Herb Pennock
The Knight of Kennett Square threw left-handed strikes for 22 seasons, but his greatness revealed itself only after escaping Philadelphia's futility. Pennock posted a pedestrian 3.60 ERA across his career, yet that modest number masks a remarkable transformation from Athletics washout to Yankees ace.
His peak ERA+ of 162 tells the real story. After struggling through seven mediocre seasons in Philadelphia, Pennock became the backbone of New York's dynasty, helping deliver four World Series titles in the 1920s. The southpaw's pinpoint control and devastating curveball made him nearly unhittable in October pressure.
Pennock's 240 wins came the hard way — through guile rather than overpowering stuff. His 1,227 strikeouts over 3,572 innings reflect a craftsman who understood that missing bats wasn't everything. Hall of Fame voters recognized this artistry in 1948, the same year he passed away.
Career · Hitting
22 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | PHA | 17 | 15 | 0 | 0 | .133 | — | — |
| 1913 | PHA | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 | .111 | — | — |
| 1914 | PHA | 28 | 56 | 0 | 9 | .214 | — | — |
| 1915 | PHA | 16 | 24 | 0 | 3 | .250 | — | — |
| 1916 | BOS | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | .125 | — | — |
| 1917 | BOS | 24 | 24 | 0 | 2 | .167 | — | — |
| 1919 | BOS | 32 | 75 | 0 | 7 | .173 | — | — |
| 1920 | BOS | 38 | 77 | 0 | 6 | .260 | — | — |
| 1921 | BOS | 32 | 85 | 1 | 11 | .212 | — | — |
| 1922 | BOS | 32 | 65 | 0 | 2 | .138 | — | — |
| 1923 | NYY | 35 | 83 | 0 | 7 | .193 | — | — |
| 1924 | NYY | 40 | 101 | 2 | 9 | .158 | — | — |
| 1925 | NYY | 47 | 99 | 0 | 7 | .202 | — | — |
| 1926 | NYY | 40 | 85 | 0 | 6 | .212 | — | — |
| 1927 | NYY | 34 | 69 | 0 | 6 | .217 | — | — |
| 1928 | NYY | 28 | 74 | 0 | 9 | .203 | — | — |
| 1929 | NYY | 27 | 51 | 0 | 1 | .176 | — | — |
| 1930 | NYY | 25 | 60 | 0 | 4 | .183 | — | — |
| 1931 | NYY | 25 | 66 | 1 | 6 | .152 | — | — |
| 1932 | NYY | 22 | 53 | 0 | 6 | .151 | — | — |
| 1933 | NYY | 23 | 21 | 0 | 1 | .238 | — | — |
| 1934 | BOS | 30 | 14 | 0 | 1 | .214 | — | — |
| Career | 620 | 1214 | 4 | 103 | .191 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
22 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | PHA | 17 | 50.0 | 1 | 2 | 4.50 | 75 | 38 | 1.560 |
| 1913 | PHA | 14 | 33.3 | 2 | 1 | 5.13 | 60 | 17 | 1.560 |
| 1914 | PHA | 28 | 151.7 | 11 | 4 | 2.79 | 105 | 90 | 1.325 |
| 1915 | PHA | 16 | 58.0 | 3 | 6 | 6.36 | 46 | 31 | 1.862 |
| 1916 | BOS | 9 | 26.7 | 0 | 2 | 3.04 | 91 | 12 | 1.163 |
| 1917 | BOS | 24 | 100.7 | 5 | 5 | 3.31 | 81 | 35 | 1.123 |
| 1919 | BOS | 32 | 219.0 | 16 | 8 | 2.71 | 114 | 70 | 1.237 |
| 1920 | BOS | 37 | 242.3 | 16 | 13 | 3.68 | 94 | 68 | 1.259 |
| 1921 | BOS | 32 | 222.7 | 12 | 14 | 4.04 | 100 | 91 | 1.469 |
| 1922 | BOS | 32 | 202.0 | 10 | 17 | 4.32 | 97 | 59 | 1.505 |
| 1923 | NYY | 35 | 238.3 | 19 | 6 | 3.13 | 129 | 93 | 1.271 |
| 1924 | NYY | 40 | 286.3 | 21 | 9 | 2.83 | 146 | 101 | 1.278 |
| 1925 | NYY | 47 | 277.0 | 16 | 17 | 2.96 | 154 | 88 | 1.220 |
| 1926 | NYY | 40 | 266.3 | 23 | 11 | 3.62 | 114 | 78 | 1.265 |
| 1927 | NYY | 34 | 209.7 | 19 | 8 | 3.00 | 136 | 51 | 1.302 |
| 1928 | NYY | 28 | 211.0 | 17 | 6 | 2.56 | 162 | 53 | 1.209 |
| 1929 | NYY | 27 | 157.3 | 9 | 11 | 4.92 | 93 | 49 | 1.481 |
| 1930 | NYY | 25 | 156.3 | 11 | 7 | 4.32 | 111 | 46 | 1.369 |
| 1931 | NYY | 25 | 189.3 | 11 | 6 | 4.28 | 96 | 65 | 1.463 |
| 1932 | NYY | 22 | 146.7 | 9 | 5 | 4.60 | 90 | 54 | 1.561 |
| 1933 | NYY | 23 | 65.0 | 7 | 4 | 5.54 | 70 | 22 | 1.800 |
| 1934 | BOS | 30 | 62.0 | 2 | 0 | 3.05 | 141 | 16 | 1.355 |
| Career | 617 | 3571.6 | 240 | 162 | — | — | 1227 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.