Kirtley Baker, baseball player, 1890-1899

Kirtley Baker

Born: 6/24/1869 in Aurora, IN, USA

Died: 4/13/1927 in Covington, KY, USA

MLB Debut: 1890-05-07 | Final Game: 1899-06-14

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 160 lbs

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Biography

Kirtley Baker, born in 1869, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1890 to 1899. Playing during a time when the game was evolving, Baker competed in an era marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensive style of play. Throughout his career, he recorded a win-loss record of 9-38, with an earned run average (ERA) of 6.28. Despite the challenging circumstances of his time, Baker managed to strike out 115 batters, showcasing his ability to deliver important pitches even as he struggled to find consistent success on the mound. Baker's time in Major League Baseball coincided with a period of significant change, as players began to adopt more strategic approaches to pitching and batting. While he may not have achieved the level of acclaim that some of his contemporaries did, Baker's contributions to the game during his career are a testament to the perseverance and dedication required of athletes in the late 19th century. Though he retired with no saves to his name, his presence in the league remains a part of baseball history, reflecting the challenges and complexities faced by early pitchers in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
9 38 58 44 34 2 0 371.0 483 259 20 186 115 6.28 0

Career ERA 6.28 vs. league average 4.17 across their career seasons — 50.6% worse 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
1890 PIT NL 3 19 25 21 19 2 0 178.3 209 111 86 76 5.60 3.88 (-44%) -3557.3
1893 BLN NL 3 8 15 12 8 0 0 91.7 138 86 58 26 8.44 4.66 (-81%) -1842.7
1894 BLN NL 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 1 5 2 0 0.00 — 0.0
1898 WAS NL 2 3 6 5 4 0 0 47.0 56 16 18 7 3.06 3.59 (+15%) -349.0
1899 WAS NL 1 7 11 6 3 0 0 54.0 79 41 22 6 6.83 3.85 (-78%) -1565.4

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
65 166 19 35 1 2 0 10 2 22 23 0.211 0.311 0.241 0.551 -372.2

Career AVG .211 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — 23.9% below league average.

Career OBP .311 vs. league average .348 across their career seasons — 10.6% below league average.

Career SLG .241 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 35.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.551 vs. league average 0.719 across their career seasons — 23.3% 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
1890 PIT NL 26 68 6 10 0 0 0 0 1 10 6 0.147 .260 (-43%) .336 (-18%) .351 (-58%) .687 (-39%) -389.5
1893 BLN NL 19 57 9 17 1 1 0 6 1 8 6 0.298 .279 (+7%) .356 (+8%) .379 (-8%) .735 (avg) 17.3
1894 BLN NL 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1898 WAS NL 6 18 3 5 0 1 0 3 0 3 4 0.278 — — — — 0.0
1899 WAS NL 12 19 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 0.158 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 4 0 11 4 1 0
P 58 0 23 96 14 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1890 PIT P 25 0 11 32 6 2
1893 BLN OF 3 0 8 3 1 0
1893 BLN P 15 0 8 32 3 1
1894 BLN OF 1 0 3 1 0 0
1894 BLN P 1 0 0 0 1 0
1898 WAS P 6 0 3 8 0 0
1899 WAS P 11 0 1 24 4 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 58
Left Field 3
Right Field 1