Bubba Church, baseball player, 1950-1955

Bubba Church

Born: 9/12/1924 in Birmingham, AL, USA

Died: 9/17/2001 in Birmingham, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1950-04-30 | Final Game: 1955-05-01

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

Full name: Emory Nicholas Church

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Biography

Bubba Church was a professional baseball pitcher born in 1924, who played in Major League Baseball from 1950 until his retirement in 1955. Known for his competitive spirit and determination on the mound, Church compiled a career record of 36 wins and 37 losses over the course of his five-year career. He finished with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.1, demonstrating his ability to keep opposing hitters at bay during a time when offensive production was on the rise. Throughout his career, Church struck out 274 batters and recorded 4 saves, showcasing his effectiveness as both a starting pitcher and a reliever. His contributions came during a transitional period in baseball, marked by the post-war era's influx of talent and the changing dynamics of pitching strategies. Although he may not have reached the heights of some of his contemporaries, Bubba Church remains a notable figure in the annals of baseball history for his role in the game during the early 1950s.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
36 37 147 95 32 7 4 713.3 738 325 84 277 274 4.10 0

Career ERA 4.10 vs. league average 4.02 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
1950 PHI NL 8 6 31 18 8 2 1 142.0 113 43 56 50 2.73 4.36 (+37%) 721.7
1951 PHI NL 15 11 38 33 15 4 1 247.0 246 97 90 104 3.53 4.04 (+12%) 2619.6
1952 PHI NL 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 5.0 11 6 1 3 10.80 — 0.0
1952 CIN NL 5 9 29 22 5 1 0 153.3 173 74 48 47 4.34 3.70 (-17%) -3379.1
1953 CIN NL 3 3 11 7 2 0 0 43.7 55 29 19 12 5.98 4.14 (-44%) -2233.0
1953 CHC NL 4 5 27 11 1 0 1 104.3 115 58 49 47 5.00 4.14 (-21%) -
1954 CHC NL 1 3 7 3 1 0 0 14.7 21 16 13 8 9.82 3.90 (-152%) -
1955 CHC NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 3.3 4 2 1 3 5.40 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
162 235 21 53 9 0 3 13 0 4 42 0.226 0.242 0.302 0.544 -429.0

Career AVG .226 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 13.4% below league average.

Career OBP .242 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 27.9% below league average.

Career SLG .302 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 22.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.544 vs. league average 0.725 across their career seasons — 25.0% 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
1950 PHI NL 39 44 4 8 2 0 0 1 0 0 9 0.182 — — — — 0.0
1951 PHI NL 39 86 8 22 3 0 1 7 0 1 16 0.256 .260 (-2%) .336 (-21%) .385 (-16%) .721 (-18%) -292.4
1952 PHI NL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1952 CIN NL 32 50 5 12 2 0 1 2 0 1 7 0.240 .252 (-5%) .326 (-22%) .369 (-8%) .696 (-15%) 0.0
1953 CIN NL 12 15 3 4 2 0 0 2 0 1 4 0.267 — — — — 0.0
1953 CHC NL 27 33 1 7 0 0 1 1 0 1 6 0.212 — — — — 0.0
1954 CHC NL 8 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1955 CHC NL 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 147 3 43 108 8 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1950 PHI P 31 0 7 24 1 5
1951 PHI P 38 0 14 34 1 3
1952 PHI P 2 0 1 1 0 0
1952 CIN P 29 0 13 23 1 3
1953 CIN P 11 0 0 8 2 1
1953 CHN P 27 0 6 16 3 0
1954 CHN P 7 3 2 2 0 0
1955 CHN P 2 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 147

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1950 Rookie of the Year NL 4th 2.0 24 2