Merle Adkins
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1902-1903)
Merle Adkins was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1902 to 1903 for the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, a span of 2 seasons. Across 6 career appearances, he went 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA and 3 strikeouts.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 220 lb
- Died
- 2/21/1934 in Durham, NC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1902-06-24
- Last Game
- 1903-09-29
Full name: Merle Theron Adkins
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | BOS | AL | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 4.05 | 3.17 (-28%) | -773.2 |
| 1903 | NYA | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7.0 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 7.71 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27.0 | 40 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 5.00 | — | -773 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .167 | .167 | .333 | 0 |
Career AVG .167 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 36.9% below league average.
Career OBP .167 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 47.8% below league average.
Career SLG .167 vs. league average .345 across their career seasons — 51.6% below league average.
Career OPS .333 vs. league average .664 across their career seasons — 49.8% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | BOS | AL | 4 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1903 | NYA | AL | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 6 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (12 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 4 | 15.0 | 30 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 7.80 |
| Away | 2 | 12.0 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1.50 |
Last 6 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903-09-29 | NYY | DET | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903-09-26 | NYY | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1902-07-08 | BOS | PHA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1902-07-02 | BOS | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1902-06-26 | BOS | MIN | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1902-06-24 | BOS | MIN | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 6 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903-09-29 | NYY | DET | SV | 4.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903-09-26 | NYY | DET | — | 3.0 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1902-07-08 | BOS | PHA | — | 7.0 | 16 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1902-07-02 | BOS | MIN | L | 1.0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1902-06-26 | BOS | MIN | W | 9.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1902-06-24 | BOS | MIN | — | 3.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 6 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beloit College | Beloit | WI | 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901 |
Merle Adkins: the record in brief
Between the debut on June 24, 1902 and the final game on September 29, 1903, Merle Adkins built the record summarized on this page. By club, Adkins's seasons break down as the Boston Americans (1902) and the New York Highlanders (1903). Born on August 5, 1872, in Troy, WI, USA, Adkins is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 5 feet, 10 inches and 220 pounds. The bio records the death on February 21, 1934, in Durham, NC, USA. Merle Adkins was the playing name; the full given name is Merle Theron.
The pitching table credits Adkins with a 1-1 record and a 5.00 ERA in 6 games. Also on Adkins's record: 3 strikeouts. The league ERA over Adkins's seasons was 3.14, so the 5.00 figure ran 59.4% worse than average. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 4.05 in 1902, when the league's was 3.17.
The position breakdown shows 6 games, all at pitcher.
Frequently Asked Questions about Merle Adkins
- What years did Merle Adkins play?
- Merle Adkins played in Major League Baseball from 1902 to 1903.
- Was Merle Adkins a pitcher?
- Yes. Merle Adkins pitched in the major leagues, recording 1 wins and 3 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Merle Adkins hit?
- Merle Adkins hit 0 career home runs with 2 hits.
- What teams did Merle Adkins play for?
- Merle Adkins played for 2 teams: the Boston Americans (1902) and the New York Highlanders (1903).
- What were Merle Adkins's career stats?
- In 6 games, Merle Adkins went 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA, 3 strikeouts, 27.0 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
- What position did Merle Adkins play?
- Merle Adkins played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Merle Adkins and how much did he weigh?
- Merle Adkins was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 220 pounds.
- What was Merle Adkins's career ERA?
- Merle Adkins finished with a 5.00 career ERA, going 1-1 with 3 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Merle Adkins have?
- Merle Adkins recorded 3 career strikeouts.
- Is Merle Adkins in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Merle Adkins has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.