Tim Keefe, baseball player, 1880-1893

Tim Keefe

⭐ Hall of Fame 1964

Born: 1/1/1857 in Cambridge, MA, USA

Died: 4/23/1933 in Cambridge, MA, USA

MLB Debut: 1880-08-06 | Final Game: 1893-08-15

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Timothy John Keefe

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Biography

Tim Keefe was a prominent pitcher who made a significant impact on Major League Baseball during the late 19th century. Born in 1857, he played professionally from 1880 until his retirement on August 15, 1893. Over the course of his career, Keefe established an impressive record of 342 wins and 225 losses, complemented by a commendable earned run average (ERA) of 2.63. His ability to strike out batters was notable, as he amassed a total of 2,564 strikeouts, along with 2 saves, showcasing his effectiveness on the mound in an era that emphasized pitching prowess and strategy. Keefe's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, marked by the burgeoning popularity of the sport and the evolution of pitching techniques. His induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964 underscored his lasting legacy and recognition as one of the great pitchers of his time. Known for his skillful control and durability, Keefe's contributions to the game helped to set the standard for future generations of pitchers, solidifying his place in the annals of baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
342 225 600 594 554 39 2 5049.7 4438 1474 75 1233 2564 2.63 0

Career ERA 2.63 vs. league average 3.46 across their career seasons — 24.1% better 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
1880 TRN NL 6 6 12 12 12 0 0 105.0 68 10 16 39 0.86 2.37 (+64%) 342.7
1881 TRN NL 18 27 45 45 45 4 0 403.0 434 145 83 103 3.24 2.77 (-17%) -1629.3
1882 TRN NL 17 26 43 42 41 1 0 376.0 367 104 78 111 2.49 2.80 (+11%) -1340.6
1883 NY4 AA 41 27 68 68 68 5 0 619.0 488 166 108 359 2.41 3.22 (+25%) 8415.5
1884 NY4 AA 37 17 58 58 56 4 0 483.0 380 121 71 334 2.25 3.11 (+27%) 7388.3
1885 NY1 NL 32 13 46 46 45 7 0 400.0 300 70 102 227 1.57 3.03 (+48%) 3572.7
1886 NY1 NL 42 20 64 64 62 2 0 535.0 479 152 102 297 2.56 3.37 (+24%) 8874.2
1887 NY1 NL 35 19 56 56 54 2 0 476.7 428 165 108 189 3.12 4.17 (+25%) 8489.0
1888 NY1 NL 35 12 51 51 48 8 0 434.3 317 84 90 335 1.74 2.95 (+41%) 12585.4
1889 NY1 NL 28 13 47 45 39 3 1 364.0 319 136 151 225 3.36 3.93 (+14%) 4439.4
1890 NYP PL 17 11 30 30 23 1 0 229.0 225 86 89 89 3.38 3.88 (+13%) 804.4
1891 NY1 NL 2 5 8 7 4 0 0 55.0 70 32 27 30 5.24 3.52 (-49%) 224.7
1891 PHI NL 3 6 11 10 9 0 1 78.3 82 34 30 34 3.91 3.52 (-11%) 462.2
1892 PHI NL 19 16 39 38 31 2 0 313.3 279 82 98 136 2.36 3.28 (+28%) 4114.8
1893 PHI NL 10 7 22 22 17 0 0 178.0 202 87 80 56 4.40 4.66 (+6%) 1203.4

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
618 2083 248 390 60 38 12 134 13 175 411 0.187 0.252 0.270 0.521 -5771.9

Career AVG .187 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 26.3% below league average.

Career OBP .252 vs. league average .311 across their career seasons — 19.1% below league average.

