Bert Cunningham

Born: 11/25/1865 in Wilmington, DE, USA

Died: 5/14/1952 in Cragmere, DE, USA

MLB Debut: 1887-09-15 | Final Game: 1901-04-28

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'6" | Weight: 147 lbs

Full name: Elmer Ellsworth Cunningham

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Biography

Bert Cunningham was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1887 to 1901. Born in 1865, Cunningham played during a transformative era in baseball, marked by the transition from the deadball era to the more dynamic game that would follow. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 142 wins and 167 losses, demonstrating both resilience and competitiveness on the mound. With an earned run average (ERA) of 4.22, Cunningham showcased his ability to manage games, while his 718 strikeouts highlighted his effectiveness as a strikeout pitcher during his time. Cunningham's career also included a total of 2 saves, a statistic that reflects the evolving role of pitchers in the late 19th century, as the modern bullpen began to take shape. Although his win-loss record may not reflect the dominance of some contemporaries, Cunningham's contributions to the game were significant, and he remained a respected figure among players and fans alike. His legacy is a reminder of the challenges faced by pitchers of his era and the foundational role they played in the development of professional baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
142 167 342 311 287 4 2 2734.7 3071 1283 62 1064 718 4.22 0

Career ERA 4.22 vs. league average 3.84 across their career seasons — 10.0% worse 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
1887 BR3 AA 0 2 3 3 3 0 0 23.0 26 13 13 8 5.09 4.17 (-22%) -361.9
1888 BL2 AA 22 29 51 51 50 0 0 453.3 412 171 157 186 3.39 2.95 (-15%) -3570.0
1889 BL2 AA 16 19 39 33 29 0 1 279.3 306 151 141 140 4.87 3.93 (-24%) -1921.6
1890 PHP PL 3 9 14 11 11 0 0 108.7 133 63 67 33 5.22 3.88 (-34%) -1305.1
1890 BFP PL 9 15 25 25 24 2 0 211.0 251 137 134 78 5.84 3.88 (-51%) -4303.3
1891 BL3 AA 11 14 30 25 21 0 0 237.7 241 106 138 59 4.01 3.52 (-14%) -5174.3
1895 LS3 NL 11 16 31 28 24 1 0 231.0 299 122 104 49 4.75 4.77 (avg) -839.5
1896 LS3 NL 7 14 27 20 17 0 1 189.3 242 107 74 37 5.09 4.36 (-17%) -1965.2
1897 LS3 NL 14 13 30 28 26 0 0 242.7 294 112 72 49 4.15 4.30 (+3%) 1073.0
1898 LS3 NL 28 15 44 42 41 0 0 362.0 387 127 65 34 3.16 3.59 (+12%) 295.6
1899 LS3 NL 17 17 39 37 33 1 0 323.7 385 138 75 36 3.84 3.85 (avg) 1205.6
1900 CHC NL 4 3 8 7 7 0 0 64.0 84 31 21 7 4.36 3.68 (-18%) -
1901 CHC NL 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 11 5 3 2 5.00 3.49 (-43%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
359 1176 145 254 32 14 9 124 14 64 206 0.216 0.260 0.290 0.550 -3958.6

Career AVG .216 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — 20.0% below league average.

Career OBP .260 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 22.4% below league average.

Career SLG .290 vs. league average .361 across their career seasons — 19.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.550 vs. league average 0.696 across their career seasons — 21.0% 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
1887 BR3 AA 3 8 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1888 BL2 AA 51 177 17 33 3 2 1 9 2 5 39 0.186 .238 (-22%) .290 (-25%) .319 (-24%) .610 (-25%) -678.2
1889 BL2 AA 41 131 10 27 4 2 0 18 3 4 25 0.206 .263 (-22%) .334 (-28%) .357 (-25%) .691 (-27%) -615.3
1890 PHP PL 15 52 6 6 1 1 0 3 1 2 11 0.115 .260 (-56%) .336 (-56%) .351 (-51%) .687 (-53%) -456.8
1890 BFP PL 28 101 11 23 5 1 0 11 0 6 23 0.228 .260 (-12%) .336 (-20%) .351 (-15%) .687 (-17%) -456.8
1891 BL3 AA 31 100 17 15 3 1 1 11 4 13 20 0.150 .254 (-41%) .331 (-25%) .343 (-33%) .675 (-29%) -476.3
1895 LS3 NL 32 100 14 30 7 3 0 13 0 9 20 0.300 .296 (+1%) .361 (-1%) .399 (+8%) .761 (+4%) 35.8
1896 LS3 NL 29 88 11 22 3 2 2 15 0 5 14 0.250 .290 (-14%) .354 (-18%) .387 (+3%) .741 (-7%) -145.9
1897 LS3 NL 32 97 13 22 0 1 2 10 1 1 13 0.227 .291 (-22%) .354 (-32%) .387 (-20%) .741 (-26%) -453.9
1898 LS3 NL 44 140 21 32 3 1 1 16 1 10 20 0.229 .270 (-16%) .333 (-16%) .347 (-18%) .680 (-17%) -404.8
1899 LS3 NL 44 154 17 40 2 0 2 17 1 5 13 0.260 .282 (-8%) .343 (-18%) .366 (-15%) .710 (-16%) -448.7
1900 CHC NL 8 27 5 4 1 0 0 1 1 1 5 0.148 — — — — 0.0
1901 CHC NL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 15 0 7 0 3 0
P 342 0 197 676 111 25
SS 4 0 6 7 4 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1887 BR3 P 3 0 1 4 1 0
1888 BL2 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1888 BL2 P 51 0 20 106 25 3
1889 BL2 OF 2 0 1 0 1 0
1889 BL2 P 39 0 8 54 9 0
1889 BL2 SS 1 0 0 2 2 0
1890 PHP OF 1 0 1 0 1 0
1890 PHP P 14 0 7 33 7 3
1890 BFP OF 3 0 3 0 1 0
1890 BFP P 25 0 7 53 14 2
1891 BL3 OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1891 BL3 P 30 0 11 69 7 3
1891 BL3 SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1895 LS3 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1895 LS3 P 31 0 19 56 10 3
1896 LS3 P 27 0 23 48 9 3
1896 LS3 SS 1 0 3 2 1 0
1897 LS3 OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1897 LS3 P 30 0 27 58 7 0
1898 LS3 P 44 0 29 81 13 5
1899 LS3 OF 3 0 2 0 0 0
1899 LS3 P 39 0 35 100 8 2
1899 LS3 SS 1 0 3 3 1 0
1900 CHN P 8 0 8 9 1 1
1901 CHN P 1 0 2 5 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 342
Shortstop 4
Left Field 2
Center Field 3
Right Field 11