Old Hoss Radbourn, baseball player, 1880-1891

Old Hoss Radbourn

⭐ Hall of Fame 1939

Born: 12/11/1854 in Rochester, NY, USA

Died: 2/5/1897 in Bloomington, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1880-05-05 | Final Game: 1891-08-11

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 168 lbs

Full name: Charles Gardner Radbourn

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Biography

Old Hoss Radbourn, born in 1854, was a formidable pitcher whose career spanned from 1880 to 1891, marking him as one of the standout players of the late 19th century. Known for his robust pitching style and durability, Radbourn amassed a remarkable record of 310 wins against 194 losses, demonstrating his dominance on the mound during an era that was characterized by its transition from the deadball era to the more offensive-minded game that would follow. His impressive earned run average of 2.68 and a total of 1,830 strikeouts underscored his effectiveness as a pitcher, while his two saves reflected his ability to close out games when necessary. Radbourn's contributions to the game earned him a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame, where he was inducted in 1939, solidifying his legacy in baseball history. His career not only showcased his individual talents but also highlighted the evolution of pitching strategies during a time when the sport was rapidly changing. Old Hoss Radbourn remains a celebrated figure in baseball lore, remembered for his skill, tenacity, and the significant role he played in shaping the game during its formative years.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
310 194 527 502 488 35 2 4527.3 4328 1347 118 875 1830 2.68 0

Career ERA 2.68 vs. league average 3.43 across their career seasons — 21.8% 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
1881 PRO NL 25 11 41 36 34 3 0 325.3 309 88 64 117 2.43 2.77 (+12%) 1553.8
1882 PRO NL 33 19 54 51 50 6 0 466.0 422 109 51 201 2.11 2.80 (+25%) 5258.1
1883 PRO NL 48 25 76 68 66 4 1 632.3 563 144 56 315 2.05 3.22 (+36%) 10006.8
1884 PRO NL 60 12 75 73 73 11 1 678.7 528 104 98 441 1.38 3.11 (+56%) 7017.9
1885 PRO NL 28 21 49 49 49 2 0 445.7 423 109 83 154 2.20 3.03 (+27%) 2057.0
1886 BSN NL 27 31 58 58 57 3 0 509.3 521 170 111 218 3.00 3.37 (+11%) 167.0
1887 BSN NL 24 23 50 50 48 1 0 425.0 505 215 133 87 4.55 4.17 (-9%) -4386.2
1888 BSN NL 7 16 24 24 24 1 0 207.0 187 66 45 64 2.87 2.95 (+3%) -1575.6
1889 BSN NL 20 11 33 31 28 1 0 277.0 282 113 72 99 3.67 3.93 (+7%) 873.2
1890 BSP PL 27 12 41 38 36 1 0 343.0 352 126 100 80 3.31 3.88 (+15%) 1481.5
1891 CIN NL 11 13 26 24 23 2 0 218.0 236 103 62 54 4.25 3.52 (-21%) -1801.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
653 2487 308 585 64 11 9 259 26 158 244 0.235 0.283 0.281 0.564 -3683.6

Career AVG .235 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 7.0% below league average.

Career OBP .283 vs. league average .307 across their career seasons — 7.7% below league average.

Career SLG .281 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 17.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.564 vs. league average 0.647 across their career seasons — 12.9% 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 BFN NL 6 21 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1881 PRO NL 72 270 27 59 9 0 0 28 0 10 15 0.219 .260 (-16%) .290 (-15%) .338 (-26%) .628 (-21%) -853.2
1882 PRO NL 83 326 30 78 11 0 1 32 0 12 22 0.239 .248 (-4%) .275 (-4%) .329 (-14%) .605 (-9%) -422.1
1883 PRO NL 89 381 59 108 11 3 3 48 0 14 16 0.283 .257 (+10%) .285 (+8%) .345 (+2%) .631 (+5%) 346.1
1884 PRO NL 87 361 48 83 7 1 1 37 0 26 42 0.230 .243 (-5%) .278 (+1%) .327 (-20%) .606 (-10%) -439.4
1885 PRO NL 66 249 34 58 9 2 0 22 0 36 27 0.233 .244 (-5%) .287 (+15%) .325 (-12%) .613 (avg) 201.9
1886 BSN NL 66 253 30 60 5 1 2 22 5 17 36 0.237 .246 (-4%) .302 (-6%) .331 (-13%) .634 (-10%) -364.2
1887 BSN NL 51 175 25 40 2 2 1 24 6 18 21 0.229 .270 (-16%) .331 (-7%) .373 (-25%) .705 (-17%) -454.3
1888 BSN NL 24 79 6 17 1 0 0 6 4 3 14 0.215 .238 (-10%) .290 (-10%) .319 (-29%) .610 (-20%) -205.2
1889 BSN NL 35 122 17 23 1 0 1 13 3 9 19 0.189 .263 (-29%) .334 (-23%) .357 (-38%) .691 (-31%) -612.5
1890 BSP PL 45 154 20 39 6 0 0 16 7 9 20 0.253 .260 (-3%) .336 (-11%) .351 (-17%) .687 (-14%) -375.8
1891 CIN NL 29 96 11 17 2 2 0 10 1 4 11 0.177 .254 (-30%) .331 (-32%) .343 (-30%) .675 (-31%) -504.9

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 10 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 3 0.100

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1884 WS PRO 3 10 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 3 0.100

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
3 0 3 3 0 22.0 11 0 0 17 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1884 WS PRO 3 0 3 3 0 22.0 11 0 0 17 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 8 0 55 0 2 3
2B 6 0 13 22 7 3
3B 2 0 0 4 1 0
OF 119 0 130 24 37 5
P 527 0 230 942 111 39
SS 16 0 15 55 12 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1880 BFN 2B 3 0 9 13 2 2
1880 BFN OF 3 0 6 3 1 0
1881 PRO OF 25 0 18 7 11 0
1881 PRO P 41 0 25 71 10 2
1881 PRO SS 13 0 14 43 9 6
1882 PRO OF 32 0 49 5 5 1
1882 PRO P 54 0 22 92 11 3
1882 PRO SS 1 0 0 8 0 1
1883 PRO 1B 2 0 19 0 0 3
1883 PRO OF 20 0 22 3 7 2
1883 PRO P 76 0 33 139 15 3
1884 PRO 1B 5 0 36 0 2 0
1884 PRO 2B 1 0 1 6 3 0
1884 PRO OF 7 0 10 2 0 1
1884 PRO P 75 0 21 119 17 1
1884 PRO SS 2 0 1 4 3 2
1885 PRO 2B 2 0 3 3 2 1
1885 PRO OF 16 0 19 4 11 1
1885 PRO P 49 0 18 115 9 7
1886 BSN OF 6 0 5 0 1 0
1886 BSN P 58 0 39 107 12 8
1887 BSN OF 2 0 0 0 1 0
1887 BSN P 50 0 15 69 15 3
1888 BSN P 24 0 14 37 6 1
1889 BSN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1889 BSN OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1889 BSN P 33 0 19 58 2 6
1890 BSP 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1890 BSP OF 4 0 0 0 0 0
1890 BSP P 41 0 16 99 8 4
1891 CIN 3B 1 0 0 4 1 0
1891 CIN OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1891 CIN P 26 0 8 36 6 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 527
First Base 8
Second Base 6
Third Base 2
Shortstop 16
Left Field 15
Center Field 12
Right Field 93

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1884 Pitching Triple Crown