The Only Nolan, baseball player, 1878-1885

The Only Nolan

Born: 11/7/1855 in Trenton, ON, CAN

Died: 5/18/1913 in Paterson, NJ, USA

MLB Debut: 1878-05-01 | Final Game: 1885-10-09

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'8" | Weight: 171 lbs

Full name: Edward Sylvester Nolan

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Biography

The Only Nolan, born in 1855, was a notable pitcher who made his mark in the early days of professional baseball, playing from 1878 until his retirement on October 9, 1885. Competing during a formative period in the sport's history, Nolan showcased his skills in an era characterized by evolving pitching techniques and strategies. He finished his career with a record of 23 wins and 52 losses, highlighting the challenges pitchers faced during a time when offensive output was often high and the game was still in its infancy. Nolan's career earned run average (ERA) of 2.98 and his total of 274 strikeouts reflected his ability to handle the pressures of the mound. Despite the lack of saves in his career, his contributions were significant in shaping the role of pitchers during the late 19th century. As baseball transitioned into more organized leagues and the rules governing the game continued to evolve, Nolan's performances provided a glimpse into the early art of pitching, laying the groundwork for future generations.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
23 52 79 78 74 1 0 676.0 720 224 6 135 274 2.98 0

Career ERA 2.98 vs. league average 3.04 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
1878 IN1 NL 13 22 38 38 37 1 0 347.0 357 99 56 125 2.57 2.30 (-11%) -310.9
1881 CL2 NL 8 14 22 21 20 0 0 180.0 183 61 38 54 3.05 2.77 (-10%) -759.4
1883 PT1 AA 0 7 7 7 6 0 0 55.0 81 26 10 23 4.25 3.22 (-32%) 354.3
1884 WIL UA 1 4 5 5 5 0 0 40.0 44 13 7 52 2.92 3.11 (+6%) 1599.6
1885 PHI NL 1 5 7 7 6 0 0 54.0 55 25 24 20 4.17 3.03 (-37%) -932.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
102 405 33 97 17 2 0 35 0 12 31 0.240 0.261 0.291 0.553 -502.4

Career AVG .240 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .261 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — 7.8% below league average.

Career SLG .291 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 12.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.553 vs. league average 0.615 across their career seasons — 10.1% 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
1878 IN1 NL 38 152 11 37 8 0 0 16 0 2 10 0.243 .259 (-6%) .278 (-9%) .319 (-7%) .597 (-8%) -182.4
1881 CL2 NL 41 168 12 41 5 1 0 18 0 4 13 0.244 .260 (-6%) .290 (-10%) .338 (-16%) .628 (-13%) -320.0
1883 PT1 AA 7 26 4 8 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.308 — — — — 0.0
1884 WIL UA 9 33 5 9 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.273 — — — — 0.0
1885 PHI NL 7 26 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 3 8 0.077 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 6 0 3 7 3 1
OF 21 0 25 3 3 1
P 79 0 31 140 21 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1878 IN1 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1878 IN1 P 38 0 19 80 11 5
1881 CL2 3B 6 0 3 7 3 1
1881 CL2 OF 14 0 20 2 2 1
1881 CL2 P 22 0 9 28 4 0
1883 PT1 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1883 PT1 P 7 0 2 11 3 0
1884 WIL OF 4 0 4 0 0 0
1884 WIL P 5 0 1 11 1 0
1885 PHI OF 1 0 1 1 1 0
1885 PHI P 7 0 0 10 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 79
Third Base 6
Left Field 7
Center Field 12
Right Field 3