Russ Christopher, baseball player, 1942-1948

Russ Christopher

Born: 9/12/1917 in Richmond, CA, USA

Died: 12/5/1954 in Richmond, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1942-04-14 | Final Game: 1948-10-01

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Russell Ormand Christopher

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Biography

Russ Christopher was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1948. Born in 1917, Christopher made a name for himself during an era marked by the challenges of World War II, which affected player availability and competition levels across the league. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 54 wins and 64 losses, with a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 3.37. He struck out a total of 424 batters and recorded 35 saves, showcasing his capability as both a starting and relief pitcher. Christopher's skills on the mound earned him an All-Star selection, highlighting his impact during his playing years. Known for his competitive spirit and consistency, he contributed significantly to his teams, navigating through a time when pitching depth was crucial. His contributions to baseball during this transitional period left a lasting mark, as he was part of a generation of players who helped shape the game in the post-war era.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
54 64 241 97 46 3 35 999.7 931 374 38 399 424 3.37 0

Career ERA 3.37 vs. league average 3.71 across their career seasons — 9.2% 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
1942 PHA AL 4 13 30 18 10 0 1 165.0 154 70 99 58 3.82 3.57 (-7%) -3376.5
1943 PHA AL 5 8 24 15 5 0 2 133.0 120 51 58 56 3.45 3.50 (+1%) 83.4
1944 PHA AL 14 14 35 24 13 1 1 215.3 200 71 63 84 2.97 3.57 (+17%) 1753.8
1945 PHA AL 13 13 33 27 17 2 2 227.3 213 80 75 100 3.17 3.67 (+14%) 1230.3
1946 PHA AL 5 7 30 13 1 0 0 119.3 119 57 44 79 4.30 3.59 (-20%) 1843.2
1947 PHA AL 10 7 44 0 0 0 12 80.7 70 26 33 33 2.90 3.97 (+27%) 455.3
1948 CLE AL 3 2 45 0 0 0 17 59.0 55 19 27 14 2.90 4.10 (+29%) -343.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
242 316 17 50 8 3 2 22 0 17 95 0.158 0.201 0.222 0.423 -1236.5

Career AVG .158 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 39.0% below league average.

Career OBP .201 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 39.0% below league average.

Career SLG .222 vs. league average .360 across their career seasons — 38.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.423 vs. league average 0.690 across their career seasons — 38.7% 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
1942 PHA AL 30 56 2 5 0 1 0 3 0 1 17 0.089 .253 (-65%) .323 (-67%) .349 (-64%) .672 (-66%) -597.2
1943 PHA AL 24 45 2 7 1 0 0 2 0 2 13 0.156 — — — — 0.0
1944 PHA AL 35 81 4 18 5 1 1 6 0 2 18 0.222 .261 (-15%) .325 (-26%) .357 (-3%) .683 (-14%) -226.0
1945 PHA AL 34 76 5 13 1 0 1 4 0 6 28 0.171 .260 (-34%) .328 (-30%) .354 (-37%) .683 (-33%) -413.3
1946 PHA AL 30 36 2 5 1 1 0 5 0 1 9 0.139 — — — — 0.0
1947 PHA AL 44 16 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 3 7 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1948 CLE AL 45 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1948 WS CLE 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 0.0 2 1 0 0 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1948 WS CLE 0 0 1 0 0 0.0 2 1 0 0 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 241 0 93 314 9 20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1942 PHA P 30 0 10 60 2 5
1943 PHA P 24 0 11 61 1 5
1944 PHA P 35 0 27 58 3 5
1945 PHA P 33 0 26 71 1 4
1946 PHA P 30 0 7 38 1 1
1947 PHA P 44 0 10 13 1 0
1948 CLE P 45 0 2 13 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 241

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1945 Most Valuable Player AL 32th 1.0 336 0