Les Cain

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1968-1972)

Les Cain was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1972 for the Detroit Tigers, a span of 5 seasons. Across 68 career appearances, he went 23-19 with a 3.98 ERA and 303 strikeouts.

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 23–19
ERA 3.98
WHIP 1.49
SO 303
Pitcher PIV -2890.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'1" / 200 lb
Born
1/13/1948 in San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1968-04-28
Last Game
1972-05-28

Full name: Leslie Cain

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Career Pitching Statistics

Les Cain — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
23 19 68 64 8 1 0 373.0 331 165 32 225 303 3.98 -2890.0

Career ERA 3.98 vs. league average 3.42 across their career seasons — 16.4% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Les 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
1968 DET AL 1 0 8 4 0 0 0 24.0 25 8 20 13 3.00 2.98 (-1%) -816.8
1970 DET AL 12 7 29 29 5 0 0 180.2 167 77 98 156 3.84 3.89 (+1%) 709.8
1971 DET AL 10 9 26 26 3 1 0 144.2 121 70 91 118 4.35 3.47 (-26%) -2244.8
1972 DET AL 0 3 5 5 0 0 0 23.2 18 10 16 16 3.80 3.26 (-16%) -538.2
Career · 4 seasons 23 19 68 64 8 1 0 373.0 331 165 225 303 3.98 — -2,890

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

Les Cain — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
69 137 9 21 3 0 2 11 0 2 45 .153 .165 .219 .384 -862

Career AVG .153 vs. league average .246 across their career seasons — 37.8% below league average.

Career OBP .165 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — 47.3% below league average.

Career SLG .219 vs. league average .362 across their career seasons — 39.6% below league average.

Career OPS .384 vs. league average .676 across their career seasons — 43.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Les 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
1968 DET AL 8 7 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .143 — — — — 0.0
1970 DET AL 29 68 2 11 1 0 1 9 0 1 18 .162 .253 (-36%) .325 (-47%) .385 (-43%) .711 (-45%) -483.3
1971 DET AL 27 55 7 8 1 0 1 2 0 1 23 .145 .249 (-42%) .316 (-49%) .365 (-40%) .682 (-44%) -378.9
1972 DET AL 5 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .143 — — — — 0.0
Career · 4 seasons 69 137 9 21 3 0 2 11 0 2 45 .153 — — — — -862

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 (137 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Les Cain — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home36676925.134
Away337031206.171

Pitching — Home / Away

Les Cain — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home36207.0185791161613.43
Away32166.0146861091424.66

Last 10 Games — Batting

Les Cain — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1972-05-28 DETNYYW 000000000
1972-05-24 DETMILW 100000000
1972-05-19 DETCLEL 200000000
1972-05-15 DETBALL 200000001
1972-04-23 DETMILL 201000001
1971-09-25 DETNYYW 200000002
1971-09-16 DETTEXW 311000000
1971-09-12 DETBOSW 100000001
1971-09-05 DETNYYL 200000000
1971-09-01 DETCLEW 300000001

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Les Cain — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1972-05-28 DETNYY — 0.0011100
1972-05-24 DETMIL — 5.1033550
1972-05-19 DETCLE L 6.0520420
1972-05-15 DETBAL L 6.1833241
1972-04-23 DETMIL L 6.0533451
1971-09-25 DETNYY W 6.0755340
1971-09-16 DETTEX W 6.0311431
1971-09-12 DETBOS — 3.2222321
1971-09-05 DETNYY L 4.0455520
1971-09-01 DETCLE W 8.0733332

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Les Cain — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 68 64 13 52 5 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Les Cain — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1968 DET P 8 4 0 6 0 0
1970 DET P 29 29 8 24 2 0
1971 DET P 26 26 5 19 1 2
1972 DET P 5 5 0 3 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Les Cain — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 68

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Eugene Smith
    22-30, 4.15 ERA
  2. 97
    Jose de Jesus
    20-19, 3.84 ERA
  3. 94
    Frank Bertaina
    19-29, 3.84 ERA
  4. 94
    Jimmy Hill
    29-26, 4.36 ERA
  5. 93
    Kazuhisa Ishii
    39-34, 4.44 ERA
  6. 91
    Bill Butler
    23-35, 4.21 ERA

Les Cain: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 28, 1968 and the final game on May 28, 1972, Les Cain built the record summarized on this page. All of the seasons listed were played for the Detroit Tigers. The bio lists Cain as a pitcher who threw and hit left-handed. Height and weight on file: 200 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The birth record reads January 13, 1948, in San Luis Obispo, CA, USA. On the record, Les Cain was born Leslie Cain.

Cain pitched in 68 games, starting 64, and finished with a 23-19 record and 3.98 ERA. The same table counts 303 strikeouts. The league ERA over Cain's seasons was 3.42, so the 3.98 figure ran 16.4% worse than average. No season topped the 12 wins of 1970. In 1970, one of the busiest seasons, Cain posted a 3.84 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.89.

Cain appears at one position only: pitcher, in 68 games. On the mound, the fielding record shows 5 errors alongside 13 putouts and 52 assists.

Frequently Asked Questions about Les Cain

What years did Les Cain play?
Les Cain played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1972.
Was Les Cain a pitcher?
Yes. Les Cain pitched in the major leagues, recording 23 wins and 303 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Les Cain hit?
Les Cain hit 2 career home runs with 21 hits.
What was Les Cain's career batting average?
Les Cain batted .153 over his career, with 21 hits in 137 at bats.
How many RBI did Les Cain have?
Les Cain drove in 11 runs in his career.
What was Les Cain's career ERA?
Les Cain finished with a 3.98 career ERA, going 23-19 with 303 strikeouts.