John Ward, baseball player, 1878-1894

John Ward

⭐ Hall of Fame 1964

Born: 3/3/1860 in Bellefonte, PA, USA

Died: 3/4/1925 in Augusta, GA, USA

MLB Debut: 1878-07-15 | Final Game: 1894-09-29

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: John Montgomery Ward

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Biography

John Ward, born in 1860, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball during the late 19th century. His career spanned from 1878 to 1894, during a transformative period in the sport characterized by the transition from the deadball era to the more modern game. Ward finished his career with a record of 164 wins and 103 losses, showcasing his effectiveness on the mound with a remarkable ERA of 2.1. He accumulated a total of 920 strikeouts and recorded 3 saves, reflecting his ability to dominate opposing hitters and contribute to his team's success. Ward's impact on the game extended beyond his impressive statistics. He was known for his strategic pitching style and versatility, which allowed him to excel in various roles throughout his career. His contributions to baseball were formally recognized when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964, solidifying his legacy as one of the sport's early greats. Ward's career remains a significant part of baseball history, illustrating the evolution of pitching and the competitive spirit of the game during his era.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
164 103 293 262 245 24 3 2469.7 2324 576 26 253 920 2.10 0

Career ERA 2.10 vs. league average 2.91 across their career seasons — 27.9% 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
1878 PRO NL 22 13 37 37 37 6 0 334.0 308 56 34 116 1.51 2.30 (+35%) 365.1
1879 PRO NL 47 19 70 60 58 2 1 587.0 571 140 36 239 2.15 2.50 (+14%) 4628.2
1880 PRO NL 39 24 70 67 59 8 1 595.0 501 115 45 230 1.74 2.37 (+27%) 4731.9
1881 PRO NL 18 18 39 35 32 3 0 330.0 326 78 53 119 2.13 2.77 (+23%) 2213.7
1882 PRO NL 19 13 34 33 30 4 1 286.0 268 81 36 72 2.55 2.80 (+9%) -821.3
1883 NY1 NL 16 13 34 25 24 1 0 277.0 278 83 31 121 2.70 3.22 (+16%) 2661.7
1884 NY1 NL 3 3 9 5 5 0 0 60.7 72 23 18 23 3.41 3.11 (-10%) -1117.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1827 7656 1410 2107 231 96 26 869 540 421 326 0.275 0.314 0.341 0.655 -1242.5

Career AVG .275 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — +7.0% above league average.

