Charlie Root, baseball player, 1923-1941

Charlie Root

Born: 3/17/1899 in Middletown, OH, USA

Died: 11/5/1970 in Hollister, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1923-04-18 | Final Game: 1941-09-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Charles Henry Root

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Biography

Charlie Root was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1923 to 1941. Born in 1899, Root made his mark primarily with the Chicago Cubs, where he established himself as a reliable starter. He finished his career with a win-loss record of 201-160 and posted an earned run average (ERA) of 3.59. With a total of 1459 strikeouts and 40 saves, Root demonstrated his ability to control the game from the mound, contributing to his team's successes during a competitive era in baseball. Root's playing style was characterized by his durability and skill, as he often pitched deep into games, showcasing a solid command of his pitches. His performance in the 1932 World Series became legendary, particularly for his role in the pivotal Game 3, where he faced Babe Ruth. Root's contributions to the Cubs helped them secure multiple pennants, solidifying his status as a significant figure in the franchise's history. As a pitcher who thrived during the interwar years, Root's career remains a testament to the talent and competitive spirit of the era.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
10.0 9.0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 2.0 0 0.111 0.111 0.111 0.222

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
10.0 0 0 3.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 27.0 18.0 16.0 3.0 0 0 5.47

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1925 7.0 6.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
1926 3.0 3.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0.333 0.333 0.333 0.666

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1925 6.0 0 0 2.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 16.0 12.0 11.0 2.0 0 0 5.12
1926 4.0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.0 11.0 6.0 5.0 1.0 0 0 6.43

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
201 160 632 341 177 21 40 3197.3 3252 1274 187 889 1459 3.59 0

Career ERA 3.59 vs. league average 4.24 across their career seasons — 15.5% 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
1923 SLA AL 0 4 27 2 0 0 0 60.0 68 38 18 27 5.70 4.03 (-41%) -254.9
1926 CHC NL 18 17 42 32 21 2 2 271.3 267 85 62 127 2.82 4.11 (+31%) -
1927 CHC NL 26 15 48 36 21 4 2 309.0 296 129 117 145 3.76 4.08 (+8%) -
1928 CHC NL 14 18 40 30 13 1 2 237.0 214 94 73 122 3.57 4.13 (+14%) -
1929 CHC NL 19 6 43 31 19 4 5 272.0 286 105 83 124 3.47 4.60 (+24%) -
1930 CHC NL 16 14 37 30 15 4 3 220.3 247 106 63 124 4.33 4.80 (+10%) -
1931 CHC NL 17 14 39 31 19 3 2 251.0 240 97 71 131 3.48 4.10 (+15%) -
1932 CHC NL 15 10 39 23 11 0 3 216.3 211 86 55 96 3.58 4.13 (+13%) -
1933 CHC NL 15 10 35 30 20 2 0 242.3 232 70 61 86 2.60 3.86 (+33%) -
1934 CHC NL 4 7 34 9 2 0 0 117.7 141 56 53 46 4.28 4.29 (avg) -
1935 CHC NL 15 8 38 18 11 1 2 201.3 193 69 47 94 3.08 4.35 (+29%) -
1936 CHC NL 3 6 33 4 0 0 1 73.7 81 34 20 32 4.15 4.59 (+9%) -
1937 CHC NL 13 5 43 15 5 0 5 178.7 173 67 32 74 3.38 4.34 (+22%) -
1938 CHC NL 8 7 44 11 5 0 8 160.7 163 51 30 70 2.86 4.35 (+34%) -
1939 CHC NL 8 8 35 16 8 0 4 167.3 189 75 34 65 4.03 4.28 (+6%) -
1940 CHC NL 2 4 36 8 1 0 1 112.0 118 48 33 50 3.86 4.21 (+8%) -
1941 CHC NL 8 7 19 15 6 0 0 106.7 133 64 37 46 5.40 3.94 (-37%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
632 1086 86 196 46 7 11 93 1 44 329 0.180 0.217 0.266 0.483 -6074.0

Career AVG .180 vs. league average .278 across their career seasons — 35.1% below league average.

Career OBP .217 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 36.5% below league average.

