Tommy Bridges
Born: 12/28/1906 in Gordonsville, TN, USA
Died: 4/19/1968 in Nashville, TN, USA
MLB Debut: 1930-08-13 | Final Game: 1946-07-20
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 155 lbs
Full name: Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges
Biography
Tommy Bridges was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1930 until 1946. Born in 1906, Bridges carved out a successful career primarily with the Detroit Tigers, showcasing his skills in an era characterized by strong competition and evolving pitching styles. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 194 wins and 138 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.57. His striking ability was highlighted by 1,674 strikeouts, along with 10 saves, reflecting his versatility on the mound.
A six-time All-Star, Bridges was known for his exceptional command and durability, making him a mainstay in the Tigers' rotation during the 1930s and 1940s. He played a significant role in the team's success during a transformative period in baseball, contributing to the competitive landscape of the American League. Bridges' legacy is remembered not just for his statistics, but also for his influence on the game during a time when pitching was becoming increasingly specialized, setting the stage for future generations of pitchers.
Negro Leagues Career Statistics
Batting
| PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
| Season | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching
| Season | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 194 | 138 | 424 | 362 | 200 | 33 | 10 | 2826.3 | 2675 | 1122 | 181 | 1192 | 1674 | 3.57 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | DET | AL | 3 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 37.7 | 28 | 17 | 23 | 17 | 4.06 | -949.8 |
| 1931 | DET | AL | 8 | 16 | 35 | 23 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 173.0 | 182 | 96 | 108 | 105 | 4.99 | -2810.7 |
| 1932 | DET | AL | 14 | 12 | 34 | 26 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 201.0 | 174 | 75 | 119 | 108 | 3.36 | -2423.8 |
| 1933 | DET | AL | 14 | 12 | 33 | 28 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 233.0 | 192 | 80 | 110 | 120 | 3.09 | 604.8 |
| 1934 | DET | AL | 22 | 11 | 36 | 35 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 275.0 | 249 | 112 | 104 | 151 | 3.67 | 2437.7 |
| 1935 | DET | AL | 21 | 10 | 36 | 34 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 274.3 | 277 | 107 | 113 | 163 | 3.51 | 417.7 |
| 1936 | DET | AL | 23 | 11 | 39 | 38 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 294.7 | 289 | 118 | 115 | 175 | 3.60 | 2334.6 |
| 1937 | DET | AL | 15 | 12 | 34 | 31 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 245.3 | 267 | 111 | 91 | 138 | 4.07 | 2623.3 |
| 1938 | DET | AL | 13 | 9 | 25 | 20 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 151.0 | 171 | 77 | 58 | 101 | 4.59 | 1165.1 |
| 1939 | DET | AL | 17 | 7 | 29 | 26 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 198.0 | 186 | 77 | 61 | 129 | 3.50 | 4431.1 |
| 1940 | DET | AL | 12 | 9 | 29 | 28 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 197.7 | 171 | 74 | 88 | 133 | 3.37 | 2905.2 |
| 1941 | DET | AL | 9 | 12 | 25 | 22 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 147.7 | 128 | 56 | 70 | 90 | 3.41 | 468.4 |
| 1942 | DET | AL | 9 | 7 | 23 | 22 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 174.0 | 164 | 53 | 61 | 97 | 2.74 | 2766.5 |
| 1943 | DET | AL | 12 | 7 | 25 | 22 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 191.7 | 159 | 51 | 61 | 124 | 2.39 | 3252.3 |
| 1945 | DET | AL | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3.27 | -213.5 |
| 1946 | DET | AL | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21.3 | 24 | 14 | 8 | 17 | 5.91 | -881.9 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 424 | 1003 | 83 | 181 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 72 | 0 | 74 | 271 | 0.180 | 0.237 | 0.223 | 0.460 | -6254.3 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | DET | AL | 8 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.300 | 0.0 |
| 1931 | DET | AL | 35 | 54 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 23 | 0.148 | -450.4 |
| 1932 | DET | AL | 34 | 67 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 24 | 0.164 | -444.3 |
| 1933 | DET | AL | 33 | 78 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 0.205 | -289.4 |
| 1934 | DET | AL | 36 | 98 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 25 | 0.122 | -959.9 |
| 1935 | DET | AL | 36 | 109 | 9 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 24 | 0.239 | -414.9 |
| 1936 | DET | AL | 39 | 118 | 10 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 0.212 | -743.4 |
| 1937 | DET | AL | 34 | 96 | 9 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 26 | 0.240 | -418.0 |
| 1938 | DET | AL | 25 | 54 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 0.130 | -428.5 |
| 1939 | DET | AL | 29 | 71 | 11 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 24 | 0.197 | -378.6 |
| 1940 | DET | AL | 29 | 68 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 0.176 | -491.7 |
| 1941 | DET | AL | 25 | 47 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0.085 | -490.1 |
| 1942 | DET | AL | 23 | 63 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 0.095 | -553.8 |
| 1943 | DET | AL | 25 | 64 | 4 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 0.219 | -191.3 |
| 1945 | DET | AL | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1946 | DET | AL | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0.111 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | WS | DET | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1940 | WS | DET | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1935 | WS | DET | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.125 |
| 1934 | WS | DET | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.143 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 46.0 | 52 | 18 | 9 | 27 | 3.52 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | WS | DET | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 16.20 |
| 1940 | WS | DET | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9.0 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3.00 |
| 1935 | WS | DET | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 18.0 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2.50 |
| 1934 | WS | DET | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 17.3 | 21 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 3.63 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 424 | 0 | 144 | 469 | 24 | 23 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | DET | P | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 1931 | DET | P | 35 | 0 | 5 | 27 | 2 | 0 |
| 1932 | DET | P | 34 | 0 | 5 | 34 | 2 | 1 |
| 1933 | DET | P | 33 | 0 | 9 | 49 | 3 | 5 |
| 1934 | DET | P | 36 | 0 | 6 | 42 | 2 | 2 |
| 1935 | DET | P | 36 | 0 | 15 | 39 | 2 | 4 |
| 1936 | DET | P | 39 | 0 | 19 | 51 | 2 | 3 |
| 1937 | DET | P | 34 | 0 | 14 | 46 | 1 | 2 |
| 1938 | DET | P | 25 | 0 | 8 | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 1939 | DET | P | 29 | 0 | 8 | 28 | 3 | 2 |
| 1940 | DET | P | 29 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 2 | 0 |
| 1941 | DET | P | 25 | 0 | 15 | 30 | 1 | 1 |
| 1942 | DET | P | 23 | 0 | 15 | 32 | 1 | 2 |
| 1943 | DET | P | 25 | 0 | 18 | 28 | 0 | 1 |
| 1945 | DET | P | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | DET | P | 9 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 424 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P3 |
| 1936 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P1 |
| 1935 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P4 |
| 1935 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P1 |
| 1934 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P4 |
| 1933 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P4 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville | TN | 1927, 1928, 1929 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 22th | 7.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1936 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 9th | 25.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1935 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 11th | 11.0 | 80 | 0 |