Bob James, baseball player, 1978-1987

Bob James

Born: 8/15/1958 in Glendale, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1978-09-07 | Final Game: 1987-10-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: Robert Harvey James

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Biography

Bob James was a professional baseball pitcher known for his effectiveness in late-inning situations during his career from 1978 to 1987. Born in 1958, James made a name for himself as a reliable reliever, finishing his career with a record of 24-26 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.8. He was particularly adept at closing games, notching a total of 73 saves, which underscored his role as a key contributor to his teams' bullpens. Throughout his career, James struck out 340 batters, showcasing his ability to overpower hitters at times. His playing style reflected the transitional period of the late 1970s and 1980s, when the game began to emphasize specialized relief pitching. Although he may not have achieved the same level of fame as some of his contemporaries, James was a steady presence on the mound, often called upon in high-pressure situations. His contributions to the game during this era helped shape the way teams approached relief pitching and the importance of specialized roles within the bullpen.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
24 26 279 2 0 0 73 407.0 377 172 39 157 340 3.80 0

Career ERA 3.80 vs. league average 3.92 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
1978 WSN NL 0 1 4 1 0 0 0 4.0 4 4 4 3 9.00 — -
1979 WSN NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 2 3 3 1 13.50 — -
1982 WSN NL 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 9.0 10 6 8 11 6.00 3.86 (-55%) -
1982 DET AL 0 2 12 1 0 0 0 19.7 22 11 8 20 5.03 3.86 (-30%) -337.7
1983 DET AL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 4.0 5 5 3 4 11.25 — 0.0
1983 WSN NL 1 0 27 0 0 0 7 50.0 37 16 23 56 2.88 3.87 (+26%) -
1984 WSN NL 6 6 62 0 0 0 10 96.0 92 39 45 91 3.66 3.81 (+4%) -
1985 CHW AL 8 7 69 0 0 0 32 110.0 90 26 23 88 2.13 3.89 (+45%) -
1986 CHW AL 5 4 49 0 0 0 14 58.3 61 34 23 32 5.25 3.97 (-32%) -
1987 CHW AL 4 6 43 0 0 0 10 54.0 54 28 17 34 4.67 4.29 (-9%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
279 21 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 15 0.190 0.190 0.190 0.381 0.0

Career AVG .190 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 26.8% below league average.

Career OBP .190 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 41.5% below league average.

Career SLG .190 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 51.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.381 vs. league average 0.718 across their career seasons — 47.0% 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
1978 WSN NL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 WSN NL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 WSN NL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 DET AL 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 DET AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 WSN NL 27 7 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.286 — — — — 0.0
1984 WSN NL 62 14 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 11 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1985 CHW AL 69 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 CHW AL 49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 CHW AL 43 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 279 2 28 47 13 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1978 MON P 4 1 0 1 0 0
1979 MON P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1982 MON P 7 0 1 0 0 0
1982 DET P 12 1 0 4 3 0
1983 DET P 4 0 0 0 0 0
1983 MON P 27 0 4 12 2 1
1984 MON P 62 0 5 7 4 0
1985 CHA P 69 0 12 8 1 0
1986 CHA P 49 0 3 6 0 0
1987 CHA P 43 0 3 9 3 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 279

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1983 Player of the Week Week of 1983-09-16

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1987 CHA AL $470,000
1986 CHA AL $555,000
1985 CHA AL $265,000
Total Career Earnings $1,290,000