Bob Turley, baseball player, 1951-1963

Bob Turley

Born: 9/19/1930 in Troy, IL, USA

Died: 3/30/2013 in Atlanta, GA, USA

MLB Debut: 1951-09-29 | Final Game: 1963-09-21

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: Robert Lee Turley

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Biography

Bob Turley, born in 1930, was a prominent American pitcher who made a significant mark in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1963. Known for his powerful right arm and competitive spirit, Turley played a pivotal role during an era characterized by fierce competition and evolving pitching styles. He concluded his career with a record of 101 wins and 85 losses, an earned run average of 3.64, and accumulated 1,265 strikeouts over his career. Despite the challenges of the era, which included the transition from the deadball style to a more offensive-oriented game, Turley's ability to dominate on the mound was evident, as he also recorded 12 saves throughout his tenure. Turley's accolades included being named an All-Star three times and winning the prestigious Cy Young Award and World Series MVP honors, underscoring his impact in crucial moments. His contributions were particularly significant during the 1960s, a decade that saw a heightened emphasis on pitching prowess. Turley's legacy is remembered not only for his statistics but also for his resilience and determination, characteristics that endeared him to fans and teammates alike. His journey through baseball serves as a testament to the grit and skill required to excel in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
101 85 310 237 78 24 12 1712.7 1366 693 140 1068 1265 3.64 0

Career ERA 3.64 vs. league average 3.90 across their career seasons — 6.6% 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
1951 SLA AL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 7.3 11 6 3 5 7.36 — 0.0
1953 SLA AL 2 6 10 7 3 1 0 60.3 39 22 44 61 3.28 4.14 (+21%) 640.4
1954 BAL AL 14 15 35 35 14 0 0 247.3 178 95 181 185 3.46 3.90 (+11%) 2260.1
1955 NYY AL 17 13 36 34 13 6 1 246.7 168 84 177 210 3.06 4.00 (+23%) -
1956 NYY AL 8 4 27 21 5 1 1 132.0 138 74 103 91 5.05 3.96 (-27%) -
1957 NYY AL 13 6 32 23 9 4 3 176.3 120 53 85 152 2.71 3.83 (+29%) -
1958 NYY AL 21 7 33 31 19 6 1 245.3 178 81 128 168 2.97 3.86 (+23%) -
1959 NYY AL 8 11 33 22 7 3 0 154.3 141 74 83 111 4.32 3.90 (-11%) -
1960 NYY AL 9 3 34 24 4 1 5 173.3 138 63 87 87 3.27 3.82 (+14%) -
1961 NYY AL 3 5 15 12 1 0 0 72.0 74 46 51 48 5.75 4.03 (-43%) -
1962 NYY AL 3 3 24 8 0 0 1 69.0 68 35 47 42 4.57 3.96 (-15%) -
1963 LAA AL 2 7 19 12 3 2 0 87.3 71 32 51 70 3.30 3.46 (+5%) 40.2
1963 BOS AL 1 4 11 7 0 0 0 41.3 42 28 28 35 6.10 3.46 (-76%) -1374.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
310 547 44 69 10 0 4 32 1 31 191 0.126 0.177 0.166 0.343 -3830.8

Career AVG .126 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 51.0% below league average.

Career OBP .177 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 46.0% below league average.

Career SLG .166 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 57.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.343 vs. league average 0.718 across their career seasons — 52.2% 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
1951 SLA AL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1953 SLA AL 10 18 2 5 0 0 1 1 0 1 6 0.278 — — — — 0.0
1954 BAL AL 35 81 8 11 2 0 0 5 1 2 23 0.136 .261 (-48%) .333 (-53%) .390 (-59%) .723 (-56%) -779.4
1955 NYY AL 36 82 7 11 4 0 0 7 0 6 21 0.134 .258 (-48%) .332 (-40%) .393 (-54%) .726 (-47%) -681.3
1956 NYY AL 27 46 5 8 2 0 0 3 0 3 16 0.174 — — — — 0.0
1957 NYY AL 32 57 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 8 27 0.088 .257 (-66%) .323 (-35%) .391 (-78%) .715 (-58%) -534.3
1958 NYY AL 33 88 8 12 0 0 2 6 0 4 35 0.136 .257 (-47%) .324 (-46%) .394 (-48%) .719 (-47%) -706.8
1959 NYY AL 33 46 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 5 18 0.087 — — — — -460.0
1960 NYY AL 34 55 4 4 1 0 0 1 0 2 18 0.073 .255 (-71%) .323 (-67%) .387 (-77%) .711 (-72%) -669.0
1961 NYY AL 15 21 1 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 11 0.095 — — — — 0.0
1962 NYY AL 24 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1963 LAA AL 19 25 2 4 1 0 1 3 0 0 7 0.160 — — — — 0.0
1963 BOS AL 11 14 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0.214 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
15 18 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 5 0.111

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1960 WS NYA 2 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.250
1958 WS NYA 4 5 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0.200
1957 WS NYA 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000
1956 WS NYA 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1955 WS NYA 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
4 3 15 8 1 53.7 43 19 29 46 3.19

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1960 WS NYA 1 0 2 2 0 9.3 15 5 4 0 4.82
1958 WS NYA 2 1 4 2 1 16.3 10 5 7 13 2.76
1957 WS NYA 1 0 3 2 0 11.7 7 3 6 12 2.31
1956 WS NYA 0 1 3 1 0 11.0 4 1 8 14 0.82
1955 WS NYA 0 1 3 1 0 5.3 7 5 4 7 8.44

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 310 229 88 211 9 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1951 SLA P 1 0 1 1 0 1
1953 SLA P 10 0 4 3 0 2
1954 BAL P 35 35 7 35 1 1
1955 NYA P 36 34 6 30 4 2
1956 NYA P 27 21 3 18 1 2
1957 NYA P 32 23 13 22 2 1
1958 NYA P 33 31 17 26 0 4
1959 NYA P 33 22 11 18 1 1
1960 NYA P 34 24 10 21 0 1
1961 NYA P 15 12 4 8 0 0
1962 NYA P 24 8 3 15 0 0
1963 LAA P 19 12 5 11 0 1
1963 BOS P 11 7 4 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 310

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1958 Cy Young Award
1958 TSN All-Star P
1958 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1958 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1958 World Series MVP

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1958 Cy Young Award ML 1st 5.0 16 5
1958 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 191.0 336 7
1954 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 4.0 336 0