Ice Box Chamberlain, baseball player, 1886-1896

Ice Box Chamberlain

Born: 11/5/1867 in Buffalo, NY, USA

Died: 9/22/1929 in Baltimore, MD, USA

MLB Debut: 1886-09-13 | Final Game: 1896-05-13

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 168 lbs

Full name: Elton P. Chamberlain

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Biography

Ice Box Chamberlain, born in 1867, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball during the late 19th century. His career spanned from 1886 to May 13, 1896, a period characterized by the transition from the deadball era to the more offensive-minded approaches of the early 1900s. Chamberlain established himself as a formidable presence on the mound, finishing his career with a record of 157 wins and 120 losses. His earned run average (ERA) stood at 3.57, a respectable figure for a pitcher of his time, reflecting both his effectiveness and durability. Throughout his career, Chamberlain was known for his competitive spirit and ability to rack up strikeouts, totaling 1,133 over his time in the league. He also contributed to his teams with a single save, showcasing his versatility in high-pressure situations. Chamberlain's impact on the game during a pivotal era of baseball history helped lay the groundwork for future generations of pitchers, as he navigated the evolving landscape of the sport and its growing emphasis on pitching strategy.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
157 120 321 301 264 16 1 2521.7 2446 999 63 1065 1133 3.57 0

Career ERA 3.57 vs. league average 3.88 across their career seasons — 8.1% 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
1886 LS2 AA 0 3 4 4 4 0 0 31.3 39 23 17 18 6.61 3.37 (-96%) -165.6
1887 LS2 AA 18 16 36 36 35 1 0 309.0 340 130 117 118 3.79 4.17 (+9%) 423.3
1888 LS2 AA 14 9 24 24 21 1 0 196.0 178 55 59 119 2.53 2.95 (+14%) 1909.0
1888 SL4 AA 11 2 14 14 13 1 0 112.0 61 20 27 57 1.61 2.95 (+45%) 1092.0
1889 SL4 AA 32 15 53 51 44 3 1 421.7 376 139 165 202 2.97 3.93 (+25%) 409.0
1890 SL4 AA 3 1 5 5 3 0 0 35.0 47 23 26 14 5.91 3.88 (-52%) -734.7
1890 CL6 AA 12 6 25 21 19 6 0 175.0 128 43 70 114 2.21 3.88 (+43%) 3574.9
1891 PH4 AA 22 23 49 46 44 0 0 405.7 397 190 206 204 4.22 3.52 (-20%) 787.4
1892 CIN NL 19 23 52 49 43 2 0 406.3 391 153 170 169 3.39 3.28 (-3%) 498.1
1893 CIN NL 16 12 34 27 19 1 0 241.0 248 100 112 59 3.73 4.66 (+20%) 1042.4
1894 CIN NL 10 9 23 22 18 1 0 177.7 220 114 91 57 5.77 5.33 (-8%) -1471.3
1896 CL4 NL 0 1 2 2 1 0 0 11.0 21 9 5 2 7.36 4.36 (-69%) -57.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
332 1051 114 213 33 14 9 110 27 85 125 0.203 0.267 0.286 0.553 -3195.5

Career AVG .203 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 23.2% below league average.

Career OBP .267 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 19.6% below league average.

Career SLG .286 vs. league average .358 across their career seasons — 19.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.553 vs. league average 0.690 across their career seasons — 19.8% 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
1886 LS2 AA 6 19 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0.158 — — — — 0.0
1887 LS2 AA 37 131 14 26 1 1 1 16 2 12 13 0.198 .270 (-27%) .331 (-20%) .373 (-35%) .705 (-28%) -593.0
1888 LS2 AA 26 94 11 18 4 2 0 3 8 6 7 0.191 .238 (-20%) .290 (-17%) .319 (-13%) .610 (-15%) -226.1
1888 SL4 AA 14 50 6 5 0 0 1 2 3 3 7 0.100 .238 (-58%) .290 (-37%) .319 (-50%) .610 (-44%) -226.1
1889 SL4 AA 53 171 18 34 8 3 2 31 3 12 32 0.199 .263 (-25%) .334 (-22%) .357 (-12%) .691 (-17%) -548.6
1890 SL4 AA 5 15 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0.133 — — — — 0.0
1890 CL6 AA 25 65 8 15 3 0 0 4 2 7 0 0.231 .260 (-11%) .336 (-9%) .351 (-21%) .687 (-15%) 0.0
1891 PH4 AA 54 176 21 33 3 5 2 19 3 21 33 0.188 .254 (-26%) .331 (-16%) .343 (-14%) .675 (-15%) -477.3
1892 CIN NL 53 160 13 36 3 1 2 15 1 7 17 0.225 .244 (-8%) .316 (-19%) .327 (-10%) .644 (-14%) -414.1
1893 CIN NL 34 97 9 19 4 1 0 10 3 5 10 0.196 .279 (-30%) .356 (-30%) .379 (-32%) .735 (-31%) -545.5
1894 CIN NL 23 70 10 22 7 1 1 7 2 7 5 0.314 .309 (+2%) .379 (-1%) .435 (+12%) .814 (+6%) 62.5
1896 CL4 NL 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 13 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1888 WS SL4 5 13 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 3 5 5 0 44.0 52 26 16 13 5.32

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1888 WS SL4 2 3 5 5 0 44.0 52 26 16 13 5.32

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
OF 16 0 12 4 4 1
P 321 0 105 461 54 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1886 LS2 OF 2 0 0 0 2 0
1886 LS2 P 4 0 4 4 2 0
1887 LS2 OF 2 0 4 1 1 0
1887 LS2 P 36 0 12 65 10 2
1888 LS2 OF 4 0 3 0 0 0
1888 LS2 P 24 0 9 45 3 0
1888 SL4 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1888 SL4 P 14 0 7 17 0 0
1889 SL4 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1889 SL4 P 53 0 15 67 7 0
1890 SL4 P 5 0 2 7 1 0
1890 CL6 P 25 0 6 25 4 0
1891 PH4 OF 6 0 2 3 1 1
1891 PH4 P 49 0 20 89 10 2
1892 CIN OF 1 0 3 0 0 0
1892 CIN P 52 0 16 67 9 0
1893 CIN P 34 0 8 46 5 0
1894 CIN P 23 0 6 28 3 1
1896 CL4 P 2 0 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 321
Second Base 1
Left Field 3
Center Field 2
Right Field 11