1942 STL NL 34 47 6 12 0 0 0 4 0 5 5 0.255 — — — — -82.6
1943 STL NL 32 73 8 12 0 0 0 5 0 1 5 0.164 .255 (-36%) .324 (-46%) .346 (-53%) .671 (-49%) -576.5
1944 STL NL 33 77 11 14 1 0 0 2 0 4 2 0.182 .261 (-30%) .325 (-32%) .357 (-46%) .683 (-39%) -483.5
1945 STL NL 4 11 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.182 — — — — 0.0
1946 STL NL 6 25 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1949 STL NL 15 27 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 0.074 — — — — 0.0
1950 STL NL 27 68 5 11 1 1 0 10 0 3 10 0.162 .265 (-39%) .346 (-43%) .401 (-49%) .747 (-46%) -559.1
1951 STL NL 31 53 2 8 0 0 0 1 0 1 5 0.151 .260 (-42%) .336 (-50%) .385 (-61%) .721 (-56%) -503.9
1952 NY1 NL 38 41 4 11 2 0 0 2 0 1 4 0.268 — — — — 0.0
1953 NY1 NL 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1953 SLA AL 10 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.167 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 9 0 4 0 0 0 3 0 0 0.444

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1944 WS SLN 2 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.500
1943 WS SLN 3 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.250
1942 WS SLN 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 1 7 4 0 31.7 24 6 12 25 1.71

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1944 WS SLN 1 0 2 2 0 12.3 8 3 8 11 2.19
1943 WS SLN 0 1 3 2 0 15.3 13 3 3 13 1.76
1942 WS SLN 1 0 2 0 0 4.0 3 0 1 1 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 327 0 78 324 17 25

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 SLN P 18 0 3 9 2 1
1939 SLN P 7 0 1 6 0 0
1940 SLN P 35 0 5 26 3 1
1941 SLN P 35 0 10 37 0 2
1942 SLN P 34 0 5 38 2 1
1943 SLN P 32 0 8 43 1 2
1944 SLN P 33 0 8 39 3 3
1945 SLN P 4 0 0 4 0 0
1946 SLN P 6 0 1 10 0 1
1949 SLN P 15 0 2 12 0 2
1950 SLN P 27 0 12 31 1 2
1951 SLN P 31 0 9 28 2 5
1952 NY1 P 37 0 13 37 3 4
1953 NY1 P 3 0 0 1 0 0
1953 SLA P 10 0 1 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 327

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1944 Most Valuable Player NL 26th 2.0 336 0