Jim Bagby
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1938-1947)
Jim Bagby was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1947 for the Boston Red Sox, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 10 seasons. Across 303 career appearances, he went 97-96 with a 3.96 ERA and 431 strikeouts. He also batted .226 with 3 home runs. Jim Bagby was a 2-time All-Star.
- 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
- 6'2" / 170 lb
- Died
- 9/2/1988 in Marietta, GA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1938-04-18
- Last Game
- 1947-09-25
- Awards
- 2× All-Star
Full name: James Charles Jacob Bagby
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | BOS | AL | 15 | 11 | 43 | 25 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 198.2 | 218 | 93 | 90 | 73 | 4.21 | 4.35 (+3%) | -18.5 |
| 1939 | BOS | AL | 5 | 5 | 21 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 80.0 | 119 | 63 | 36 | 35 | 7.09 | 4.28 (-65%) | -943.8 |
| 1940 | BOS | AL | 10 | 16 | 36 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 182.2 | 217 | 96 | 83 | 57 | 4.73 | 4.21 (-12%) | -2799.8 |
| 1941 | CLE | AL | 9 | 15 | 33 | 27 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 200.2 | 214 | 90 | 76 | 53 | 4.04 | 3.94 (-3%) | -1073.9 |
| 1942 | CLE | AL | 17 | 9 | 38 | 35 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 270.2 | 267 | 89 | 64 | 54 | 2.96 | 3.57 (+17%) | -1640.8 |
| 1943 | CLE | AL | 17 | 14 | 36 | 33 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 273.0 | 248 | 94 | 80 | 70 | 3.10 | 3.50 (+11%) | -1788.8 |
| 1944 | CLE | AL | 4 | 5 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 79.0 | 101 | 38 | 34 | 12 | 4.33 | 3.57 (-21%) | -1129.6 |
| 1945 | CLE | AL | 8 | 11 | 25 | 19 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 159.1 | 171 | 66 | 59 | 38 | 3.73 | 3.67 (-2%) | 137.7 |
| 1946 | BOS | AL | 7 | 6 | 21 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 106.2 | 117 | 44 | 49 | 16 | 3.71 | 3.59 (-3%) | -1571.3 |
| 1947 | PIT | NL | 5 | 4 | 37 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 115.2 | 143 | 60 | 37 | 23 | 4.67 | 3.97 (-18%) | -2861.4 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 97 | 96 | 303 | 198 | 84 | 13 | 9 | 1,666.1 | 1,815 | 733 | 608 | 431 | 3.96 | — | -13,690 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 322 | 620 | 59 | 140 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 56 | 1 | 8 | 68 | .226 | .239 | .273 | .512 | -2,061 |
Career AVG .226 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 14.1% below league average.
Career OBP .239 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 27.9% below league average.
Career SLG .273 vs. league average .369 across their career seasons — 26.1% below league average.
Career OPS .512 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — 27.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | BOS | AL | 45 | 68 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .191 | .272 (-30%) | .341 (-37%) | .392 (-36%) | .734 (-37%) | -416.9 |
| 1939 | BOS | AL | 21 | 34 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .294 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | BOS | AL | 44 | 74 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .203 | .267 (-24%) | .335 (-40%) | .387 (-30%) | .722 (-35%) | -429.9 |
| 1941 | CLE | AL | 35 | 74 | 5 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .243 | .262 (-7%) | .332 (-24%) | .373 (-31%) | .705 (-28%) | -325.5 |
| 1942 | CLE | AL | 39 | 95 | 6 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .189 | .253 (-25%) | .323 (-39%) | .349 (-34%) | .672 (-36%) | -531.7 |
| 1943 | CLE | AL | 41 | 112 | 7 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 10 | .268 | .255 (+5%) | .324 (-16%) | .346 (-15%) | .671 (-15%) | -281.1 |
| 1944 | CLE | AL | 14 | 31 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .226 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1945 | CLE | AL | 25 | 58 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 7 | .293 | .260 (+12%) | .328 (-4%) | .354 (-13%) | .683 (-8%) | -75.7 |
| 1946 | BOS | AL | 21 | 42 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | .119 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1947 | PIT | NL | 37 | 32 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .219 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 322 | 620 | 59 | 140 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 56 | 1 | 8 | 68 | .226 | — | — | — | — | -2,061 | ||
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 (625 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 161 | 310 | 28 | 65 | 1 | 23 | .210 |
| Away | 161 | 310 | 30 | 75 | 2 | 33 | .242 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 151 | 869.2 | 891 | 378 | 332 | 236 | 3.91 |
