Lefty James, baseball player, 1912-1914

Lefty James

Born: 7/1/1889 in Glen Roy, OH, USA

Died: 5/3/1933 in Glen Roy, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1912-09-20 | Final Game: 1914-07-03

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: William L. James

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Biography

Lefty James, born in 1889, was a professional baseball pitcher who played in the early 20th century, a time when the game was evolving rapidly and the deadball era was giving way to a more offense-driven style. His career spanned from 1912 until July 3, 1914, during which he showcased his skills primarily with a focus on control and strategy, characteristics that defined many pitchers of his time. James concluded his career with a record of 2-6, an earned run average (ERA) of 3.39, and a total of 36 strikeouts. He also recorded 1 save, contributing to his team's efforts in critical moments. Though his time in Major League Baseball was brief, Lefty James remains a part of the rich tapestry of early baseball history, representing the challenges and competition faced by pitchers in an era marked by both emerging talent and shifting gameplay dynamics.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
2 6 31 11 4 0 1 95.7 94 36 0 45 36 3.39 0

Career ERA 3.39 vs. league average 3.09 across their career seasons — 9.6% 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
1912 CLE AL 0 1 3 1 0 0 1 6.0 8 5 4 2 7.50 — 0.0
1913 CLE AL 2 2 11 4 3 0 0 39.0 42 13 9 18 3.00 3.07 (+2%) 468.0
1914 CLE AL 0 3 17 6 1 0 0 50.7 44 18 32 16 3.20 2.93 (-9%) -1173.5

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
31 28 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 14 0.107 0.167 0.107 0.274 0.0

Career AVG .107 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 58.9% below league average.

Career OBP .167 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 49.0% below league average.

Career SLG .107 vs. league average .347 across their career seasons — 69.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.274 vs. league average 0.674 across their career seasons — 59.4% 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
1912 CLE AL 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1913 CLE AL 11 13 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.231 — — — — 0.0
1914 CLE AL 17 12 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 31 0 3 31 4 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1912 CLE P 3 0 0 2 1 0
1913 CLE P 11 0 0 8 3 0
1914 CLE P 17 0 3 21 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 31