Blondie Purcell, baseball player, 1879-1890

Blondie Purcell

Born: 3/16/1854 in Paterson, NJ, USA

MLB Debut: 1879-05-01 | Final Game: 1890-09-16

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 159 lbs

Full name: William Aloysius Purcell

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Biography

Blondie Purcell, born in 1854, was a professional baseball pitcher who played in the late 19th century, a period marked by the evolution of baseball's playing style and rules. His career spanned from 1879 until May 1, 1890, during which he became known for his unique contributions to the game. Purcell finished his career with a record of 15-43 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.73, reflecting the challenges faced by pitchers of his time, particularly in a league that was still developing in terms of offensive and defensive strategies. Over the course of his career, Purcell accumulated a total of 138 strikeouts, showcasing his ability to challenge batters despite his overall win-loss record. His time in the league coincided with the transition from the deadball era to a more modern style of play, as teams began to emphasize both hitting and pitching. Although he did not record any saves, Purcell's presence on the mound contributed to the competitive landscape of baseball during a pivotal time in its history. His legacy endures as part of the rich tapestry of early professional baseball, reflecting the struggles and triumphs of players in the formative years of America's pastime.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
15 43 79 57 52 0 0 581.3 746 241 5 84 138 3.73 0

Career ERA 3.73 vs. league average 3.20 across their career seasons — 16.5% 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
1879 SR1 NL 4 15 22 17 15 0 0 179.7 245 75 19 28 3.76 2.50 (-50%) -1502.6
1879 CN1 NL 0 2 2 2 2 0 0 18.0 27 8 2 3 4.00 2.50 (-60%) -109.8
1880 CN1 NL 3 17 25 21 21 0 0 196.0 235 70 32 47 3.21 2.37 (-35%) -1204.6
1881 BFN NL 4 1 9 5 5 0 0 61.7 62 19 9 15 2.77 2.77 (avg) -445.5
1882 BFN NL 2 1 6 3 2 0 0 31.0 44 17 4 9 4.94 2.80 (-76%) -145.6
1883 PHI NL 2 6 11 9 7 0 0 80.0 110 39 12 30 4.39 3.22 (-36%) 537.0
1884 PHI NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 3 1 0 1 2.25 — 0.0
1885 PH4 AA 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 6.0 11 4 2 3 6.00 — 0.0
1886 BL2 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 1 0 0 9.00 — 0.0
1887 BL2 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 8 7 4 2 15.75 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1097 4563 767 1217 177 60 13 495 197 284 248 0.267 0.314 0.340 0.654 2124.6

Career AVG .267 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +5.5% above league average.

Career OBP .314 vs. league average .303 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .340 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.654 vs. league average 0.643 across their career seasons — near 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
1879 SR1 NL 63 277 32 72 6 3 0 25 0 3 13 0.260 .255 (+2%) .270 (-1%) .328 (-8%) .599 (-5%) -179.0
1879 CN1 NL 12 50 10 11 0 0 0 4 0 0 3 0.220 .255 (-14%) .270 (-19%) .328 (-33%) .599 (-27%) -179.0
1880 CN1 NL 77 325 48 95 13 6 1 24 0 5 13 0.292 .244 (+19%) .267 (+13%) .319 (+18%) .586 (+16%) 743.1
1881 CL2 NL 20 80 3 14 2 1 0 4 0 5 8 0.175 .260 (-33%) .290 (-23%) .338 (-33%) .628 (-29%) -321.1
1881 BFN NL 30 113 15 33 7 2 0 17 0 8 8 0.292 .260 (+12%) .290 (+17%) .338 (+15%) .628 (+16%) -321.1
1882 BFN NL 84 380 79 105 18 6 2 40 0 14 27 0.276 .248 (+11%) .275 (+9%) .329 (+12%) .605 (+11%) 648.1
1883 PHI NL 97 425 70 114 20 5 1 32 0 13 26 0.268 .257 (+4%) .285 (+1%) .345 (avg) .631 (+1%) 48.0
1884 PHI NL 103 428 67 108 11 7 1 31 0 29 30 0.252 .243 (+4%) .278 (+7%) .327 (-3%) .606 (+2%) 219.2
1885 PH4 AA 66 304 71 90 15 5 0 22 0 16 0 0.296 .244 (+21%) .287 (+17%) .325 (+16%) .613 (+17%) 798.9
1885 BSN NL 21 87 9 19 1 1 0 3 0 3 15 0.218 .244 (-10%) .287 (-15%) .325 (-22%) .613 (-19%) 798.9
1886 BL2 AA 26 85 17 19 0 1 0 8 13 17 0 0.224 .246 (-9%) .302 (+21%) .331 (-26%) .634 (-3%) 72.6
1887 BL2 AA 140 567 101 142 25 8 4 96 88 46 38 0.250 .270 (-7%) .331 (-4%) .373 (-8%) .705 (-6%) -666.0
1888 BL2 AA 101 406 53 96 9 4 2 39 16 27 34 0.236 .238 (-1%) .290 (-1%) .319 (-8%) .610 (-5%) -265.8
1888 PH4 AA 18 66 10 11 3 1 0 6 10 5 6 0.167 .238 (-30%) .290 (-19%) .319 (-24%) .610 (-22%) -265.8
1889 PH4 AA 129 507 72 160 19 7 0 85 22 50 27 0.316 .263 (+20%) .334 (+15%) .357 (+6%) .691 (+10%) 1143.0
1890 PH4 AA 110 463 110 128 28 3 2 59 48 43 0 0.276 .260 (+6%) .336 (+2%) .351 (+3%) .687 (+3%) 210.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
3B 47 0 61 112 50 7
C 1 0 5 1 0 0
OF 995 0 1465 146 241 19
P 79 0 27 119 17 0
SS 4 0 1 4 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1879 SR1 C 1 0 5 1 0 0
1879 SR1 OF 47 0 64 4 20 0
1879 SR1 P 22 0 9 28 6 0
1879 CN1 OF 10 0 18 3 7 0
1879 CN1 P 2 0 2 5 0 0
1880 CN1 OF 55 0 78 14 21 1
1880 CN1 P 25 0 10 37 3 0
1880 CN1 SS 1 0 0 3 1 0
1881 CL2 OF 20 0 40 4 12 0
1881 BFN OF 25 0 32 4 15 0
1881 BFN P 9 0 2 16 2 0
1882 BFN OF 82 0 144 11 34 0
1882 BFN P 6 0 0 10 1 0
1883 PHI 3B 46 0 60 111 49 7
1883 PHI OF 44 0 60 14 14 2
1883 PHI P 11 0 4 21 3 0
1884 PHI OF 103 0 182 12 28 1
1884 PHI P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1885 PH4 OF 66 0 78 13 15 1
1885 PH4 P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1885 BSN OF 21 0 19 2 4 0
1886 BL2 OF 26 0 35 4 6 0
1886 BL2 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1886 BL2 SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1887 BL2 OF 140 0 203 17 16 5
1887 BL2 P 1 0 0 1 2 0
1888 BL2 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1888 BL2 OF 100 0 145 9 16 3
1888 BL2 SS 2 0 1 1 0 0
1888 PH4 3B 1 0 1 1 1 0
1888 PH4 OF 17 0 25 3 3 1
1889 PH4 OF 129 0 172 15 20 3
1890 PH4 OF 110 0 170 17 10 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 79
Catcher 1
First Base 1
Third Base 47
Shortstop 4
Left Field 480
Center Field 92
Right Field 430