Thornton Kipper, baseball player, 1953-1955

Thornton Kipper

Born: 9/27/1928 in Bagley, WI, USA

Died: 3/29/2006 in Scottsdale, AZ, USA

MLB Debut: 1953-06-07 | Final Game: 1955-07-17

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Thornton John Kipper

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Biography

Thornton Kipper was a professional baseball pitcher born in 1928, who played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1955. Making his debut during an era marked by the transition from the post-war years into the more competitive landscape of the mid-1950s, Kipper showcased his talents primarily with a focus on starting and relief pitching. Over the course of his career, he accumulated a record of 3-4 and posted an earned run average (ERA) of 5.27, with a total of 35 strikeouts and 1 save, reflecting the challenges pitchers faced in a league that was beginning to see an influx of powerful hitters. Kipper's playing style was characterized by his versatility, as he was capable of both starting games and coming in for crucial relief appearances. Despite the ups and downs common to many pitchers of his era, he contributed to his teams with determination and a competitive spirit. While his career was relatively brief, Kipper remains a part of the rich tapestry of baseball history during a time when the game was evolving, and his contributions on the mound are remembered by those who followed the sport during the mid-20th century.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
3 4 55 3 0 0 1 99.0 128 58 12 46 35 5.27 0

Career ERA 5.27 vs. league average 4.01 across their career seasons — 31.5% 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
1953 PHI NL 3 3 20 3 0 0 0 45.7 59 24 12 15 4.73 4.14 (-14%) -994.5
1954 PHI NL 0 0 11 0 0 0 1 13.7 22 12 12 5 7.90 3.90 (-103%) -213.4
1955 PHI NL 0 1 24 0 0 0 0 39.7 47 22 22 15 4.99 4.00 (-25%) -663.8

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
55 16 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 9 0.125 0.125 0.125 0.250 0.0

Career AVG .125 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 52.2% below league average.

Career OBP .125 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 62.5% below league average.

Career SLG .125 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — 68.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.250 vs. league average 0.728 across their career seasons — 65.6% 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
1953 PHI NL 20 11 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 0.091 — — — — 0.0
1954 PHI NL 11 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1955 PHI NL 24 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 55 0 7 14 0 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1953 PHI P 20 0 6 5 0 1
1954 PHI P 11 0 0 4 0 0
1955 PHI P 24 0 1 5 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 55

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Wisconsin at Madison Madison WI 1946, 1949, 1950