Bob Cain

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1949-1954)

Bob Cain was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1954 for the Chicago White Sox, the Detroit Tigers, and the St. Louis Browns, a span of 6 seasons. Across 140 career appearances, he went 37-44 with a 4.50 ERA and 249 strikeouts. He also batted .196 with 0 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 37–44
ERA 4.50
WHIP 1.49
SO 249
Pitcher PIV -4808.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'0" / 165 lb
Born
10/16/1924 in Longford, KS, USA
Died
4/8/1997 in Cleveland, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1949-09-18
Last Game
1954-09-11

Full name: Robert Max Cain

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bob Cain — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
37 44 140 89 27 3 8 628.0 618 314 50 316 249 4.50 -4808.7

Career ERA 4.50 vs. league average 4.07 across their career seasons — 10.6% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Cain — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1949 CHA AL 0 0 6 0 0 0 1 11.0 7 3 5 5 2.45 4.12 (+40%) 317.6
1950 CHA AL 9 12 34 23 11 1 2 171.2 153 75 109 77 3.93 4.36 (+10%) -983.6
1951 CHA AL 1 2 4 4 1 0 0 26.1 25 11 13 3 3.76 4.04 (+7%) -997.6
1951 DET AL 11 10 35 22 6 1 2 149.1 135 78 82 58 4.70 4.04 (-16%) -2148.8
1952 SLA AL 12 10 29 27 8 1 2 170.0 169 78 62 70 4.13 3.70 (-12%) -598.9
1953 SLA AL 4 10 32 13 1 0 1 99.2 129 69 45 36 6.23 4.14 (-51%) -397.5
Career · 6 seasons 37 44 140 89 27 3 8 628.0 618 314 316 249 4.50 — -4,809

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

Bob Cain — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
150 214 28 42 8 1 0 14 0 14 45 .196 .246 .243 .489 -929

Career AVG .196 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 24.9% below league average.

Career OBP .246 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 27.1% below league average.

Career SLG .243 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 37.4% below league average.

Career OPS .489 vs. league average .725 across their career seasons — 32.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Cain — 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
1949 CHA AL 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1950 CHA AL 35 61 7 12 2 0 0 2 0 3 15 .197 .265 (-26%) .346 (-32%) .401 (-43%) .747 (-38%) -387.8
1951 CHA AL 4 9 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .333 — — — — 0.0
1951 DET AL 35 53 9 13 3 0 0 9 0 6 9 .245 .260 (-6%) .336 (-4%) .385 (-22%) .721 (-14%) 0.0
1952 SLA AL 35 58 7 8 0 1 0 1 0 4 14 .138 .252 (-45%) .326 (-41%) .369 (-53%) .696 (-47%) -432.8
1953 SLA AL 34 30 3 6 2 0 0 2 0 1 3 .200 — — — — 0.0
1954 CHA AL 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 150 214 28 42 8 1 0 14 0 14 45 .196 — — — — -821

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 (290 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bob Cain — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home78102102009.196
Away72112182205.196

Pitching — Home / Away

Bob Cain — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home74314.13111681631314.81
Away66313.23071391531173.99

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bob Cain — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1954-09-11 CHWNYYW 010000000
1953-09-07 SLACLEL 000000000
1953-09-03 SLANYYL 000000000
1953-08-30 SLAMINL 000000000
1953-08-23 SLACLEL 100000000
1953-08-22 SLACLEL 100000000
1953-08-16 SLACLEW 000000000
1953-08-12 SLADETL 000000000
1953-08-09 SLAMINL 000000000
1953-08-03 SLANYYL 100000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bob Cain — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1953-09-07 SLACLE L 1.0322200
1953-09-03 SLANYY L 1.1222111
1953-08-30 SLAMIN — 2.0100100
1953-08-23 SLACLE — 4.0510010
1953-08-22 SLACLE — 3.0100010
1953-08-16 SLACLE — 1.1322000
1953-08-12 SLADET L 0.1444101
1953-08-09 SLAMIN L 0.1454100
1953-08-03 SLANYY L 3.0977220
1953-07-28 SLAPHA — 3.0866140

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bob Cain — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 140 0 28 91 3 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bob Cain — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1949 CHA P 6 0 1 0 0 0
1950 CHA P 34 0 7 31 1 1
1951 CHA P 4 0 0 4 0 1
1951 DET P 35 0 9 26 1 1
1952 SLA P 29 0 7 21 1 1
1953 SLA P 32 0 4 9 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bob Cain — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 140

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bob Cain (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Harry Perkowski
    33-40, 4.37 ERA
  2. 96
    Eli Grba
    28-33, 4.48 ERA
  3. 86
    Hal Gregg
    40-48, 4.54 ERA
  4. 86
    Don Black
    34-55, 4.35 ERA
  5. 85
    Fred Sanford
    37-55, 4.45 ERA
  6. 84
    Don Carrithers
    28-32, 4.45 ERA

Bob Cain: the record in brief

September 18, 1949 and September 11, 1954 bracket Bob Cain's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Chicago White Sox (1949 through 1954), the Detroit Tigers (1951), and the St. Louis Browns (1952 to 1953). Cain, a pitcher by primary position, threw and hit left-handed. The recorded size is 165 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. The birth record reads October 16, 1924, in Longford, KS, USA. The bio records the death on April 8, 1997, in Cleveland, OH, USA. The bio lists the given name Robert Max.

Cain went 37-44 with a 4.50 ERA in 140 games, 89 of them starts. The same table counts 249 strikeouts and 27 complete games. The league ERA over Cain's seasons was 4.07, so the 4.50 figure ran 10.6% worse than average. 1952 brought Cain a season-high 12 wins. Cain struck out 77 batters in 1950, a career high. 1950 was Cain's sharpest full season, a 3.93 ERA against the league's 4.36.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bob Cain

What years did Bob Cain play?
Bob Cain played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1954.
Was Bob Cain a pitcher?
Yes. Bob Cain pitched in the major leagues, recording 37 wins and 249 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bob Cain hit?
Bob Cain hit 0 career home runs with 42 hits.
What was Bob Cain's career batting average?
Bob Cain batted .196 over his career, with 42 hits in 214 at bats.
How many RBI did Bob Cain have?
Bob Cain drove in 14 runs in his career.
What was Bob Cain's career ERA?
Bob Cain finished with a 4.50 career ERA, going 37-44 with 249 strikeouts.