Vern Law, baseball player, 1950-1967

Vern Law

Born: 3/12/1930 in Meridian, ID, USA

MLB Debut: 1950-06-11 | Final Game: 1967-08-20

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Vernon Sanders Law

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Biography

Vern Law, born in 1930, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, with a career that spanned from 1950 until 1967. Known for his competitive spirit and strategic pitching style, Law finished his career with a record of 162 wins and 147 losses, alongside an earned run average (ERA) of 3.77. He struck out 1,092 batters and recorded 13 saves over the course of his time in the league. Law was recognized for his outstanding performance on the mound, earning two All-Star selections and being honored with the prestigious Cy Young Award, solidifying his status as one of the elite pitchers of his era. Law's career unfolded during a transformative time in baseball, transitioning through the late 1950s into the 1960s, an era marked by the emergence of power hitting and the evolving strategies of the game. His consistent performance and ability to navigate the challenges of pitching in the major leagues made him a key figure for his teams, especially noted for his contributions to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Throughout his tenure, Law exemplified the qualities of a skilled pitcher, combining precision and resilience that left a lasting impact on the franchise and the sport as a whole.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
162 147 483 364 119 28 13 2672.0 2833 1118 268 597 1092 3.77 0

Career ERA 3.77 vs. league average 3.79 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
1950 PIT NL 7 9 27 17 5 1 0 128.0 137 70 49 57 4.92 4.36 (-13%) 1006.2
1951 PIT NL 6 9 28 14 2 1 2 114.0 109 57 51 41 4.50 4.04 (-11%) -719.7
1954 PIT NL 9 13 39 18 7 0 3 161.7 201 99 56 57 5.51 3.90 (-41%) -2086.1
1955 PIT NL 10 10 43 24 8 1 1 200.7 221 85 61 82 3.81 4.00 (+5%) 1517.4
1956 PIT NL 8 16 39 32 6 0 2 195.7 218 94 49 60 4.32 3.96 (-9%) -1169.5
1957 PIT NL 10 8 31 25 9 3 1 172.7 172 55 32 55 2.87 3.83 (+25%) 302.6
1958 PIT NL 14 12 35 29 6 1 3 202.3 235 89 39 56 3.96 3.86 (-3%) 1676.9
1959 PIT NL 18 9 34 33 20 2 1 266.0 245 88 53 110 2.98 3.90 (+24%) 2432.9
1960 PIT NL 20 9 35 35 18 3 0 271.7 266 93 40 120 3.08 3.82 (+19%) 3533.6
1961 PIT NL 3 4 11 10 1 0 0 59.3 72 31 18 20 4.70 4.03 (-17%) -1539.2
1962 PIT NL 10 7 23 20 7 2 0 139.3 156 61 27 78 3.94 3.96 (avg) -374.5
1963 PIT NL 4 5 18 12 1 1 0 76.7 91 42 13 31 4.93 3.46 (-43%) -1139.5
1964 PIT NL 12 13 35 29 7 5 0 192.0 203 77 32 93 3.61 3.58 (-1%) 1047.6
1965 PIT NL 17 9 29 28 13 4 0 217.3 182 52 35 101 2.15 3.50 (+38%) 2098.3
1966 PIT NL 12 8 31 28 8 4 0 177.7 203 80 24 88 4.05 3.52 (-15%) 430.8
1967 PIT NL 2 6 25 10 1 0 0 97.0 122 45 18 43 4.18 3.30 (-26%) 972.8

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
516 883 96 191 35 7 11 90 1 41 179 0.216 0.254 0.309 0.563 -2563.4

Career AVG .216 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 15.0% below league average.

Career OBP .254 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 21.3% below league average.

Career SLG .309 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — 19.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.563 vs. league average 0.708 across their career seasons — 20.5% 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
1950 PIT NL 27 41 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 14 0.073 — — — — 0.0
1951 PIT NL 28 32 5 11 2 1 1 4 0 3 6 0.344 — — — — 0.0
1954 PIT NL 50 52 10 12 5 0 1 13 0 5 8 0.231 .261 (-12%) .333 (-7%) .390 (-1%) .723 (-4%) -38.4
1955 PIT NL 44 63 8 16 3 0 1 8 1 4 16 0.254 .258 (-2%) .332 (-10%) .393 (-11%) .726 (-11%) -122.4
1956 PIT NL 39 57 3 10 1 0 1 8 0 4 16 0.175 .258 (-32%) .331 (-32%) .397 (-38%) .728 (-35%) -360.9
1957 PIT NL 34 63 3 12 1 1 0 6 0 1 11 0.190 .257 (-26%) .323 (-34%) .391 (-39%) .715 (-37%) -393.2
1958 PIT NL 36 62 11 12 3 1 2 12 0 9 10 0.194 .257 (-25%) .324 (-11%) .394 (-6%) .719 (-8%) -111.4
1959 PIT NL 38 96 6 16 2 0 1 8 0 3 20 0.167 .256 (-35%) .323 (-41%) .392 (-44%) .715 (-43%) -699.6
1960 PIT NL 35 94 10 17 5 2 1 7 0 2 19 0.181 .255 (-29%) .323 (-40%) .387 (-20%) .711 (-29%) -513.1
1961 PIT NL 11 19 0 5 1 0 0 5 0 1 4 0.263 — — — — 0.0
1962 PIT NL 23 45 6 14 4 1 0 5 0 1 7 0.311 — — — — 0.0
1963 PIT NL 21 23 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.217 — — — — 0.0
1964 PIT NL 36 61 9 19 3 0 1 3 0 3 11 0.311 .250 (+24%) .312 (+13%) .377 (+8%) .690 (+11%) 110.7
1965 PIT NL 34 82 9 20 0 0 1 6 0 0 19 0.244 .245 (-1%) .310 (-22%) .371 (-25%) .682 (-23%) -310.2
1966 PIT NL 34 66 11 16 3 0 1 3 0 3 11 0.242 .248 (-2%) .309 (-11%) .376 (-11%) .685 (-11%) -124.8
1967 PIT NL 26 27 3 3 2 0 0 1 0 1 6 0.111 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 6 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 0.333

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1960 WS PIT 3 6 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 0.333

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 0 3 3 0 18.3 22 7 3 8 3.44

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1960 WS PIT 2 0 3 3 0 18.3 22 7 3 8 3.44

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1 1 1 0 0 0
P 483 333 212 453 19 41

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1950 PIT P 27 0 5 15 2 1
1951 PIT P 28 0 10 15 2 2
1954 PIT OF 1 1 1 0 0 0
1954 PIT P 39 18 11 23 1 2
1955 PIT P 43 24 14 35 4 3
1956 PIT P 39 32 12 31 0 3
1957 PIT P 31 25 13 23 2 2
1958 PIT P 35 29 16 31 0 3
1959 PIT P 34 33 20 47 1 5
1960 PIT P 35 35 28 50 2 6
1961 PIT P 11 10 7 13 0 1
1962 PIT P 23 20 7 27 2 3
1963 PIT P 18 12 5 20 0 1
1964 PIT P 35 29 16 36 1 3
1965 PIT P 29 28 29 36 1 2
1966 PIT P 31 28 11 36 0 4
1967 PIT P 25 10 8 15 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 483
Right Field 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1965 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1965 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1960 Cy Young Award
1960 TSN All-Star P
1960 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1965 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 12.0 280 0
1960 Cy Young Award ML 1st 8.0 16 8
1960 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 80.0 336 0
1959 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 3.0 336 0
1955 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 1.0 336 0