Joe Sullivan, baseball player, 1935-1941

Joe Sullivan

Born: 9/26/1910 in Mason City, IL, USA

Died: 4/8/1985 in Sequim, WA, USA

MLB Debut: 1935-04-20 | Final Game: 1941-09-23

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 175 lbs

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Joe Sullivan, born in 1910, was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1935 to 1941. Throughout his career, he established himself as a reliable left-handed arm, known for his competitive spirit and ability to deliver in crucial moments. Sullivan's career record stood at 30 wins and 37 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.01. Over the course of his time in the league, he recorded 216 strikeouts and notched 5 saves, contributing to his teams with both starting and relief appearances. Sullivan's playing career unfolded during a transitional period in baseball, as the sport was moving away from the deadball era and beginning to embrace a more power-oriented game. Despite the challenges of competing in an evolving landscape, Sullivan's skill set allowed him to carve out a respectable niche as a pitcher. His contributions to the teams he played for reflected a dedication to the craft of pitching, and he remains a notable figure for those studying the history of baseball in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
30 37 150 55 20 0 5 588.0 601 262 25 298 216 4.01 0

Career ERA 4.01 vs. league average 4.27 across their career seasons — 6.1% 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
1935 DET AL 6 6 25 12 5 0 0 125.7 119 49 71 53 3.51 4.35 (+19%) -581.1
1936 DET AL 2 5 26 4 1 0 1 79.7 111 60 40 32 6.78 4.59 (-48%) -408.9
1939 BSN NL 6 9 31 11 7 0 2 113.7 114 46 50 46 3.64 4.28 (+15%) 900.9
1940 BSN NL 10 14 36 22 7 0 1 177.3 157 70 89 64 3.55 4.21 (+16%) -1698.9
1941 BSN NL 2 2 16 2 0 0 0 52.3 60 24 26 11 4.13 3.94 (-5%) -1056.5
1941 PIT NL 4 1 16 4 0 0 1 39.3 40 13 22 10 2.97 3.94 (+24%) -693.3

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
152 208 14 43 3 0 0 15 1 9 35 0.207 0.240 0.221 0.461 -530.9

Career AVG .207 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 24.4% below league average.

Career OBP .240 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 29.6% below league average.

Career SLG .221 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 43.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.461 vs. league average 0.732 across their career seasons — 37.0% 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
1935 DET AL 25 43 6 7 1 0 0 5 0 4 9 0.163 — — — — 0.0
1936 DET AL 26 28 3 5 0 0 0 1 0 1 9 0.179 — — — — 0.0
1939 BSN NL 33 40 2 12 1 0 0 1 1 3 3 0.300 — — — — 0.0
1940 BSN NL 36 71 3 14 1 0 0 6 0 0 9 0.197 .267 (-26%) .335 (-41%) .387 (-46%) .722 (-44%) -530.9
1941 BSN NL 16 15 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0.067 — — — — 0.0
1941 PIT NL 16 11 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0.364 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 150 0 31 115 8 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1935 DET P 25 0 7 20 4 5
1936 DET P 26 0 3 12 1 0
1939 BSN P 31 0 6 23 0 0
1940 BSN P 36 0 8 38 3 1
1941 BSN P 16 0 3 15 0 0
1941 PIT P 16 0 4 7 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 150