Tom Sullivan, baseball player, 1884-1889

Tom Sullivan

Born: 3/1/1860 in New York, NY, USA

Died: 4/12/1947 in Cincinnati, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1884-09-27 | Final Game: 1889-06-23

Height: 5'10" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Thomas Sullivan

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Biography

Tom Sullivan, born in 1860, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1884 to 1889. He played during a transformative period in baseball, just before the dawn of the modern game, when the rules and styles of play were still evolving. Sullivan made his mark in the National League, where he showcased his skills on the mound, finishing his career with a record of 14-33. His earned run average (ERA) stood at 4.04, reflecting the high-scoring environment of the era, which was characterized by a lack of standardized pitching techniques and strategies. Throughout his career, Sullivan demonstrated a competitive spirit, accumulating a total of 147 strikeouts. While he did not record any saves, his contributions to his teams were significant during a time when pitchers often pitched complete games and were relied upon to handle multiple innings. Sullivan's journey through the late 19th century baseball landscape highlights the challenges faced by pitchers of his time, as the game continued to evolve towards the more structured format seen in later decades. His legacy is part of the rich tapestry of early professional baseball history, providing context for the development of the pitching role in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
14 33 47 47 46 0 0 408.0 474 183 12 152 147 4.04 0

Career ERA 4.04 vs. league average 3.32 across their career seasons — 21.7% 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
1884 CL5 AA 2 2 4 4 4 0 0 31.0 42 14 3 12 4.06 3.11 (-31%) -406.3
1886 LS2 AA 2 7 9 9 8 0 0 75.0 94 33 33 27 3.96 3.37 (-17%) -2769.4
1888 KC2 AA 8 16 24 24 24 0 0 214.7 227 81 68 84 3.40 2.95 (-15%) -1479.1
1889 KC2 AA 2 8 10 10 10 0 0 87.3 111 55 48 24 5.67 3.93 (-44%) -1583.4

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
51 163 20 19 2 0 0 6 7 19 42 0.117 0.217 0.129 0.346 -634.1

Career AVG .117 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — 52.9% below league average.

Career OBP .217 vs. league average .300 across their career seasons — 27.5% below league average.

Career SLG .129 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 61.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.346 vs. league average 0.633 across their career seasons — 45.3% 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
1884 CL5 AA 4 11 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.091 — — — — 0.0
1886 LS2 AA 9 27 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1888 KC2 AA 28 92 10 10 1 0 0 5 7 9 34 0.109 .238 (-54%) .290 (-35%) .319 (-63%) .610 (-50%) -634.1
1889 KC2 AA 10 33 8 5 1 0 0 1 0 5 8 0.152 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 5 0 1 0 1 0
P 47 0 26 100 11 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1884 CL5 P 4 0 0 3 0 0
1886 LS2 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1886 LS2 P 9 0 6 13 2 0
1888 KC2 OF 4 0 1 0 1 0
1888 KC2 P 24 0 17 68 4 2
1889 KC2 P 10 0 3 16 5 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 47
Left Field 4
Right Field 1