| Away | 152 | 796.2 | 925 | 355 | 277 | 196 | 4.01 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-09-25 | PIT | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-13 | PIT | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-08 | PIT | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-04 | PIT | CIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947-09-01 | PIT | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-31 | PIT | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-28 | PIT | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-23 | PIT | NY1 | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-21 | PIT | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-16 | PIT | STL | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-09-25 | PIT | STL | — | 2.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-13 | PIT | BSN | — | 4.1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1947-09-08 | PIT | NY1 | L | 0.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947-09-04 | PIT | CIN | — | 7.0 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947-09-01 | PIT | STL | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-31 | PIT | CHC | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-28 | PIT | PHI | — | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-08-23 | PIT | NY1 | W | 3.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-21 | PIT | NY1 | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-16 | PIT | STL | W | 8.1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 303 | 0 | 122 | 359 | 22 | 38 |
| SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | BOS | P | 43 | 0 | 16 | 43 | 3 | 3 |
| 1939 | BOS | P | 21 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| 1940 | BOS | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | BOS | P | 36 | 0 | 17 | 28 | 1 | 6 |
| 1941 | CLE | P | 33 | 0 | 16 | 42 | 1 | 5 |
| 1942 | CLE | P | 38 | 0 | 17 | 58 | 4 | 7 |
| 1943 | CLE | P | 36 | 0 | 21 | 67 | 2 | 5 |
| 1943 | CLE | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944 | CLE | P | 13 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 4 |
| 1945 | CLE | P | 25 | 0 | 13 | 47 | 4 | 3 |
| 1946 | BOS | P | 21 | 0 | 7 | 19 | 2 | 1 |
| 1947 | PIT | P | 37 | 0 | 7 | 28 | 2 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 303 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
| Left Field | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P3 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 20th | 11.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1942 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 23th | 6.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jim Bagby (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jim Bagby: the record in brief
Jim Bagby's major league career runs from a debut on April 18, 1938 to a final game on September 25, 1947. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Red Sox (1938 through 1946), the Cleveland Indians (1941 to 1945), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1947). Born on September 8, 1916, in Cleveland, OH, USA, Bagby is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Bagby's listed size is 170 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. The bio records the death on September 2, 1988, in Marietta, GA, USA. Jim Bagby was the playing name; the full given name is James Charles Jacob.
Across 303 games (198 starts), Bagby recorded 97 wins against 96 losses with a 3.96 ERA. Bagby had 431 strikeouts, 84 complete games, and 13 shutouts. Bagby's 3.96 ERA was close to the 3.86 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 17, in 1942. The strikeout high was 73 in 1938.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Bagby
- What years did Jim Bagby play?
- Jim Bagby played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1947.
- Was Jim Bagby a pitcher?
- Yes. Jim Bagby pitched in the major leagues, recording 97 wins and 431 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jim Bagby hit?
- Jim Bagby hit 3 career home runs with 140 hits.
- What teams did Jim Bagby play for?
- Jim Bagby played for 3 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1938–1940, 1946), the Cleveland Indians (1941–1945), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1947).
- What awards did Jim Bagby win?
- Jim Bagby was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
- What were Jim Bagby's career stats?
- In 303 games, Jim Bagby went 97-96 with a 3.96 ERA, 431 strikeouts, 1,666.1 innings pitched, and 9 saves. At the plate he had 140 hits and 3 home runs.
- What position did Jim Bagby play?
- Jim Bagby played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jim Bagby and how much did he weigh?
- Jim Bagby was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 170 pounds.
- What was Jim Bagby's career ERA?
- Jim Bagby finished with a 3.96 career ERA, going 97-96 with 431 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Jim Bagby have?
- Jim Bagby recorded 431 career strikeouts.
- Is Jim Bagby in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jim Bagby has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Jim Bagby make?
- Jim Bagby was selected to 2 All-Star Games.