George Zettlein

Born: 7/12/1844 in Williamsburg, NY, USA

Died: 5/22/1905 in Patchogue, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1871-05-08 | Final Game: 1876-09-16

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 162 lbs

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Biography

George Zettlein was a prominent pitcher in the early days of professional baseball, playing from 1871 to 1876. Born in 1844, Zettlein established himself as a formidable presence on the mound during a time when the game was still evolving from its amateur roots into a more structured professional sport. He concluded his career with a record of 129 wins and 112 losses, showcasing his competitiveness and skill in an era characterized by lower offensive outputs and a focus on pitching prowess. With a career earned run average (ERA) of 2.55, Zettlein was known for his ability to limit opposing teams' scoring opportunities, making him a valuable asset to his teams. He recorded 143 strikeouts and contributed with 3 saves, highlighting his versatility as a pitcher during a period when the role was primarily focused on starting games. Zettlein's contributions to the game helped set the foundation for the modern pitching strategies that would develop in the years to come, marking him as a noteworthy figure in the history of baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
129	112	250	244	228	13	3	2176.7	2678	616	17	145	143	2.55	0

Career ERA 2.55 vs. league average 2.79 across their career seasons — 8.7% 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	CH1		18	9	28	28	25	0	0	240.7	298	73	25	22	2.73	4.22 (+35%)	1190.2
1872	TRO		14	8	25	22	17	2	1	187.7	207	45	8	17	2.16	3.66 (+41%)	685.9
1872	BR1		1	8	9	9	8	0	0	75.3	106	30	6	8	3.58	3.66 (+2%)	50.0
1873	PH2		36	15	51	51	49	0	0	460.0	594	146	41	29	2.86	3.40 (+16%)	888.3
1874	CH2		27	30	57	57	57	3	0	515.7	640	139	43	26	2.43	2.19 (-11%)	-1450.9
1875	CH2		17	14	31	31	29	6	0	282.0	266	40	6	18	1.28	2.23 (+43%)	379.3
1875	PH2		12	8	21	21	20	1	0	181.3	209	42	10	13	2.08	2.23 (+6%)	-167.7
1876	PHN	NL	4	20	28	25	23	1	2	234.0	358	101	6	10	3.88	2.31 (-68%)	-194.3

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
255	1105	142	232	23	1	0	105	9	4	34	0.210	0.213	0.233	0.445	-4347.4

Career AVG .210 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 23.0% below league average.

Career OBP .213 vs. league average .285 across their career seasons — 25.2% below league average.

Career SLG .233 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 30.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.445 vs. league average 0.621 across their career seasons — 28.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1871	CH1		28	128	23	32	3	0	18	4	2	4	0.250	.286 (-13%)	.311 (-16%)	.383 (-29%)	.695 (-23%)	-450.7
1872	TRO		25	114	25	29	9	0	21	0	0	2	0.254	.285 (-11%)	.296 (-14%)	.347 (-4%)	.644 (-9%)	-168.3
1872	BR1		9	34	1	3	0	0	1	0	0	2	0.088	—	—	—	—	-168.3
1873	PH2		51	241	39	50	2	0	21	4	1	4	0.207	.290 (-29%)	.304 (-31%)	.357 (-40%)	.661 (-36%)	-1339.6
1874	CH2		57	244	26	47	7	0	18	0	1	5	0.193	.273 (-30%)	.282 (-31%)	.333 (-34%)	.615 (-32%)	-1173.2
1875	CH2		32	133	7	29	0	0	9	0	0	5	0.218	.253 (-14%)	.260 (-16%)	.309 (-30%)	.570 (-24%)	-395.0
1875	PH2		21	83	10	15	0	0	6	1	0	7	0.181	.253 (-29%)	.260 (-31%)	.309 (-42%)	.570 (-37%)	-395.0
1876	PHN	NL	32	128	11	27	2	1	11	0	0	5	0.211	.265 (-20%)	.277 (-24%)	.320 (-24%)	.598 (-24%)	-437.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	11	0	84	2	11	4
2B	1	0	0	0	0	0
OF	13	3	8	2	3	1
P	250	116	111	411	88	12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1871	CH1	OF	3	0	1	0	1	0
1871	CH1	P	28	28	8	41	10	2
1872	TRO	OF	8	3	5	0	1	0
1872	TRO	P	25	22	8	34	10	0
1872	BR1	OF	1	0	1	1	0	1
1872	BR1	P	9	9	4	18	6	0
1873	PH2	1B	1	0	1	0	0	0
1873	PH2	P	51	0	22	93	18	4
1874	CH2	P	57	57	27	99	31	1
1875	CH2	1B	3	0	21	0	6	0
1875	CH2	P	31	0	21	62	7	0
1875	PH2	P	21	0	14	28	1	3
1876	PHN	1B	7	0	62	2	5	4
1876	PHN	2B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1876	PHN	OF	1	0	1	1	1	0
1876	PHN	P	28	0	7	36	5	2