Eddie Plank, baseball player, 1901-1917

Eddie Plank

⭐ Hall of Fame 1946

Born: 8/31/1875 in Gettysburg, PA, USA

Died: 2/24/1926 in Gettysburg, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1901-05-13 | Final Game: 1917-08-06

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

Full name: Edward Stewart Plank

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Biography

Eddie Plank, born in 1875, was a prominent left-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1901 to 1917. Known for his exceptional control and skill on the mound, Plank finished his career with a remarkable record of 326-194 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.35. Over his 17-year career, he accumulated 2,246 strikeouts and recorded 23 saves, showcasing his ability to dominate opposing hitters and contribute significantly to his teams' successes. His achievements placed him among the elite pitchers of his era, which was characterized by a transition from the deadball era to a more offensive-minded game. Plank's contributions to baseball were recognized when he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. He was one of the first great left-handed pitchers in the history of the sport, known not only for his pitching prowess but also for his strategic mind and competitive spirit. Plank's legacy endures as a testament to the skill and artistry of pitching during the early 20th century, a time when the game was evolving rapidly and players were beginning to push the boundaries of what was possible on the field.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
326 194 623 529 410 69 23 4495.7 3958 1174 42 1072 2246 2.35 0

Career ERA 2.35 vs. league average 2.89 across their career seasons — 18.7% 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
1901 PHA AL 17 13 33 32 28 1 0 260.7 254 96 68 90 3.31 3.49 (+5%) 1649.7
1902 PHA AL 20 15 36 32 31 1 0 300.0 319 110 61 107 3.30 3.17 (-4%) 1688.9
1903 PHA AL 23 16 43 40 33 3 0 336.0 317 89 65 176 2.38 3.10 (+23%) 3831.7
1904 PHA AL 26 17 44 43 37 7 0 357.3 311 86 86 201 2.17 2.66 (+18%) 3989.3
1905 PHA AL 24 12 41 41 35 4 0 346.7 287 87 75 210 2.26 2.82 (+20%) 5035.4
1906 PHA AL 19 6 26 25 21 5 0 211.7 173 53 51 108 2.25 2.68 (+16%) 1797.8
1907 PHA AL 24 16 43 40 33 8 0 343.7 282 84 85 183 2.20 2.50 (+12%) 2839.7
1908 PHA AL 14 16 34 28 21 4 1 244.7 202 59 46 135 2.17 2.40 (+10%) 4177.4
1909 PHA AL 19 10 34 33 24 3 0 265.3 215 52 62 132 1.76 2.55 (+31%) 3241.9
1910 PHA AL 16 10 38 32 22 1 2 250.3 218 56 55 123 2.01 2.79 (+28%) 3371.7
1911 PHA AL 23 8 40 30 24 6 4 256.7 237 60 77 149 2.10 3.37 (+38%) 3870.8
1912 PHA AL 26 6 37 30 23 5 2 259.7 234 64 83 110 2.22 3.36 (+34%) 1815.0
1913 PHA AL 18 10 41 30 18 7 4 242.7 211 70 57 151 2.60 3.07 (+15%) 5008.8
1914 PHA AL 15 7 34 22 12 4 3 185.3 178 59 42 110 2.87 2.93 (+2%) 3560.6
1915 SLF FL 21 11 42 31 23 6 3 268.3 212 62 54 147 2.08 2.90 (+28%) 6346.0
1916 SLA AL 16 15 37 26 17 3 3 235.7 203 61 67 88 2.33 2.78 (+16%) 700.4
1917 SLA AL 5 6 20 14 8 1 1 131.0 105 26 38 26 1.79 2.69 (+34%) -1042.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
630 1607 130 331 39 7 3 122 13 71 265 0.206 0.250 0.245 0.495 -5690.2

Career AVG .206 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 18.9% below league average.

Career OBP .250 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — 20.9% below league average.