Career SLG .270 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 21.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.521 vs. league average 0.653 across their career seasons — 20.1% 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
1880 TRN NL 12 43 4 10 3 0 0 3 0 1 12 0.233 — — — — 0.0
1881 TRN NL 46 152 18 35 7 1 0 19 0 21 26 0.230 .260 (-11%) .290 (+12%) .338 (-14%) .628 (-2%) 55.6
1882 TRN NL 53 189 24 43 8 7 1 19 0 17 46 0.228 .248 (-8%) .275 (+6%) .329 (+9%) .605 (+7%) 223.6
1883 NY4 AA 70 259 39 57 6 9 0 0 0 14 0 0.220 .257 (-14%) .285 (-9%) .345 (-9%) .631 (-9%) -395.5
1884 NY4 AA 62 210 27 50 3 6 3 0 0 18 0 0.238 .243 (-2%) .278 (+8%) .327 (+8%) .606 (+8%) 287.6
1885 NY1 NL 47 166 20 27 1 5 0 12 0 13 22 0.163 .244 (-33%) .287 (-22%) .325 (-30%) .613 (-26%) -651.4
1886 NY1 NL 64 205 26 35 10 1 1 20 3 17 42 0.171 .246 (-31%) .302 (-23%) .331 (-27%) .634 (-25%) -813.5
1887 NY1 NL 56 191 27 42 7 6 2 23 2 20 41 0.220 .270 (-19%) .331 (-11%) .373 (-6%) .705 (-9%) -321.3
1888 NY1 NL 51 181 10 23 3 0 2 8 3 4 56 0.127 .238 (-47%) .290 (-50%) .319 (-45%) .610 (-47%) -1308.3
1889 NY1 NL 47 149 17 23 5 2 0 8 2 8 40 0.154 .263 (-41%) .334 (-41%) .357 (-40%) .691 (-40%) -1061.9
1890 NYP PL 30 92 18 10 1 0 2 11 0 13 26 0.109 .260 (-58%) .336 (-31%) .351 (-47%) .687 (-39%) -576.0
1891 NY1 NL 8 21 2 2 0 0 0 1 1 3 13 0.095 — — — — 0.0
1891 PHI NL 11 29 0 5 0 1 0 1 0 4 16 0.172 — — — — 0.0
1892 PHI NL 39 117 6 10 2 0 1 3 1 13 47 0.085 .244 (-65%) .316 (-42%) .327 (-61%) .644 (-52%) -938.8
1893 PHI NL 22 79 10 18 4 0 0 6 1 9 24 0.228 .279 (-19%) .356 (-14%) .379 (-27%) .735 (-20%) -272.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 20 3 4 1 0 0 0 3 7 0.200

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1889 WS NY1 2 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 0.500
1888 WS NY1 4 11 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0.091
1884 WS NY4 2 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.200

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
4 3 8 7 1 61.0 45 18 14 46 2.66

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1889 WS NY1 0 1 2 1 1 11.0 17 10 2 4 8.18
1888 WS NY1 4 0 4 4 0 35.0 18 2 9 30 0.51
1884 WS NY4 0 2 2 2 0 15.0 10 6 3 12 3.60

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1 0 3 4 2 0
3B 3 0 1 11 1 1
OF 21 0 33 4 5 2
P 600 0 260 1060 166 28

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1880 TRN P 12 0 7 22 0 0
1881 TRN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1881 TRN P 45 0 23 79 17 5
1882 TRN 3B 3 0 1 11 1 1
1882 TRN OF 8 0 19 2 2 1
1882 TRN P 43 0 32 89 11 4
1883 NY4 2B 1 0 3 4 2 0
1883 NY4 OF 1 0 4 0 0 0
1883 NY4 P 68 0 31 142 23 3
1884 NY4 OF 5 0 8 2 2 1
1884 NY4 P 58 0 18 93 29 2
1885 NY1 OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1885 NY1 P 46 0 30 80 13 0
1886 NY1 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1886 NY1 P 64 0 29 107 15 3
1887 NY1 OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1887 NY1 P 56 0 17 102 15 1
1888 NY1 OF 1 0 1 0 1 0
1888 NY1 P 51 0 29 79 10 1
1889 NY1 P 47 0 10 78 8 3
1890 NYP P 30 0 15 61 4 2
1891 NY1 P 8 0 3 12 1 1
1891 PHI P 11 0 3 16 1 0
1892 PHI P 39 0 8 68 13 2
1893 PHI P 22 0 5 32 6 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 600
Second Base 1
Third Base 3
Left Field 2
Center Field 16
Right Field 3

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1888 Pitching Triple Crown