Al Spalding

⭐ Hall of Fame 1939

Born: 9/2/1850 in Byron, IL, USA

Died: 9/9/1915 in San Diego, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1871-05-05 | Final Game: 1878-08-31

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Albert Goodwill Spalding

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Biography

Al Spalding, born in 1850, was a pioneering pitcher in the early days of professional baseball, whose career spanned from 1871 to 1878. Known for his exceptional skills on the mound, Spalding finished his career with an impressive record of 251 wins and 65 losses, accompanied by a remarkable earned run average (ERA) of 2.13. His ability to dominate games was evident as he recorded 248 strikeouts and contributed to his teams with 13 saves. Spalding's playing style was characterized by a strong fastball and strategic pitching, making him a formidable opponent during the nascent years of Major League Baseball. Beyond his on-field accomplishments, Spalding's significance extended into baseball history as a key figure in the development of the sport. He was one of the first athletes to embrace the business side of baseball, later becoming a successful sporting goods magnate and co-founder of the Chicago Cubs. His contributions to the game were recognized when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939, solidifying his legacy as both a player and an influential figure in the sport's early evolution. Al Spalding remains a celebrated icon of baseball history, representing the transition from the formative years of the game to its establishment as America's pastime.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
251	65	347	325	279	24	13	2886.3	3280	684	15	164	248	2.13	0

Career ERA 2.13 vs. league average 2.79 across their career seasons — 23.6% 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
1871	BS1		19	10	31	31	22	1	0	257.3	333	96	38	23	3.36	4.22 (+20%)	1875.6
1872	BS1		38	8	48	48	41	3	0	404.7	417	83	27	28	1.85	3.66 (+50%)	1812.5
1873	BS1		41	14	60	54	46	1	3	496.7	643	165	36	50	2.99	3.40 (+12%)	2065.0
1874	BS1		52	16	71	69	65	4	0	617.3	755	132	19	31	1.92	2.19 (+12%)	1978.2
1875	BS1		54	5	72	62	52	7	9	570.7	573	101	18	75	1.59	2.23 (+28%)	2139.7
1876	CHC	NL	47	12	61	60	53	8	0	528.7	542	103	26	39	1.75	2.31 (+24%)	-
1877	CHC	NL	0	0	4	1	0	0	1	11.0	17	4	0	2	3.27	2.81 (-17%)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
411	1959	417	613	86	19	2	338	18	29	26	0.313	0.323	0.379	0.702	3777.7

Career AVG .313 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — +15.4% above league average.

Career OBP .323 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — +13.5% above league average.

Career SLG .379 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +13.4% above league average.

Career OPS 0.702 vs. league average 0.619 across their career seasons — +13.4% above 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
1871	BS1		31	144	43	39	10	1	1	31	2	8	1	0.271	.286 (-5%)	.311 (-1%)	.383 (-2%)	.695 (-2%)	-22.7
1872	BS1		48	237	60	84	12	5	0	47	3	3	1	0.354	.285 (+24%)	.296 (+22%)	.347 (+29%)	.644 (+26%)	906.5
1873	BS1		60	323	83	106	15	1	1	71	9	3	2	0.328	.290 (+13%)	.304 (+10%)	.357 (+9%)	.661 (+10%)	503.5
1874	BS1		71	362	80	119	13	1	0	54	2	3	0	0.329	.273 (+20%)	.282 (+18%)	.333 (+11%)	.615 (+14%)	840.9
1875	BS1		74	343	68	107	15	3	0	56	2	3	3	0.312	.253 (+23%)	.260 (+22%)	.309 (+20%)	.570 (+21%)	1045.3
1876	CHC	NL	66	292	54	91	14	2	0	44	0	6	3	0.312	.265 (+17%)	.277 (+17%)	.320 (+16%)	.598 (+17%)	742.1
1877	CHC	NL	60	254	29	65	7	6	0	35	0	3	16	0.256	.271 (-6%)	.289 (-8%)	.337 (-2%)	.626 (-5%)	-237.8
1878	CHC	NL	1	4	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.500	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	52	0	506	21	21	23
2B	14	0	40	50	12	6
3B	2	0	0	5	3	0
OF	64	2	32	2	11	0
P	347	148	211	648	110	29
SS	1	0	0	0	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1871	BS1	OF	9	0	3	0	0	0
1871	BS1	P	31	31	11	48	17	2
1872	BS1	OF	7	0	1	0	0	0
1872	BS1	P	48	48	28	101	14	2
1873	BS1	OF	14	0	5	0	1	0
1873	BS1	P	60	0	36	125	21	5
1874	BS1	OF	6	2	5	0	1	0
1874	BS1	P	71	69	38	143	31	3
1875	BS1	1B	4	0	28	0	0	0
1875	BS1	OF	18	0	11	0	6	0
1875	BS1	P	72	0	51	133	19	10
1876	CHN	1B	3	0	6	0	0	0
1876	CHN	OF	10	0	7	2	3	0
1876	CHN	P	61	0	45	92	7	7
1876	CHN	SS	1	0	0	0	0	0
1877	CHN	1B	45	0	472	21	21	23
1877	CHN	2B	13	0	37	50	8	6
1877	CHN	3B	2	0	0	5	3	0
1877	CHN	P	4	0	2	6	1	0
1878	CHN	2B	1	0	3	0	4	0