Fritz Peterson, baseball player, 1966-1976

Fritz Peterson

Born: 2/8/1942 in Chicago, IL, USA

Died: 10/19/2023 in Winona, MN, USA

MLB Debut: 1966-04-15 | Final Game: 1976-06-19

Bats: B | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Fred Ingles Peterson

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Biography

Fritz Peterson was a professional baseball pitcher who played from 1966 to 1976. Born in 1942, he made a significant impact during his career, showcasing his skills on the mound in an era characterized by a mix of emerging power hitters and traditional pitching strategies. Peterson finished his career with a record of 133 wins and 131 losses, demonstrating his competitive nature and durability as a starting pitcher. He recorded an earned run average (ERA) of 3.3 over his career, alongside 1,015 strikeouts, which highlighted his ability to effectively challenge hitters. Peterson was selected as an All-Star once, a testament to his talent and contributions to his teams, which included the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians. Known for his solid control and ability to induce ground balls, he played a key role in the pitching rotations of the teams he represented. With one save to his name, Peterson's versatility allowed him to adapt to various situations on the mound, making him a reliable option throughout the course of his career. His contributions during the late 1960s and early 1970s remain noteworthy in the context of a rapidly evolving game, as he navigated the challenges of a competitive landscape filled with both established stars and new talent.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
133 131 355 330 90 20 1 2218.3 2217 813 173 426 1015 3.30 0

Career ERA 3.30 vs. league average 3.52 across their career seasons — 6.4% 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
1966 NYY AL 12 11 34 32 11 2 0 215.0 196 79 40 96 3.31 3.52 (+6%) -
1967 NYY AL 8 14 36 30 6 1 0 181.3 179 70 43 102 3.47 3.30 (-5%) -
1968 NYY AL 12 11 36 27 6 2 0 212.3 187 62 29 115 2.63 2.98 (+12%) -
1969 NYY AL 17 16 37 37 16 4 0 272.0 228 77 43 150 2.55 3.61 (+29%) -
1970 NYY AL 20 11 39 37 8 2 0 260.3 247 84 40 127 2.90 3.89 (+25%) -
1971 NYY AL 15 13 37 35 16 4 1 274.0 269 93 42 139 3.05 3.47 (+12%) -
1972 NYY AL 17 15 35 35 12 3 0 250.3 270 90 44 100 3.24 3.26 (+1%) -
1973 NYY AL 8 15 31 31 6 0 0 184.3 207 81 49 59 3.95 3.75 (-6%) -
1974 NYY AL 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 7.7 13 4 2 5 4.70 — -
1974 CLE AL 9 14 29 29 3 0 0 152.7 187 74 37 52 4.36 3.63 (-20%) -1723.4
1975 CLE AL 14 8 25 25 6 2 0 146.3 154 64 40 47 3.94 3.71 (-6%) -1920.6
1976 CLE AL 0 3 9 9 0 0 0 47.0 59 29 10 19 5.55 3.51 (-58%) 263.4
1976 TEX AL 1 0 4 2 0 0 0 15.0 21 6 7 4 3.60 3.51 (-2%) 5.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
355 515 31 82 15 1 2 31 0 24 144 0.159 0.199 0.204 0.402 -3435.7

Career AVG .159 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — 36.4% below league average.

Career OBP .199 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — 37.5% below league average.

Career SLG .204 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — 44.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.402 vs. league average 0.684 across their career seasons — 41.2% 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
1966 NYY AL 34 67 4 15 5 0 0 0 0 2 19 0.224 .248 (-10%) .309 (-20%) .376 (-21%) .685 (-21%) -233.8
1967 NYY AL 36 48 2 7 1 0 0 1 0 5 19 0.146 — — — — -296.5
1968 NYY AL 36 63 2 5 1 1 0 4 0 1 24 0.079 .236 (-66%) .298 (-64%) .340 (-63%) .638 (-64%) -630.8
1969 NYY AL 37 80 8 9 3 0 0 2 0 8 22 0.113 .248 (-55%) .320 (-40%) .369 (-59%) .689 (-50%) -656.6
1970 NYY AL 39 90 7 20 3 0 2 7 0 0 24 0.222 .253 (-12%) .325 (-30%) .385 (-16%) .711 (-23%) -375.0
1971 NYY AL 37 85 2 7 1 0 0 8 0 5 22 0.082 .249 (-67%) .316 (-58%) .365 (-74%) .682 (-67%) -931.8
1972 NYY AL 35 82 6 19 1 0 0 9 0 3 14 0.232 .243 (-5%) .310 (-17%) .353 (-31%) .664 (-24%) -311.2
1973 NYY AL 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 NYY AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 CLE AL 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 CLE AL 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 CLE AL 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 TEX AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 355 330 116 429 21 44

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1966 NYA P 34 32 16 36 4 1
1967 NYA P 36 30 13 35 2 4
1968 NYA P 36 27 6 56 2 6
1969 NYA P 37 37 15 53 3 5
1970 NYA P 39 37 12 52 3 7
1971 NYA P 37 35 14 54 1 7
1972 NYA P 35 35 13 44 1 6
1973 NYA P 31 31 11 30 2 3
1974 NYA P 3 1 0 1 0 0
1974 CLE P 29 29 8 30 2 2
1975 CLE P 25 25 8 26 1 3
1976 CLE P 9 9 0 8 0 0
1976 TEX P 4 2 0 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 355

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Northern Illinois University DeKalb IL 1961, 1962, 1963