Jim Blackburn
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1948-1951)
Jim Blackburn was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1951 for the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 4 seasons. Across 18 career appearances, he went 0-2 with a 5.50 ERA and 11 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 201.2.
- 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
- 6'4" / 175 lb
- Died
- 10/26/1969 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1948-07-24
- Last Game
- 1951-05-05
Full name: James Ray Blackburn
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | CIN | NL | 0 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32.1 | 38 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 4.18 | 4.10 (-2%) | 201.2 |
| 1951 | CIN | NL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 17.18 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 0 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36.0 | 46 | 22 | 16 | 11 | 5.50 | — | 201 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | .143 | .000 | .143 | 0 |
Career AVG .000 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career OBP .143 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 57.8% below league average.
Career SLG .000 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career OPS .143 vs. league average .721 across their career seasons — 80.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | CIN | NL | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | CIN | NL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 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 (36 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 9 | 17.0 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2.12 |
| Away | 9 | 19.0 | 30 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 8.53 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-05-05 | CIN | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-05-03 | CIN | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-25 | CIN | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-21 | CIN | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-18 | CIN | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-16 | CIN | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1948-09-12 | CIN | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-09 | CIN | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-08 | CIN | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-06 | CIN | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-05-05 | CIN | BRO | — | 1.2 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1951-05-03 | CIN | BRO | — | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1948-09-25 | CIN | PIT | L | 1.1 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-21 | CIN | PHI | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1948-09-18 | CIN | NY1 | — | 2.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-16 | CIN | BRO | — | 3.2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1948-09-12 | CIN | STL | L | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-09 | CIN | PIT | — | 2.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1948-09-08 | CIN | PIT | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1948-09-06 | CIN | CHC | — | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 18 |
Jim Blackburn: the record in brief
Jim Blackburn's major league career runs from a debut on July 24, 1948 to a final game on May 5, 1951. The team column never changes: it is the Cincinnati Reds from 1948 to 1951. Blackburn is listed as a pitcher at 175 pounds on a 6-foot-4 frame. The bio says Blackburn both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is June 19, 1924, in Warsaw, KY, USA. Blackburn died on October 26, 1969, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Blackburn's full given name, per the bio, is James Ray Blackburn.
Blackburn pitched in 18 games, starting 0, and finished with a 0-2 record and 5.50 ERA. Also on Blackburn's record: 11 strikeouts. The league ERA over Blackburn's seasons was 4.07, so the 5.50 figure ran 35.0% worse than average. 1948 was Blackburn's sharpest full season, a 4.18 ERA against the league's 4.10. Blackburn's career Pitcher PIV, which scores run prevention against each season's league, is 201.2.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Blackburn
- What years did Jim Blackburn play?
- Jim Blackburn played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1951.
- Was Jim Blackburn a pitcher?
- Yes. Jim Blackburn pitched in the major leagues, recording 0 wins and 11 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jim Blackburn hit?
- Jim Blackburn hit 0 career home runs.
- What teams did Jim Blackburn play for?
- Jim Blackburn played for one team, the Cincinnati Reds (1948, 1951).
- What were Jim Blackburn's career stats?
- In 18 games, Jim Blackburn went 0-2 with a 5.50 ERA, 11 strikeouts, and 36.0 innings pitched.
- What position did Jim Blackburn play?
- Jim Blackburn played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jim Blackburn and how much did he weigh?
- Jim Blackburn was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 175 pounds.
- What was Jim Blackburn's career ERA?
- Jim Blackburn finished with a 5.50 career ERA, going 0-2 with 11 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Jim Blackburn have?
- Jim Blackburn recorded 11 career strikeouts.
- Is Jim Blackburn in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jim Blackburn has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.