Candy Cummings

⭐ Hall of Fame 1939

Born: 10/18/1848 in Ware, MA, USA

Died: 5/16/1924 in Toledo, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1872-04-22 | Final Game: 1877-08-18

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 120 lbs

Full name: William Arthur Cummings

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Candy Cummings, born in 1848, was a pioneering pitcher in the early days of professional baseball, showcasing his talents from 1872 to 1877. He finished his career with a record of 145 wins and 94 losses, posting an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.42. During his time on the mound, he recorded 259 strikeouts, a notable achievement in an era that was still developing offensively and defensively. Cummings was particularly recognized for his innovation on the field, as he was credited with popularizing the curveball, a pitch that would go on to revolutionize the game. Cummings played in a transitional period of baseball history, where the sport was evolving rapidly in terms of rules and play styles. His contributions to pitching mechanics and strategy were significant, making him a key figure in the development of the modern game. In recognition of his impact and accomplishments, Candy Cummings was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939, cementing his legacy as one of the early greats of the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
145	94	242	241	233	19	0	2149.7	2526	579	12	113	259	2.42	0

Career ERA 2.42 vs. league average 2.66 across their career seasons — 9.0% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1872	NY2		33	20	55	55	53	3	497.0	604	166	31	45	3.01	3.66 (+18%)	2318.4
1873	BL1		28	14	42	42	42	1	382.0	475	119	33	34	2.80	3.40 (+17%)	817.1
1874	PH2		28	26	54	54	52	3	483.0	616	105	18	61	1.96	2.19 (+11%)	2125.1
1875	HR1		35	12	48	47	46	7	416.0	397	74	4	82	1.60	2.23 (+28%)	4023.1
1876	HAR	NL	16	8	24	24	24	5	216.0	215	40	14	26	1.67	2.31 (+28%)	666.6
1877	CN1	NL	5	14	19	19	16	0	155.7	219	75	13	11	4.34	2.81 (-54%)	-1241.9

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
247	1068	149	227	29	9	0	107	3	16	51	0.213	0.224	0.257	0.481	-3559.5

Career AVG .213 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — 21.6% below league average.

Career OBP .224 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 20.6% below league average.

Career SLG .257 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 22.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.481 vs. league average 0.614 across their career seasons — 21.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1872	NY2		55	249	37	52	9	3	26	0	4	14	0.209	.285 (-27%)	.296 (-25%)	.347 (-23%)	.644 (-24%)	-956.6
1873	BL1		42	192	30	48	5	0	36	1	5	5	0.250	.290 (-14%)	.304 (-12%)	.357 (-23%)	.661 (-18%)	-498.0
1874	PH2		54	231	32	52	4	2	19	1	0	12	0.225	.273 (-18%)	.282 (-20%)	.333 (-22%)	.615 (-21%)	-735.2
1875	HR1		53	221	30	44	7	2	15	1	3	11	0.199	.253 (-22%)	.260 (-20%)	.309 (-20%)	.570 (-20%)	-599.3
1876	HAR	NL	24	105	14	17	3	0	7	0	0	3	0.162	.265 (-39%)	.277 (-42%)	.320 (-41%)	.598 (-41%)	-594.5
1877	CN1	NL	19	70	6	14	1	2	4	0	4	6	0.200	.271 (-26%)	.289 (-16%)	.337 (-20%)	.626 (-18%)	-175.9

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	12	0	9	1	6	0
P	242	108	100	319	59	10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1872	NY2	OF	2	0	0	0	2	0
1872	NY2	P	55	54	21	61	8	3
1873	BL1	P	42	0	20	42	12	2
1874	PH2	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1874	PH2	P	54	54	16	73	23	0
1875	HR1	OF	6	0	4	0	3	0
1875	HR1	P	48	0	28	85	11	5
1876	HAR	P	24	0	9	27	2	0
1877	CN1	OF	3	0	5	1	1	0
1877	CN1	P	19	0	6	31	3	0