Career OBP .314 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .341 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.655 vs. league average 0.660 across their career seasons — near 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
1878 PRO NL 37 138 14 27 5 4 1 15 0 2 13 0.196 .259 (-25%) .278 (-26%) .319 (-2%) .597 (-13%) -306.5
1879 PRO NL 83 364 71 104 9 4 2 41 0 7 14 0.286 .255 (+12%) .270 (+10%) .328 (+6%) .599 (+8%) 487.1
1880 PRO NL 86 356 53 81 12 2 0 27 0 6 16 0.228 .244 (-7%) .267 (-10%) .319 (-15%) .586 (-13%) -670.5
1881 PRO NL 85 357 56 87 18 6 0 53 0 5 10 0.244 .260 (-6%) .290 (-12%) .338 (-3%) .628 (-7%) -518.8
1882 PRO NL 83 355 58 87 10 3 1 39 0 13 22 0.245 .248 (-1%) .275 (-2%) .329 (-9%) .605 (-6%) -282.6
1883 NY1 NL 88 380 76 97 18 7 7 54 0 8 25 0.255 .257 (-1%) .285 (-5%) .345 (+14%) .631 (+5%) 235.1
1884 NY1 NL 113 482 98 122 11 8 2 51 0 28 47 0.253 .243 (+4%) .278 (+5%) .327 (-2%) .606 (+2%) 187.8
1885 NY1 NL 111 446 72 101 8 9 0 37 0 17 39 0.226 .244 (-7%) .287 (-11%) .325 (-12%) .613 (-12%) -952.5
1886 NY1 NL 122 491 82 134 17 5 2 81 36 19 46 0.273 .246 (+11%) .302 (-1%) .331 (+2%) .634 (+1%) -13.4
1887 NY1 NL 129 545 114 184 16 5 1 53 111 29 12 0.338 .270 (+25%) .331 (+13%) .373 (+5%) .705 (+9%) 1005.3
1888 NY1 NL 122 510 70 128 14 5 2 49 38 9 13 0.251 .238 (+5%) .290 (-9%) .319 (-3%) .610 (-6%) -651.1
1889 NY1 NL 114 479 87 143 13 4 1 67 62 27 7 0.299 .263 (+13%) .334 (+1%) .357 (-3%) .691 (-1%) -93.2
1890 BRP PL 128 561 134 188 15 12 4 60 63 51 22 0.335 .260 (+29%) .336 (+17%) .351 (+21%) .687 (+19%) 2054.4
1891 BRO NL 105 441 85 122 13 5 0 39 57 36 10 0.277 .254 (+9%) .331 (+1%) .343 (-4%) .675 (-2%) -138.1
1892 BRO NL 148 614 109 163 13 3 1 47 88 82 19 0.265 .244 (+8%) .316 (+12%) .327 (-8%) .644 (+2%) 567.9
1893 NY1 NL 135 588 129 193 27 9 2 77 46 47 5 0.328 .279 (+17%) .356 (+6%) .379 (+9%) .735 (+8%) 897.4
1894 NY1 NL 138 549 102 146 12 5 0 79 39 35 6 0.266 .309 (-14%) .379 (-18%) .435 (-30%) .814 (-24%) -3050.8

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
17 65 14 26 1 1 0 13 6 2 0.400

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1889 WS NY1 9 36 10 15 0 1 0 7 5 2 0.417
1888 WS NY1 8 29 4 11 1 0 0 6 1 0 0.379

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 493 0 1226 1646 263 167
3B 46 0 53 112 27 6
OF 214 0 355 77 78 7
P 293 0 169 574 54 20
SS 826 0 1522 2641 530 294

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1878 PRO P 37 0 23 74 15 4
1879 PRO 3B 16 0 17 32 9 2
1879 PRO OF 8 0 7 1 3 0
1879 PRO P 70 0 31 134 11 2
1880 PRO 3B 25 0 30 69 12 4
1880 PRO OF 2 0 1 1 2 0
1880 PRO P 70 0 43 133 3 1
1881 PRO OF 40 0 57 14 9 0
1881 PRO P 39 0 26 77 7 7
1881 PRO SS 13 0 20 39 13 4
1882 PRO OF 49 0 69 20 19 3
1882 PRO P 34 0 18 73 6 4
1882 PRO SS 4 0 18 12 6 1
1883 NY1 2B 1 0 2 4 1 0
1883 NY1 3B 5 0 6 11 6 0
1883 NY1 OF 56 0 118 28 24 2
1883 NY1 P 34 0 25 67 10 2
1883 NY1 SS 2 0 3 6 1 0
1884 NY1 2B 47 0 95 177 35 17
1884 NY1 OF 59 0 103 13 21 2
1884 NY1 P 9 0 3 16 2 0
1885 NY1 SS 111 0 167 350 55 36
1886 NY1 SS 122 0 191 369 69 36
1887 NY1 SS 129 0 226 469 61 53
1888 NY1 SS 122 0 185 331 86 39
1889 NY1 2B 7 0 16 20 8 0
1889 NY1 SS 108 0 229 319 68 38
1890 BRP SS 128 0 303 450 105 59
1891 BRO 2B 18 0 55 56 6 8
1891 BRO SS 87 0 180 296 66 28
1892 BRO 2B 148 0 377 472 74 48
1893 NY1 2B 134 0 348 464 73 41
1894 NY1 2B 138 0 333 453 66 53

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 293
Second Base 493
Third Base 46
Shortstop 826
Left Field 4
Center Field 110
Right Field 100

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Pennsylvania State University State College PA 1875