Johnny Sain, baseball player, 1942-1955

Johnny Sain

Born: 9/25/1917 in Havana, La Habana, Cuba

Died: 11/7/2006 in Downers Grove, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1942-04-17 | Final Game: 1955-07-15

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: John Franklin Sain

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Johnny Sain was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1942 to 1955. Born in 1917, Sain made a significant impact on the game during a time when the sport was evolving, with the end of the deadball era giving way to a more offense-driven style. Throughout his time in the league, he built a solid record of 139 wins and 116 losses, complemented by a career earned run average (ERA) of 3.49. Sain was known for his effective pitching and his ability to strike out batters, amassing a total of 910 strikeouts over his career, along with 51 saves. Sain's contributions to the game were recognized with three All-Star selections, highlighting his status as one of the top pitchers of his era. He played for several teams, notably the Boston Braves, where he was a key figure during their competitive years. His pitching style combined skill and strategy, allowing him to excel on the mound during a transformative period in baseball history. Johnny Sain remains a respected figure in the annals of baseball for his achievements and the role he played in the sport's development.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
6.0 6.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 0 1.0 2.0 0 0 0 0.333 0.333 1.000 1.333

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 20.0 13.0 5.0 0 0 0 2.37

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1946 6.0 6.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 0 1.0 2.0 0 0 0 0.333 0.333 1.000 1.333

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1946 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 20.0 13.0 5.0 0 0 0 2.37

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
139 116 412 245 140 16 51 2125.7 2145 824 180 619 910 3.49 0

Career ERA 3.49 vs. league average 3.94 across their career seasons — 11.5% 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
1942 BSN NL 4 7 40 3 0 0 6 97.0 79 42 63 68 3.90 3.57 (-9%) -1935.4
1946 BSN NL 20 14 37 34 24 3 2 265.0 225 65 87 129 2.21 3.59 (+39%) 4049.7
1947 BSN NL 21 12 38 35 22 3 1 266.0 265 104 79 132 3.52 3.97 (+11%) 2837.2
1948 BSN NL 24 15 42 39 28 4 1 314.7 297 91 83 137 2.60 4.10 (+37%) 4844.2
1949 BSN NL 10 17 37 36 16 1 0 243.0 285 130 75 73 4.81 4.12 (-17%) 2749.3
1950 BSN NL 20 13 37 37 25 3 0 278.3 294 122 70 96 3.94 4.36 (+9%) 741.1
1951 BSN NL 5 13 26 22 6 1 1 160.3 195 75 45 63 4.21 4.04 (-4%) 626.4
1951 NYY AL 2 1 7 4 1 0 1 37.0 41 17 8 21 4.14 4.04 (-2%) -
1952 NYY AL 11 6 35 16 8 0 7 148.3 149 57 38 57 3.46 3.70 (+7%) -
1953 NYY AL 14 7 40 19 10 1 9 189.0 189 63 45 84 3.00 4.14 (+27%) -
1954 NYY AL 6 6 45 0 0 0 22 77.0 66 27 15 33 3.16 3.90 (+19%) -
1955 NYY AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 5.3 6 4 1 5 6.75 — -
1955 KC1 AL 2 5 25 0 0 0 1 44.7 54 27 10 12 5.44 4.00 (-36%) -1594.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
433 774 69 190 28 4 3 101 0 24 20 0.245 0.270 0.304 0.574 -2344.3

Career AVG .245 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 5.6% below league average.

Career OBP .270 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 19.3% below league average.

Career SLG .304 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — 20.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.574 vs. league average 0.714 across their career seasons — 19.7% 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
1942 BSN NL 40 27 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0.074 — — — — 0.0
1946 BSN NL 40 94 6 28 2 1 0 17 0 0 0 0.298 .256 (+16%) .328 (-9%) .358 (-5%) .687 (-7%) -143.4
1947 BSN NL 40 107 13 37 7 0 0 18 0 3 1 0.346 .262 (+32%) .336 (+8%) .376 (+9%) .712 (+9%) 131.2
1948 BSN NL 43 115 11 25 3 1 0 16 0 1 3 0.217 .263 (-18%) .340 (-34%) .379 (-31%) .719 (-33%) -676.6
1949 BSN NL 39 97 10 20 3 0 0 3 0 2 2 0.206 .262 (-22%) .343 (-35%) .384 (-38%) .727 (-37%) -637.8
1950 BSN NL 37 102 9 21 2 0 1 15 0 6 3 0.206 .265 (-23%) .346 (-26%) .401 (-37%) .747 (-32%) -572.8
1951 BSN NL 26 52 4 11 2 0 1 4 0 1 3 0.212 .260 (-19%) .336 (-28%) .385 (-20%) .721 (-24%) -221.9
1951 NYY AL 7 14 3 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.286 — — — — -221.9
1952 NYY AL 47 71 4 19 4 1 1 14 0 3 5 0.268 .252 (+6%) .326 (-9%) .369 (+7%) .696 (-1%) -39.8
1953 NYY AL 41 68 8 17 3 1 0 8 0 5 1 0.250 .264 (-5%) .335 (-10%) .397 (-19%) .733 (-15%) -183.3
1954 NYY AL 45 17 1 6 1 0 0 5 0 2 1 0.353 — — — — 0.0
1955 NYY AL 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1955 KC1 AL 25 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 11 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 1 0.182

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1953 WS NYA 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 1 0.500
1952 WS NYA 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1951 WS NYA 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1948 WS BSN 2 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.200

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 2 6 2 0 30.7 27 9 6 15 2.64

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1953 WS NYA 1 0 2 0 0 5.7 8 3 1 1 4.76
1952 WS NYA 0 1 1 0 0 6.0 6 2 3 3 3.00
1951 WS NYA 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 4 2 2 2 9.00
1948 WS BSN 1 1 2 2 0 17.0 9 2 0 9 1.06

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 412 0 127 371 19 18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1942 BSN P 40 0 1 25 0 0
1946 BSN P 37 0 20 61 1 4
1947 BSN P 38 0 11 55 3 1
1948 BSN P 42 0 21 48 2 3
1949 BSN P 37 0 14 35 3 2
1950 BSN P 37 0 14 42 4 3
1951 BSN P 26 0 13 28 1 3
1951 NYA P 7 0 1 10 0 1
1952 NYA P 35 0 15 18 3 0
1953 NYA P 40 0 8 32 2 1
1954 NYA P 45 0 6 11 0 0
1955 NYA P 3 0 0 1 0 0
1955 KC1 P 25 0 3 5 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 412

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1948 TSN All-Star P
1948 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1946 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1952 Most Valuable Player AL 29th 3.0 336 0
1950 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 12.0 336 0
1948 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 223.0 336 5
1947 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 20.0 336 0
1946 Most Valuable Player NL 5th 95.0 336 0