Career SLG .266 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — 32.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.483 vs. league average 0.737 across their career seasons — 34.5% 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
1923 SLA AL 27 13 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.077 — — — — 0.0
1926 CHC NL 42 91 8 13 1 0 1 7 0 2 25 0.143 .279 (-49%) .345 (-48%) .390 (-52%) .735 (-50%) -808.5
1927 CHC NL 48 122 15 27 6 1 0 8 0 4 35 0.221 .282 (-22%) .344 (-27%) .392 (-27%) .736 (-27%) -604.4
1928 CHC NL 40 73 5 13 5 0 0 5 0 2 18 0.178 .280 (-37%) .342 (-42%) .395 (-38%) .737 (-39%) -521.3
1929 CHC NL 43 96 8 15 3 4 1 15 0 4 28 0.156 .289 (-46%) .353 (-46%) .415 (-27%) .769 (-36%) -688.5
1930 CHC NL 37 80 4 21 8 0 1 6 1 4 21 0.263 .293 (-11%) .354 (-14%) .429 (-7%) .784 (-10%) -161.4
1931 CHC NL 39 90 7 20 8 0 0 8 0 4 31 0.222 .276 (-20%) .338 (-24%) .388 (-20%) .726 (-22%) -364.2
1932 CHC NL 39 76 4 13 1 0 1 10 0 0 29 0.171 .275 (-38%) .335 (-49%) .391 (-43%) .726 (-46%) -604.5
1933 CHC NL 35 85 1 8 3 0 0 0 0 4 22 0.094 .270 (-65%) .329 (-59%) .377 (-66%) .707 (-63%) -898.2
1934 CHC NL 34 40 3 7 3 0 2 4 0 0 13 0.175 — — — — 0.0
1935 CHC NL 38 69 8 14 2 1 1 7 0 3 22 0.203 .279 (-27%) .342 (-31%) .399 (-24%) .742 (-27%) -347.1
1936 CHC NL 33 15 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1937 CHC NL 43 67 7 12 2 0 1 9 0 1 19 0.179 .276 (-35%) .342 (-41%) .398 (-36%) .740 (-38%) -463.5
1938 CHC NL 44 48 2 8 1 0 0 3 0 4 16 0.167 — — — — -361.0
1939 CHC NL 35 57 4 10 2 1 2 6 0 2 21 0.175 .274 (-36%) .342 (-37%) .393 (-11%) .735 (-23%) -251.6
1940 CHC NL 36 31 4 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 10 0.129 — — — — 0.0
1941 CHC NL 19 33 4 5 1 0 1 4 0 5 10 0.152 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1938 WS CHN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1935 WS CHN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1932 WS CHN 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1929 WS CHN 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 3 6 4 0 22.7 26 17 6 15 6.75

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1938 WS CHN 0 0 1 0 0 3.0 3 1 0 1 3.00
1935 WS CHN 0 1 2 1 0 2.0 5 4 1 2 18.00
1932 WS CHN 0 1 1 1 0 4.3 6 5 3 4 10.38
1929 WS CHN 0 1 2 2 0 13.3 12 7 2 8 4.72

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 632 0 95 506 15 21

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1923 SLA P 27 0 1 13 0 0
1926 CHN P 42 0 8 58 4 4
1927 CHN P 48 0 6 49 2 2
1928 CHN P 40 0 6 39 1 2
1929 CHN P 43 0 12 35 1 2
1930 CHN P 37 0 9 27 0 1
1931 CHN P 39 0 3 38 1 0
1932 CHN P 39 0 8 32 0 0
1933 CHN P 35 0 11 36 1 4
1934 CHN P 34 0 2 23 0 1
1935 CHN P 38 0 7 27 1 0
1936 CHN P 33 0 2 10 0 1
1937 CHN P 43 0 8 36 1 2
1938 CHN P 44 0 5 23 1 0
1939 CHN P 35 0 2 22 2 0
1940 CHN P 36 0 3 22 0 0
1941 CHN P 19 0 2 16 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 632

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1927 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1927 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1927 TSN All-Star P

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1938 Most Valuable Player NL 25th 3.0 336 0
1937 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 15.0 80 0
1931 Most Valuable Player NL 20th 3.0 80 0
1927 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 46.0 80 0
1926 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 8.0 80 0