Babe Adams

Born: 5/18/1882 in Tipton, IN, USA

Died: 7/27/1968 in Silver Spring, MD, USA

MLB Debut: 1906-04-18 | Final Game: 1926-08-11

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Charles Benjamin Adams

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Biography

Babe Adams was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, known for his exceptional control and durability during the early 20th century. Born in 1882, Adams made his debut in 1906 and enjoyed a successful career that spanned two decades, concluding with his retirement in 1926. He finished his career with an impressive record of 194 wins and 140 losses, along with a notable earned run average (ERA) of 2.76. Over the course of his time in the league, he accumulated 1,036 strikeouts and recorded 15 saves, showcasing his ability as a reliable pitcher in high-pressure situations. Adams played primarily in an era characterized by the transition from the deadball era to the more offensive-minded styles of the 1920s. His effectiveness on the mound helped define the role of the modern pitcher, as he combined a strategic approach with a repertoire that kept hitters off balance. Adams's contributions to the game were significant, particularly during his tenure with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he became a key figure in the team's pitching rotation. His legacy remains as a testament to the evolution of pitching in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
194	140	482	355	206	44	15	2995.3	2841	917	68	430	1036	2.76	0

Career ERA 2.76 vs. league average 3.38 across their career seasons — 18.5% 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
1906	STL	NL	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	4.0	9	6	2	0	13.50	—	-
1907	PIT	NL	0	2	4	3	1	0	0	22.0	40	17	3	11	6.95	2.50 (-178%)	-49.2
1909	PIT	NL	12	3	25	12	7	3	2	130.0	88	16	23	65	1.11	2.55 (+56%)	2362.7
1910	PIT	NL	18	9	34	30	16	3	0	245.0	217	61	60	101	2.24	2.79 (+20%)	1559.8
1911	PIT	NL	22	12	40	37	24	6	0	293.3	253	76	42	133	2.33	3.37 (+31%)	5854.8
1912	PIT	NL	11	8	28	21	11	2	0	170.3	169	55	35	63	2.91	3.36 (+14%)	1150.0
1913	PIT	NL	21	10	43	37	24	4	0	313.7	271	75	49	144	2.15	3.07 (+30%)	5001.9
1914	PIT	NL	13	16	40	35	19	3	1	283.0	253	79	39	91	2.51	2.93 (+14%)	2960.4
1915	PIT	NL	14	14	40	30	17	2	2	245.0	229	78	34	62	2.87	2.90 (+1%)	1466.2
1916	PIT	NL	2	9	16	10	4	1	0	72.3	91	46	12	22	5.72	2.78 (-106%)	59.0
1918	PIT	NL	1	1	3	3	2	0	0	22.7	15	3	4	6	1.19	2.83 (+58%)	305.4
1919	PIT	NL	17	10	34	29	23	6	1	263.3	213	58	23	92	1.98	3.09 (+36%)	6523.9
1920	PIT	NL	17	13	35	33	19	8	2	263.0	240	63	18	84	2.16	3.45 (+37%)	5401.8
1921	PIT	NL	14	5	25	20	11	2	0	160.0	155	47	18	55	2.64	4.02 (+34%)	3639.3
1922	PIT	NL	8	11	27	19	12	4	0	171.3	191	68	15	39	3.57	4.18 (+15%)	4580.2
1923	PIT	NL	13	7	26	22	11	0	1	158.7	196	78	25	38	4.42	4.03 (-10%)	1357.3
1924	PIT	NL	3	1	9	3	2	0	0	39.7	31	5	3	5	1.13	4.13 (+73%)	618.6
1925	PIT	NL	6	5	33	10	3	0	3	101.3	129	61	17	18	5.42	4.55 (-19%)	-479.3
1926	PIT	NL	2	3	19	0	0	0	3	36.7	51	25	8	7	6.14	4.11 (-49%)	-931.1

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
482	1019	79	216	31	15	3	75	1	53	194	0.212	0.252	0.281	0.532	-3274.8

Career AVG .212 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 20.4% below league average.

Career OBP .252 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 23.7% below league average.