Career SLG .245 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 26.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.495 vs. league average 0.649 across their career seasons — 23.7% 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
1901 PHA AL 33 99 10 18 0 0 0 3 0 5 13 0.182 .271 (-33%) .326 (-21%) .359 (-49%) .686 (-36%) -541.6
1902 PHA AL 36 120 15 35 6 1 0 16 4 3 4 0.292 .266 (+9%) .321 (-2%) .343 (+4%) .665 (+1%) -6.3
1903 PHA AL 45 134 18 25 5 1 1 8 2 0 23 0.187 .261 (-29%) .316 (-37%) .345 (-24%) .662 (-31%) -696.2
1904 PHA AL 46 129 9 31 2 1 0 11 0 4 22 0.240 .246 (-3%) .300 (-9%) .321 (-16%) .622 (-12%) -242.2
1905 PHA AL 41 126 12 29 3 0 0 5 0 7 17 0.230 .248 (-7%) .307 (-10%) .322 (-21%) .629 (-16%) -294.8
1906 PHA AL 26 73 6 17 0 1 0 6 0 3 12 0.233 .247 (-6%) .307 (-11%) .315 (-17%) .622 (-14%) -156.9
1907 PHA AL 43 123 9 26 1 1 1 9 1 6 22 0.211 .245 (-14%) .304 (-17%) .308 (-16%) .613 (-16%) -309.8
1908 PHA AL 36 89 4 16 4 0 0 4 1 2 11 0.180 .240 (-25%) .298 (-34%) .306 (-27%) .605 (-30%) -414.3
1909 PHA AL 35 96 5 21 2 0 1 7 2 2 16 0.219 .244 (-10%) .306 (-18%) .312 (-13%) .618 (-16%) -239.5
1910 PHA AL 38 86 6 11 2 0 0 8 0 2 18 0.128 .249 (-49%) .317 (-42%) .326 (-54%) .644 (-48%) -639.2
1911 PHA AL 40 94 7 18 2 0 0 10 0 5 17 0.191 .266 (-28%) .336 (-31%) .356 (-40%) .693 (-36%) -566.9
1912 PHA AL 37 90 5 24 2 1 0 9 0 4 18 0.267 .268 (-1%) .335 (-9%) .358 (-13%) .694 (-11%) -174.3
1913 PHA AL 41 76 8 8 1 0 0 6 0 11 16 0.105 .259 (-59%) .325 (-25%) .345 (-66%) .670 (-46%) -525.5
1914 PHA AL 34 60 6 9 2 0 0 5 1 4 14 0.150 .255 (-41%) .322 (-37%) .339 (-46%) .661 (-42%) -399.1
1915 SLF FL 42 93 7 24 5 1 0 8 0 6 16 0.258 .250 (+3%) .318 (-5%) .332 (avg) .651 (-2%) -54.0
1916 SLA AL 37 81 3 15 1 0 0 5 2 4 16 0.185 .248 (-25%) .314 (-29%) .326 (-40%) .640 (-34%) -429.8
1917 SLA AL 20 38 0 4 1 0 0 2 0 3 10 0.105 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 18 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.111

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1914 WS PHA 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1913 WS PHA 2 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.143
1911 WS PHA 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000
1905 WS PHA 2 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.167

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 5 7 6 0 54.7 37 8 11 32 1.32

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1914 WS PHA 0 1 1 1 0 9.0 7 1 4 6 1.00
1913 WS PHA 1 1 2 2 0 19.0 9 2 3 7 0.95
1911 WS PHA 1 1 2 1 0 9.7 6 2 0 8 1.86
1905 WS PHA 0 2 2 2 0 17.0 15 3 4 11 1.59

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 623 242 229 1108 40 37

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1901 PHA P 33 0 6 63 5 2
1902 PHA P 36 0 18 74 5 2
1903 PHA P 43 0 23 85 4 1
1904 PHA P 44 43 22 103 3 4
1905 PHA P 41 41 24 82 6 0
1906 PHA P 26 25 16 46 2 2
1907 PHA P 43 40 33 88 2 4
1908 PHA P 34 28 17 45 2 1
1909 PHA P 34 33 11 82 1 3
1910 PHA P 38 32 9 64 1 1
1911 PHA P 40 0 7 71 2 2
1912 PHA P 37 0 6 68 0 1
1913 PHA P 41 0 6 59 2 2
1914 PHA P 34 0 7 36 1 2
1915 SLF P 42 0 13 58 1 4
1916 SLA P 37 0 6 51 2 6
1917 SLA P 20 0 5 33 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 623

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1914 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1912 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1909 Baseball Magazine All-Star P5
1909 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Gettysburg College Gettysburg PA 1900, 1901

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1914 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 5.0 64 0