Bob Porterfield

Born: 8/10/1923 in Newport, VA, USA

Died: 4/28/1980 in Charlotte, NC, USA

MLB Debut: 1948-08-08 | Final Game: 1959-09-21

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Erwin Cooledge Porterfield

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Biography

Bob Porterfield was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1959. Born in 1923, he established himself as a reliable arm during a transformative era in the sport, marked by the integration of players and a shift towards more offensive gameplay. Over the course of his career, Porterfield recorded a win-loss record of 87-97 and maintained a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 3.79. He struck out 572 batters and earned 8 saves, demonstrating his versatility and ability to perform in high-pressure situations. Porterfield's most notable achievement came in 1953 when he was selected as an All-Star, a testament to his skill and contributions to the game during his playing years. Known for his competitive spirit and dedication to the craft, he played for teams such as the Washington Senators and the New York Yankees, leaving an indelible mark on the franchises he represented. His career, while not marked by overwhelming accolades, highlighted the persistence and determination of pitchers during the late 1940s and 1950s, a period when the game was evolving and expanding in popularity.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
87	97	318	193	92	23	8	1567.7	1571	660	113	552	572	3.79	0

Career ERA 3.79 vs. league average 3.99 across their career seasons — 5.1% 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
1948	NYY	AL	5	3	16	12	2	1	0	78.0	85	39	34	30	4.50	4.10 (-10%)	-
1949	NYY	AL	2	5	12	8	3	0	0	57.7	53	26	29	25	4.06	4.12 (+1%)	-
1950	NYY	AL	1	1	10	2	0	0	1	19.7	28	19	8	9	8.69	4.36 (-99%)	-
1951	NYY	AL	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	3.0	5	5	3	2	15.00	—	-
1951	WSN	AL	9	8	19	19	10	3	0	133.3	109	48	54	53	3.24	4.04 (+20%)	-
1952	WSN	AL	13	14	31	29	15	3	0	231.3	222	70	85	80	2.72	3.70 (+26%)	-
1953	WSN	AL	22	10	34	32	24	9	0	255.0	243	95	73	77	3.35	4.14 (+19%)	-
1954	WSN	AL	13	15	32	31	21	2	0	244.0	249	90	77	82	3.32	3.90 (+15%)	-
1955	WSN	AL	10	17	30	27	8	2	0	178.0	197	88	54	74	4.45	4.00 (-11%)	-
1956	BOS	AL	3	12	25	18	4	1	0	126.0	127	72	64	53	5.14	3.96 (-30%)	-4135.0
1957	BOS	AL	4	4	28	9	3	1	1	102.3	107	46	30	28	4.05	3.83 (-6%)	-3.6
1958	BOS	AL	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	4.0	3	2	0	1	4.50	—	0.0
1958	PIT	NL	4	6	37	6	2	1	5	87.7	78	32	19	39	3.29	3.86 (+15%)	1233.8
1959	PIT	NL	0	0	6	0	0	0	0	5.3	6	1	2	1	1.69	—	0.0
1959	CHC	NL	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	6.3	14	8	3	0	11.37	—	-
1959	PIT	NL	1	2	30	0	0	0	1	36.0	45	19	17	18	4.75	3.90 (-22%)	0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
322	516	34	95	15	1	6	43	1	20	123	0.184	0.218	0.252	0.470	-1928.1

Career AVG .184 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 29.2% below league average.

Career OBP .218 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 34.5% below league average.

Career SLG .252 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 35.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.470 vs. league average 0.723 across their career seasons — 34.9% 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
1948	NYY	AL	16	24	4	6	0	0	0	1	0	1	4	0.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1949	NYY	AL	12	19	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	0.053	—	—	—	—	0.0
1950	NYY	AL	11	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
1951	NYY	AL	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1951	WSN	AL	19	46	3	6	0	0	0	2	0	2	12	0.130	—	—	—	—	0.0
1952	WSN	AL	31	79	5	15	3	0	0	3	0	2	18	0.190	.252 (-25%)	.326 (-36%)	.369 (-38%)	.696 (-37%)	-495.2
1953	WSN	AL	37	98	8	25	7	0	3	16	1	6	20	0.255	.264 (-3%)	.335 (-11%)	.397 (+5%)	.733 (-2%)	-70.3
1954	WSN	AL	32	88	3	9	0	0	1	5	0	4	24	0.102	.261 (-61%)	.333 (-55%)	.390 (-65%)	.723 (-61%)	-917.2
1955	WSN	AL	30	63	3	12	3	1	0	7	0	0	15	0.190	.258 (-26%)	.332 (-44%)	.393 (-32%)	.726 (-37%)	-445.4
1956	BOS	AL	25	43	4	14	0	0	1	5	0	1	10	0.326	—	—	—	—	0.0
1957	BOS	AL	28	29	2	5	1	0	0	2	0	2	8	0.172	—	—	—	—	0.0
1958	BOS	AL	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1958	PIT	NL	37	20	1	1	0	0	1	2	0	1	7	0.050	—	—	—	—	0.0
1959	PIT	NL	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1959	CHC	NL	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1959	PIT	NL	30	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	318	91	80	280	15	15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1948	NYA	P	16	0	4	8	0	0
1949	NYA	P	12	0	1	10	3	1
1950	NYA	P	10	0	1	3	0	0
1951	NYA	P	2	0	0	1	0	0
1951	WS1	P	19	0	8	23	2	0
1952	WS1	P	31	0	4	34	0	0
1953	WS1	P	34	0	16	50	0	4
1954	WS1	P	32	31	10	61	3	4
1955	WS1	P	30	27	8	28	1	2
1956	BOS	P	25	18	8	14	2	1
1957	BOS	P	28	9	7	23	3	1
1958	BOS	P	2	0	0	0	0	0
1958	PIT	P	37	6	8	13	0	0
1959	PIT	P	6	0	0	0	0	0
1959	CHN	P	4	0	0	2	0	1
1959	PIT	P	30	0	5	10	1	1