Bob Lemon, baseball player, 1941-1958

Bob Lemon

⭐ Hall of Fame 1976

Born: 9/22/1920 in San Bernardino, CA, USA

Died: 1/11/2000 in Long Beach, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1941-09-09 | Final Game: 1958-07-01

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Robert Granville Lemon

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Biography

Bob Lemon was a prominent American baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1941 to 1958. Born in 1920, he made a significant impact in Major League Baseball, particularly with the Cleveland Indians, where he established himself as one of the era's top pitchers. Lemon finished his career with a record of 207-128 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.23. He struck out 1,277 batters and recorded 22 saves, showcasing his versatility and effectiveness on the mound. His ability to perform consistently in high-pressure situations earned him seven All-Star selections, reflecting his stature among his peers during the post-World War II era, a time when the game was rapidly evolving. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976, Lemon's legacy is marked by both his statistical accomplishments and his role in the game during a transformative period. He was known for his competitive spirit and exceptional pitching skills, which contributed to the success of the Indians in the 1940s and 1950s. Lemon's contributions to baseball not only solidified his place in history but also inspired future generations of pitchers, making him a respected figure in the annals of the sport.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
34.0 33.0 5.0 11.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 4.0 1.0 1.0 0 0.333 0.353 0.727 1.080

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
14.0 0 0 4.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 35.0 19.0 11.0 0 0 0 2.20

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1946 14.0 14.0 1.0 5.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 0 0 0 0.357 0.357 0.786 1.143
1947 11.0 11.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0.273 0.273 0.636 0.909
1948 9.0 8.0 3.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0 0.375 0.444 0.750 1.194

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1946 11.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 13.0 8.0 4.0 0 0 0 1.44
1948 3.0 0 0 4.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 22.0 11.0 7.0 0 0 0 3.15

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
207 128 460 350 188 31 22 2850.0 2559 1024 181 1251 1277 3.23 0

Career ERA 3.23 vs. league average 3.96 across their career seasons — 18.4% 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
1946 CLE AL 4 5 32 5 1 0 1 94.0 77 26 68 39 2.49 3.59 (+31%) -1137.0
1947 CLE AL 11 5 37 15 6 1 3 167.3 150 64 97 65 3.44 3.97 (+13%) -1309.5
1948 CLE AL 20 14 43 37 20 10 2 293.7 231 92 129 147 2.82 4.10 (+31%) 3522.7
1949 CLE AL 22 10 37 33 22 2 1 279.7 211 93 137 138 2.99 4.12 (+27%) 1309.7
1950 CLE AL 23 11 44 37 22 3 3 288.0 281 123 146 170 3.84 4.36 (+12%) 1145.1
1951 CLE AL 17 14 42 34 17 1 2 263.3 244 103 124 132 3.52 4.04 (+13%) 1320.0
1952 CLE AL 22 11 42 36 28 5 4 309.7 236 86 105 131 2.50 3.70 (+32%) 3742.4
1953 CLE AL 21 15 41 36 23 5 1 286.7 283 107 110 98 3.36 4.14 (+19%) 1811.7
1954 CLE AL 23 7 36 33 21 2 0 258.3 228 78 92 110 2.72 3.90 (+30%) 4310.8
1955 CLE AL 18 10 35 31 5 0 2 211.3 218 91 74 100 3.88 4.00 (+3%) 2263.0
1956 CLE AL 20 14 39 35 21 2 3 255.3 230 86 89 94 3.03 3.96 (+24%) 298.0
1957 CLE AL 6 11 21 17 2 0 0 117.3 129 60 64 45 4.60 3.83 (-20%) -2012.2
1958 CLE AL 0 1 11 1 0 0 0 25.3 41 15 16 8 5.33 3.86 (-38%) -978.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
615 1183 148 274 54 9 37 147 2 93 241 0.232 0.288 0.386 0.674 -976.4

Career AVG .232 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 10.9% below league average.

Career OBP .288 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 13.5% below league average.

