Charles Bender

⭐ Hall of Fame 1953

Born: 5/5/1884 in Crow Wing County, MN, USA

Died: 5/22/1954 in Philadelphia, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1903-04-20 | Final Game: 1925-07-21

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Charles Albert Bender

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Biography

Charles Bender, born in 1884, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who made a significant impact from his debut on April 20, 1903, until his retirement on July 21, 1925. Known for his exceptional skill and strategic approach on the mound, Bender compiled a career record of 212 wins and 127 losses, showcasing his ability to dominate batters over the course of his 22-year career. With an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.46, he established himself as one of the era's leading pitchers, contributing to his team's success with a total of 1,711 strikeouts and 34 saves. Bender played during a transformative time in baseball, navigating the transition from the deadball era into a more offensive-oriented game. His pitching style was characterized by a mix of speed and finesse, which allowed him to effectively challenge hitters and maintain low scoring against his teams. As a member of the Native American community, Bender also held historical significance as one of the early Indigenous players in baseball, paving the way for future generations of athletes. His legacy endures through his remarkable achievements and the respect he garnered from peers and fans alike.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
212 127 459 334 255 40 34 3017.0 2645 823 40 712 1711 2.46 0

Career ERA 2.46 vs. league average 2.97 across their career seasons — 17.5% 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
1903 PHA AL 17 14 36 33 29 2 0 270.0 239 92 65 127 3.07 3.10 (+1%) 41.4
1904 PHA AL 10 11 29 20 18 4 0 203.7 167 65 59 149 2.87 2.66 (-8%) 3802.1
1905 PHA AL 18 11 35 23 18 4 0 229.0 193 72 90 142 2.83 2.82 (avg) -437.1
1906 PHA AL 15 10 36 27 24 0 3 238.3 208 67 48 159 2.53 2.68 (+5%) 4133.4
1907 PHA AL 16 8 33 24 20 4 3 219.3 185 50 34 112 2.05 2.50 (+18%) 4477.3
1908 PHA AL 8 9 18 17 14 2 1 138.7 121 27 21 85 1.75 2.40 (+27%) 3159.7
1909 PHA AL 18 8 34 29 24 5 1 250.0 196 46 45 161 1.66 2.55 (+35%) 6232.4
1910 PHA AL 23 5 30 28 25 3 0 250.0 182 44 47 155 1.58 2.79 (+43%) 6228.4
1911 PHA AL 17 5 31 24 16 2 3 216.3 198 52 58 114 2.16 3.37 (+36%) 3675.8
1912 PHA AL 13 8 27 19 12 1 2 171.0 169 52 33 90 2.74 3.36 (+19%) 3890.7
1913 PHA AL 21 10 48 21 14 2 13 236.7 208 58 59 135 2.21 3.07 (+28%) 4504.1
1914 PHA AL 17 3 28 23 14 7 2 179.0 159 45 55 107 2.26 2.93 (+23%) 2018.8
1915 BLF FL 4 16 26 23 15 0 1 178.3 198 79 37 89 3.99 2.90 (-38%) 1732.2
1916 PHI NL 7 7 27 13 4 0 3 122.7 137 51 34 43 3.74 2.78 (-35%) -907.7
1917 PHI NL 8 2 20 10 8 4 2 113.0 84 21 26 43 1.67 2.69 (+38%) 518.5
1925 CHW AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 2 1 0 18.00 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
507 1147 102 243 40 10 6 116 20 75 160 0.212 0.266 0.280 0.546 -2734.6

Career AVG .212 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 17.0% below league average.

Career OBP .266 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 16.3% below league average.

