Jim Lonborg

Born: 4/16/1942 in Santa Maria, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1965-04-23 | Final Game: 1979-06-10

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: James Reynold Lonborg

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Biography

Jim Lonborg was a notable pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1965 to 1979. Born in 1942, he played the majority of his career with the Boston Red Sox and became a key figure in their pitching rotation during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Lonborg's performance peaked when he won the prestigious Cy Young Award, showcasing his ability to dominate opposing hitters. He finished his career with a record of 157 wins and 137 losses, an earned run average of 3.86, and a total of 1,475 strikeouts. Additionally, he recorded 4 saves, reflecting his versatility as a pitcher. Lonborg's playing style was characterized by a solid fastball and an effective curve, making him a formidable opponent on the mound. He was selected as an All-Star during his career, underlining his status as one of the top pitchers of his era. His contributions were particularly significant during a time when the Red Sox were striving to return to prominence in the American League. Lonborg's impact extended beyond the statistics as he became a beloved figure in Boston, remembered for his resilience and tenacity on the field. After retiring, he left a lasting legacy in the game, influencing future generations of pitchers.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
157	137	425	368	90	15	4	2464.3	2400	1056	233	823	1475	3.86	0

Career ERA 3.86 vs. league average 3.61 across their career seasons — 7.0% 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
1965	BOS	AL	9	17	32	31	7	1	0	185.3	193	92	65	113	4.47	3.50 (-28%)	-1455.3
1966	BOS	AL	10	10	45	23	3	1	2	181.7	173	78	55	131	3.86	3.52 (-10%)	453.5
1967	BOS	AL	22	9	39	39	15	2	0	273.3	228	96	83	246	3.16	3.30 (+4%)	2533.4
1968	BOS	AL	6	10	23	17	4	1	0	113.3	89	54	59	73	4.29	2.98 (-44%)	-3564.9
1969	BOS	AL	7	11	29	23	4	0	0	143.7	148	72	65	100	4.51	3.61 (-25%)	-1347.6
1970	BOS	AL	4	1	9	4	0	0	0	34.0	33	12	9	21	3.18	3.89 (+18%)	463.6
1971	BOS	AL	10	7	27	26	5	1	0	167.7	167	77	67	100	4.13	3.47 (-19%)	-1742.8
1972	ATL	AL	14	12	33	30	11	2	1	223.0	197	70	76	143	2.83	3.26 (+13%)	-
1973	PHI	NL	13	16	38	30	6	0	0	199.3	218	108	80	106	4.88	3.75 (-30%)	-3766.3
1974	PHI	NL	17	13	39	39	16	3	0	283.0	280	101	70	121	3.21	3.63 (+11%)	658.6
1975	PHI	NL	8	6	27	26	6	2	0	159.3	161	73	45	72	4.12	3.71 (-11%)	439.6
1976	PHI	NL	18	10	33	32	8	1	1	222.0	210	76	50	118	3.08	3.51 (+12%)	855.2
1977	PHI	NL	11	4	25	25	4	1	0	157.7	157	72	50	76	4.11	4.00 (-3%)	-239.2
1978	PHI	NL	8	10	22	22	1	0	0	113.7	132	66	45	48	5.23	3.69 (-42%)	-3267.8
1979	PHI	NL	0	1	4	1	0	0	0	7.3	14	9	4	7	11.05	—	0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
426	770	41	105	17	2	3	43	1	51	330	0.136	0.191	0.175	0.366	-5415.2

Career AVG .136 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 46.1% below league average.

Career OBP .191 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 40.3% below league average.

Career SLG .175 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 53.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.366 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — 47.2% 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
1965	BOS	AL	32	59	4	8	3	0	0	4	0	5	22	0.136	.245 (-45%)	.310 (-35%)	.371 (-50%)	.682 (-43%)	-405.6
1966	BOS	AL	46	54	5	5	2	1	0	0	0	2	23	0.093	.248 (-63%)	.309 (-60%)	.376 (-56%)	.685 (-57%)	-525.5
1967	BOS	AL	39	99	7	14	1	1	0	8	1	4	52	0.141	.242 (-42%)	.306 (-43%)	.357 (-52%)	.663 (-48%)	-753.7
1968	BOS	AL	23	39	4	11	2	0	1	2	0	0	14	0.282	—	—	—	—	0.0
1969	BOS	AL	29	41	1	4	1	0	0	2	0	5	22	0.098	—	—	—	—	0.0
1970	BOS	AL	9	9	2	4	1	0	1	1	0	0	2	0.444	—	—	—	—	0.0
1971	BOS	AL	27	53	2	9	0	0	0	3	0	4	19	0.170	.249 (-32%)	.316 (-28%)	.365 (-54%)	.682 (-42%)	-340.7
1972	ATL	AL	33	69	1	10	0	0	0	3	0	4	29	0.145	.243 (-41%)	.310 (-38%)	.353 (-59%)	.664 (-49%)	-525.6
1973	PHI	NL	38	59	2	8	2	0	0	3	0	6	29	0.136	.256 (-47%)	.325 (-34%)	.378 (-55%)	.703 (-45%)	-441.8
1974	PHI	NL	39	94	3	9	2	0	1	8	0	5	44	0.096	.256 (-63%)	.324 (-57%)	.369 (-60%)	.693 (-58%)	-928.4
1975	PHI	NL	27	44	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	6	17	0.023	—	—	—	—	-548.6
1976	PHI	NL	33	67	5	11	1	0	0	4	0	6	20	0.164	.255 (-36%)	.320 (-27%)	.360 (-50%)	.681 (-40%)	-412.2
1977	PHI	NL	25	48	1	5	0	0	0	1	0	2	22	0.104	—	—	—	—	-533.0
1978	PHI	NL	22	34	2	6	2	0	0	3	0	2	14	0.176	—	—	—	—	0.0
1979	PHI	NL	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
5	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	SO
1977	NLCS	PHI	1	1	1
1976	NLCS	PHI	1	1	0
1967	WS	BOS	3	9	7

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2	3	5	5	0	33.3	21	13	5	14	3.51

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1977	NLCS	PHI	0	1	1	1	4.0	5	5	1	1	11.25
1976	NLCS	PHI	0	1	1	1	5.3	2	1	2	2	1.69
1967	WS	BOS	2	1	3	3	24.0	14	7	2	11	2.62

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	425	368	189	268	22	18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1965	BOS	P	32	31	12	24	5	0
1966	BOS	P	45	23	18	21	2	2
1967	BOS	P	39	39	19	24	1	2
1968	BOS	P	23	17	8	6	0	0
1969	BOS	P	29	23	13	18	2	1
1970	BOS	P	9	4	2	5	0	1
1971	BOS	P	27	26	15	28	1	3
1972	ML4	P	33	30	9	25	3	2
1973	PHI	P	38	30	10	26	5	2
1974	PHI	P	39	39	16	26	2	1
1975	PHI	P	27	26	24	18	1	0
1976	PHI	P	33	32	21	16	0	0
1977	PHI	P	25	25	10	17	0	3
1978	PHI	P	22	22	11	14	0	1
1979	PHI	P	4	1	1	0	0	0