Career SLG .386 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.674 vs. league average 0.715 across their career seasons — 5.7% 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
1941 CLE AL 5 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1942 CLE AL 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1946 CLE AL 55 89 9 16 3 0 1 4 0 7 18 0.180 .256 (-30%) .328 (-27%) .358 (-31%) .687 (-29%) -449.5
1947 CLE AL 47 56 11 18 4 3 2 5 0 6 9 0.321 .262 (+23%) .336 (+15%) .376 (+61%) .712 (+39%) 343.5
1948 CLE AL 52 119 20 34 9 0 5 21 0 8 23 0.286 .263 (+8%) .340 (-3%) .379 (+29%) .719 (+14%) 233.5
1949 CLE AL 46 108 17 29 6 2 7 19 0 10 20 0.269 .262 (+2%) .343 (-4%) .384 (+45%) .727 (+22%) 343.2
1950 CLE AL 72 136 21 37 9 1 6 26 0 13 25 0.272 .265 (+2%) .346 (-2%) .401 (+21%) .747 (+10%) 222.6
1951 CLE AL 56 102 11 21 4 1 3 13 0 9 22 0.206 .260 (-21%) .336 (-20%) .385 (-8%) .721 (-14%) -278.1
1952 CLE AL 54 124 14 28 5 0 2 9 0 4 21 0.226 .252 (-11%) .326 (-23%) .369 (-15%) .696 (-19%) -436.9
1953 CLE AL 51 112 12 26 9 1 2 17 2 7 20 0.232 .264 (-12%) .335 (-17%) .397 (-3%) .733 (-10%) -240.9
1954 CLE AL 40 98 11 21 4 1 2 10 0 6 24 0.214 .261 (-18%) .333 (-23%) .390 (-14%) .723 (-18%) -335.4
1955 CLE AL 49 78 11 19 0 0 1 9 0 13 16 0.244 .258 (-6%) .332 (+4%) .393 (-28%) .726 (-14%) -152.2
1956 CLE AL 43 93 8 18 0 0 5 12 0 9 21 0.194 .258 (-25%) .331 (-18%) .397 (-11%) .728 (-14%) -226.1
1957 CLE AL 25 46 2 3 1 0 1 1 0 0 14 0.065 — — — — 0.0
1958 CLE AL 15 13 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 0.231 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1954 WS CLE 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000
1948 WS CLE 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 2 4 4 0 29.7 32 13 15 17 3.94

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1954 WS CLE 0 2 2 2 0 13.3 16 10 8 11 6.75
1948 WS CLE 2 0 2 2 0 16.3 16 3 7 6 1.65

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 2 0 1 2 1 0
OF 14 0 34 2 1 2
P 460 117 263 709 31 78

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1941 CLE 3B 1 0 1 1 0 0
1942 CLE 3B 1 0 0 1 1 0
1946 CLE OF 12 0 33 2 1 2
1946 CLE P 32 0 13 28 1 5
1947 CLE OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1947 CLE P 37 0 12 46 1 4
1948 CLE P 43 0 23 86 4 8
1949 CLE P 37 0 34 71 4 5
1950 CLE P 44 0 22 66 4 6
1951 CLE P 42 0 21 60 2 5
1952 CLE P 42 0 32 79 2 7
1953 CLE P 41 0 31 74 3 15
1954 CLE P 36 33 22 57 3 8
1955 CLE P 35 31 16 43 1 3
1956 CLE P 39 35 24 61 6 6
1957 CLE P 21 17 12 31 0 5
1958 CLE P 11 1 1 7 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 460
Third Base 2
Center Field 13
Right Field 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1954 TSN All-Star P
1954 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1950 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1950 TSN All-Star P
1950 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1948 TSN All-Star P
1948 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1956 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 40.0 336 0
1954 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 179.0 336 5
1953 Most Valuable Player AL 16th 22.0 336 0
1952 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 58.0 336 0
1950 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 102.0 336 0
1949 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 57.0 336 0
1948 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 101.0 336 0