Career SLG .280 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 16.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.546 vs. league average 0.655 across their career seasons — 16.6% 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
1903 PHA AL 43 120 10 22 4 1 0 8 3 3 14 0.183 .261 (-30%) .316 (-32%) .345 (-33%) .662 (-32%) -633.9
1904 PHA AL 31 79 8 18 3 2 0 5 3 5 12 0.228 .246 (-8%) .300 (-6%) .321 (-2%) .622 (-4%) -54.9
1905 PHA AL 38 92 11 20 3 2 0 14 3 3 19 0.217 .248 (-12%) .307 (-21%) .322 (-9%) .629 (-15%) -244.7
1906 PHA AL 44 99 9 25 4 0 3 13 2 9 13 0.253 .247 (+2%) .307 (+8%) .315 (+22%) .622 (+15%) 249.4
1907 PHA AL 45 100 10 23 6 1 0 8 2 5 6 0.230 .245 (-6%) .304 (-12%) .308 (avg) .613 (-6%) -124.2
1908 PHA AL 20 50 5 11 1 0 0 2 1 10 13 0.220 .240 (-9%) .298 (+17%) .306 (-22%) .605 (-2%) 37.8
1909 PHA AL 40 93 6 20 5 0 0 9 1 5 10 0.215 .244 (-12%) .306 (-17%) .312 (-14%) .618 (-15%) -231.9
1910 PHA AL 36 93 6 25 3 2 0 16 0 6 8 0.269 .249 (+8%) .317 (+5%) .326 (+5%) .644 (+5%) 74.3
1911 PHA AL 32 79 9 13 0 0 0 8 2 2 14 0.165 .266 (-38%) .336 (-42%) .356 (-54%) .693 (-48%) -624.2
1912 PHA AL 27 60 5 9 1 1 0 4 2 6 3 0.150 .268 (-44%) .335 (-32%) .358 (-44%) .694 (-38%) -381.2
1913 PHA AL 48 78 7 12 3 1 0 10 1 6 17 0.154 .259 (-41%) .325 (-34%) .345 (-37%) .670 (-36%) -472.2
1914 PHA AL 28 62 4 9 1 0 1 8 0 4 13 0.145 .255 (-43%) .322 (-39%) .339 (-38%) .661 (-39%) -380.9
1915 BLF FL 26 60 7 16 2 0 1 2 0 6 6 0.267 .250 (+6%) .318 (+5%) .332 (+5%) .651 (+5%) 52.0
1916 PHI NL 28 43 2 12 4 0 0 5 0 3 9 0.279 — — — — 0.0
1917 PHI NL 20 39 3 8 0 0 1 4 0 2 3 0.205 — — — — 0.0
1925 CHW AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
10 32 1 3 0 0 0 2 1 4 0.094

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1914 WS PHA 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1913 WS PHA 2 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.000
1911 WS PHA 3 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.091
1910 WS PHA 2 6 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0.333
1905 WS PHA 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
6 4 10 10 0 85.0 65 23 21 59 2.44

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1914 WS PHA 0 1 1 1 0 5.3 8 6 2 3 10.12
1913 WS PHA 2 0 2 2 0 18.0 19 8 1 9 4.00
1911 WS PHA 2 1 3 3 0 26.0 16 3 8 20 1.04
1910 WS PHA 1 1 2 2 0 18.7 13 4 4 14 1.93
1905 WS PHA 1 1 2 2 0 17.0 9 2 6 13 1.06

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 6 2 54 4 4 3
2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
3B 1 0 1 1 0 0
OF 5 3 9 0 0 0
P 459 168 173 809 55 24

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1903 PHA 1B 3 0 23 1 1 2
1903 PHA OF 1 0 2 0 0 0
1903 PHA P 36 0 12 79 9 0
1904 PHA P 29 20 13 48 7 0
1905 PHA P 35 23 14 77 3 2
1906 PHA OF 4 3 7 0 0 0
1906 PHA P 36 27 25 54 8 1
1907 PHA 1B 2 1 18 0 3 0
1907 PHA 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1907 PHA P 33 24 14 57 5 2
1908 PHA 1B 1 1 13 3 0 1
1908 PHA P 18 17 12 28 3 0
1909 PHA P 34 29 13 78 4 1
1910 PHA P 30 28 13 85 3 3
1911 PHA P 31 0 11 58 0 4
1912 PHA P 27 0 6 36 2 2
1913 PHA P 48 0 8 56 2 1
1914 PHA P 28 0 7 47 2 0
1915 BLF P 26 0 12 45 4 3
1916 PHI 3B 1 0 1 1 0 0
1916 PHI P 27 0 8 39 2 1
1917 PHI P 20 0 5 22 1 4
1925 CHA P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 459
First Base 7
Second Base 1
Third Base 1
Left Field 2
Center Field 4

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1911 Baseball Magazine All-Star P4
1910 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1910 Baseball Magazine All-Star P4

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Dickinson College Carlisle PA 1902
Carlisle Indian Industrial School Carlisle PA 1901, 1902

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1913 Most Valuable Player AL 22th 2.0 64 0