Buttons Briggs

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1896-1905)

Buttons Briggs was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1896 to 1905 for the Chicago Cubs, a span of 10 seasons. Across 106 career appearances, he went 44-47 with a 3.41 ERA and 338 strikeouts. He also batted .148 with 1 home runs.

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

W–L 44–47
ERA 3.41
WHIP 1.42
SO 338
Pitcher PIV -2815.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 180 lb
Born
7/8/1875 in Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
Died
2/18/1911 in Cleveland, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1896-04-23
Last Game
1905-09-25

Full name: Herbert Theodore Briggs

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Career Pitching Statistics

Buttons Briggs — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
44 47 106 97 84 8 4 855.2 879 324 16 332 338 3.41 -2815.5

Career ERA 3.41 vs. league average 3.40 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Buttons Briggs — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1896 CHN NL 12 8 26 21 19 0 1 194.0 202 93 108 84 4.31 4.36 (+1%) -1806.1
1897 CHN NL 4 17 22 22 21 0 0 186.2 246 109 85 60 5.26 4.30 (-22%) -1392.8
1898 CHN NL 1 3 4 4 3 0 0 30.0 38 19 10 14 5.70 3.59 (-59%) 504.0
1904 CHN NL 19 11 34 30 28 3 3 277.0 252 63 77 112 2.05 2.66 (+23%) -82.2
1905 CHN NL 8 8 20 20 13 5 0 168.0 141 40 52 68 2.14 2.82 (+24%) -38.5
Career · 5 seasons 44 47 106 97 84 8 4 855.2 879 324 332 338 3.41 — -2,815

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

Buttons Briggs — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
106 324 19 48 2 3 1 17 1 19 66 .148 .195 .182 .377 -2,300

Career AVG .148 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 44.3% below league average.

Career OBP .195 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 40.1% below league average.

Career SLG .182 vs. league average .348 across their career seasons — 47.7% below league average.

Career OPS .377 vs. league average .674 across their career seasons — 44.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Buttons Briggs — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1896 CHN NL 26 78 5 10 0 2 0 6 0 7 14 .128 .290 (-56%) .354 (-44%) .387 (-54%) .741 (-49%) -639.6
1897 CHN NL 22 81 5 13 0 1 0 5 1 3 15 .160 .291 (-45%) .354 (-46%) .387 (-52%) .741 (-49%) -662.7
1898 CHN NL 4 14 2 6 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 .429 — — — — 0.0
1904 CHN NL 34 94 6 16 1 0 1 4 0 5 26 .170 .246 (-31%) .300 (-29%) .321 (-34%) .622 (-32%) -412.8
1905 CHN NL 20 57 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 10 .053 .248 (-79%) .307 (-63%) .322 (-84%) .629 (-73%) -585.1
Career · 5 seasons 106 324 19 48 2 3 1 17 1 19 66 .148 — — — — -2,300

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 (116 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Buttons Briggs — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home267831402.179
Away329161113.121

Pitching — Home / Away

Buttons Briggs — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home26228.01881158930.43
Away32245.02438811030.29

Last 10 Games — Batting

Buttons Briggs — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1905-09-25 CHCBROW 300000001
1905-09-15 CHCSTLL 300000001
1905-09-04 CHCPITL 300000000
1905-08-30 CHCBSNL 300000000
1905-08-23 CHCBROL 200000000
1905-08-18 CHCNY1L 300000001
1905-08-11 CHCBROW 200000011
1905-07-30 CHCPHIL 301000000
1905-07-26 CHCPHIL 201000010
1905-07-21 CHCBSNW 400000002

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Buttons Briggs — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1905-09-25 CHCBRO — 8.01020330
1905-09-15 CHCSTL L 8.01140140
1905-09-04 CHCPIT L 9.21030230
1905-08-30 CHCBSN L 8.0830340
1905-08-23 CHCBRO L 6.01060320
1905-08-18 CHCNY1 — 8.0540620
1905-08-11 CHCBRO W 8.0420230
1905-07-30 CHCPHI L 9.0420230
1905-07-26 CHCPHI — 9.0920450
1905-07-21 CHCBSN W 11.0720330

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Buttons Briggs — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 106 50 42 160 9 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Buttons Briggs — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1896 CHN P 26 0 6 29 4 0
1897 CHN P 22 0 8 35 1 0
1898 CHN P 4 0 1 6 2 0
1904 CHN P 34 30 16 54 0 2
1905 CHN P 20 20 11 36 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Buttons Briggs — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 106

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Buttons Briggs (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ed Lafitte
    37-35, 3.34 ERA
  2. 92
    George Baumgardner
    36-47, 3.22 ERA
  3. 87
    Al Mattern
    36-58, 3.37 ERA
  4. 86
    George Chalmers
    29-41, 3.41 ERA
  5. 83
    Manny Salvo
    33-50, 3.69 ERA
  6. 82
    Carroll Brown
    38-40, 3.47 ERA

Buttons Briggs: the record in brief

April 23, 1896 and September 25, 1905 bracket Buttons Briggs's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Briggs's seasons break down as the Chicago Colts (1896 to 1897), the Chicago Orphans (1898), and the Chicago Cubs (1904 through 1905). Briggs, born on July 8, 1875, in Poughkeepsie, NY, USA, is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 180 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Briggs's death is recorded on February 18, 1911, in Cleveland, OH, USA. The given name on file is Herbert Theodore Briggs.

Briggs went 44-47 with a 3.41 ERA in 106 games, 97 of them starts. Briggs had 338 strikeouts, 84 complete games, and 8 shutouts. Briggs's 3.41 ERA was close to the 3.40 league figure for those seasons. 1904 brought Briggs a season-high 19 wins. 1904 was Briggs's sharpest full season, a 2.05 ERA against the league's 2.66.

Frequently Asked Questions about Buttons Briggs

What years did Buttons Briggs play?
Buttons Briggs played in Major League Baseball from 1896 to 1905.
Was Buttons Briggs a pitcher?
Yes. Buttons Briggs pitched in the major leagues, recording 44 wins and 338 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Buttons Briggs hit?
Buttons Briggs hit 1 career home runs with 48 hits.
What was Buttons Briggs's career batting average?
Buttons Briggs batted .148 over his career, with 48 hits in 324 at bats.
How many RBI did Buttons Briggs have?
Buttons Briggs drove in 17 runs in his career.
What was Buttons Briggs's career ERA?
Buttons Briggs finished with a 3.41 career ERA, going 44-47 with 338 strikeouts.