Career SLG .281 vs. league average .357 across their career seasons — 21.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.532 vs. league average 0.687 across their career seasons — 22.5% 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
1906	STL	NL	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1907	PIT	NL	4	7	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.286	—	—	—	—	0.0
1909	PIT	NL	25	39	0	2	0	1	0	1	0	2	15	0.051	—	—	—	—	0.0
1910	PIT	NL	34	83	9	16	3	0	0	6	0	9	23	0.193	.249 (-23%)	.317 (-14%)	.326 (-30%)	.644 (-22%)	-274.2
1911	PIT	NL	40	103	9	26	5	1	0	10	0	3	17	0.252	.266 (-5%)	.336 (-19%)	.356 (-10%)	.693 (-14%)	-281.0
1912	PIT	NL	28	53	5	12	3	1	0	3	0	8	9	0.226	.268 (-16%)	.335 (-2%)	.358 (-11%)	.694 (-7%)	-49.2
1913	PIT	NL	43	114	13	33	6	2	0	13	0	1	16	0.289	.259 (+11%)	.325 (-9%)	.345 (+9%)	.670 (avg)	-55.1
1914	PIT	NL	40	97	8	16	0	2	1	4	0	3	29	0.165	.255 (-35%)	.322 (-39%)	.339 (-30%)	.661 (-34%)	-559.2
1915	PIT	NL	40	85	4	12	1	0	0	7	0	4	14	0.141	.250 (-44%)	.318 (-44%)	.332 (-54%)	.651 (-49%)	-659.5
1916	PIT	NL	16	22	1	6	0	1	0	2	0	2	1	0.273	—	—	—	—	0.0
1918	PIT	NL	3	9	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	0.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
1919	PIT	NL	34	92	2	17	2	1	0	4	0	6	13	0.185	.262 (-30%)	.322 (-27%)	.347 (-34%)	.670 (-31%)	-462.3
1920	PIT	NL	35	89	4	13	0	0	1	3	0	1	18	0.146	.271 (-46%)	.331 (-53%)	.363 (-50%)	.694 (-52%)	-763.3
1921	PIT	NL	25	63	7	16	2	4	0	6	1	1	7	0.254	.286 (-11%)	.344 (-23%)	.395 (+4%)	.739 (-8%)	-134.0
1922	PIT	NL	27	56	6	16	2	0	1	6	0	4	7	0.286	.285 (avg)	.345 (-4%)	.397 (-6%)	.743 (-5%)	-42.8
1923	PIT	NL	26	55	5	15	5	1	0	8	0	6	13	0.273	.282 (-4%)	.344 (avg)	.390 (+3%)	.734 (+1%)	5.7
1924	PIT	NL	9	11	1	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0.182	—	—	—	—	0.0
1925	PIT	NL	33	31	3	7	1	0	0	1	0	3	6	0.226	—	—	—	—	0.0
1926	PIT	NL	19	9	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.222	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
4	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1925	WS	PIT	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1909	WS	PIT	3	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
3	0	4	3	0	28.0	20	4	6	11	1.29

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1925	WS	PIT	0	0	1	0	0	1.0	2	0	0	0	0.00
1909	WS	PIT	3	0	3	3	0	27.0	18	4	6	11	1.33

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	482	46	58	648	17	17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1906	SLN	P	1	1	0	3	1	0
1907	PIT	P	4	3	3	7	1	0
1909	PIT	P	25	12	1	33	3	0
1910	PIT	P	34	30	7	44	5	1
1911	PIT	P	40	0	3	42	1	2
1912	PIT	P	28	0	2	36	0	0
1913	PIT	P	43	0	10	74	1	1
1914	PIT	P	40	0	13	62	0	2
1915	PIT	P	40	0	3	67	0	5
1916	PIT	P	16	0	2	20	0	0
1918	PIT	P	3	0	0	4	0	0
1919	PIT	P	34	0	4	55	0	1
1920	PIT	P	35	0	3	66	2	1
1921	PIT	P	25	0	1	34	0	1
1922	PIT	P	27	0	5	43	1	2
1923	PIT	P	26	0	0	29	1	0
1924	PIT	P	9	0	1	5	0	0
1925	PIT	P	33	0	0	17	0	1
1926	PIT	P	19	0	0	7	1	0