Sheriff Blake, baseball player, 1920-1937

Sheriff Blake

Born: 9/17/1899 in Ansted, WV, USA

Died: 10/31/1982 in Beckley, WV, USA

MLB Debut: 1920-06-29 | Final Game: 1937-09-26

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: John Frederick Blake

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Biography

Sheriff Blake, born in 1899, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1920 to 1937. Primarily known for his durability on the mound, Blake finished his career with a record of 87 wins and 102 losses, while maintaining an earned run average (ERA) of 4.13. Over the course of his time in Major League Baseball, he recorded 621 strikeouts and notched 8 saves, contributing to his teams in both starting and relief roles. Blake's playing career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, marked by the post-Deadball Era's shift toward more offensive-minded play. Despite his overall losing record, Blake's ability to strike out batters highlighted his skill and competitiveness in a league that saw the emergence of powerful hitters. His contributions on the mound and his resilience throughout his career solidified his place in the annals of baseball history, showcasing the tenacity required of pitchers during an era that demanded both versatility and endurance.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
87 102 304 196 81 11 8 1620.0 1766 744 68 740 621 4.13 0

Career ERA 4.13 vs. league average 4.23 across their career seasons — near 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
1920 PIT NL 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 13.3 21 12 6 7 8.10 3.45 (-135%) 42.4
1924 CHC NL 6 6 29 11 4 0 1 106.3 123 54 44 42 4.57 4.13 (-11%) -
1925 CHC NL 10 18 36 31 14 0 2 231.3 260 125 114 93 4.86 4.55 (-7%) -
1926 CHC NL 11 12 39 27 11 4 1 197.7 204 79 92 95 3.60 4.11 (+12%) -
1927 CHC NL 13 14 32 27 13 2 0 224.3 238 82 82 64 3.29 4.08 (+19%) -
1928 CHC NL 17 11 34 29 16 4 1 240.7 209 66 101 78 2.47 4.13 (+40%) -
1929 CHC NL 14 13 35 30 13 1 1 218.3 244 104 103 70 4.29 4.60 (+7%) -
1930 CHC NL 10 14 34 24 7 0 0 186.7 213 100 99 80 4.82 4.80 (avg) -
1931 CHC NL 0 4 16 5 0 0 0 50.0 64 29 26 29 5.22 4.10 (-27%) -
1931 PHI NL 4 5 14 9 1 0 1 71.0 90 44 35 31 5.58 4.10 (-36%) -248.2
1937 SLA AL 2 2 15 1 0 0 1 36.7 55 31 20 12 7.61 4.34 (-75%) -1495.5
1937 STL NL 0 3 14 2 2 0 0 43.7 45 18 18 20 3.71 4.34 (+14%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
310 558 46 118 5 1 0 30 0 14 91 0.211 0.233 0.224 0.457 -3569.5

Career AVG .211 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 25.2% below league average.

Career OBP .233 vs. league average .345 across their career seasons — 32.3% below league average.

Career SLG .224 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — 43.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.457 vs. league average 0.742 across their career seasons — 38.4% 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
1920 PIT NL 6 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1924 CHC NL 29 31 5 9 0 1 0 3 0 1 1 0.290 — — — — 0.0
1925 CHC NL 36 79 4 12 1 0 0 7 0 2 21 0.152 .288 (-47%) .349 (-51%) .407 (-60%) .756 (-55%) -778.9
1926 CHC NL 39 65 2 14 0 0 0 4 0 2 9 0.215 .279 (-23%) .345 (-28%) .390 (-45%) .735 (-37%) -409.0
1927 CHC NL 32 83 2 16 0 0 0 3 0 1 10 0.193 .282 (-32%) .344 (-41%) .392 (-51%) .736 (-46%) -660.6
1928 CHC NL 35 88 10 19 1 0 0 5 0 1 13 0.216 .280 (-23%) .342 (-32%) .395 (-43%) .737 (-38%) -569.4
1929 CHC NL 38 81 11 14 2 0 0 4 0 4 10 0.173 .289 (-40%) .353 (-40%) .415 (-52%) .769 (-47%) -688.2
1930 CHC NL 36 66 5 15 0 0 0 2 0 2 14 0.227 .293 (-23%) .354 (-29%) .429 (-47%) .784 (-39%) -463.4
1931 CHC NL 16 16 4 8 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1931 PHI NL 14 25 2 6 1 0 0 1 0 1 7 0.240 — — — — 0.0
1937 SLA AL 15 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1937 STL NL 14 10 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.300 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1929 WS CHN 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 2 0 0 1.3 4 2 0 1 13.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1929 WS CHN 0 1 2 0 0 1.3 4 2 0 1 13.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 304 0 55 401 13 24

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1920 PIT P 6 0 1 2 0 1
1924 CHN P 29 0 2 30 0 0
1925 CHN P 36 0 7 52 2 6
1926 CHN P 39 0 9 54 1 1
1927 CHN P 32 0 10 64 4 5
1928 CHN P 34 0 4 48 3 3
1929 CHN P 35 0 6 43 2 1
1930 CHN P 34 0 7 50 1 4
1931 CHN P 16 0 1 16 0 1
1931 PHI P 14 0 5 22 0 2
1937 SLA P 15 0 2 8 0 0
1937 SLN P 14 0 1 12 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 304

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
West Virginia Wesleyan College Buckhannon WV 1918, 1919