Sugar Cain
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1932-1938)
Sugar Cain was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1938 for the Philadelphia Athletics, the St. Louis Browns, and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 7 seasons. Across 178 career appearances, he went 53-60 with a 4.83 ERA and 279 strikeouts. He also batted .163 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 190 lb
- Died
- 4/3/1975 in Atlanta, GA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1932-04-15
- Last Game
- 1938-05-28
Full name: Merritt Patrick Cain
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | PHA | AL | 3 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 45.0 | 42 | 25 | 28 | 24 | 5.00 | 4.13 (-21%) | -100.4 |
| 1933 | PHA | AL | 13 | 12 | 38 | 32 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 218.0 | 244 | 103 | 137 | 43 | 4.25 | 3.86 (-10%) | -9050.0 |
| 1934 | PHA | AL | 9 | 17 | 36 | 32 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 230.2 | 235 | 113 | 128 | 66 | 4.41 | 4.29 (-3%) | -5224.7 |
| 1935 | PHA | AL | 0 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26.0 | 39 | 19 | 19 | 5 | 6.58 | 4.35 (-51%) | -748.1 |
| 1935 | SLA | AL | 9 | 8 | 31 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 167.2 | 197 | 98 | 104 | 68 | 5.26 | 4.35 (-21%) | -2126.0 |
| 1936 | SLA | AL | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16.1 | 20 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 6.61 | 4.59 (-44%) | 227.7 |
| 1936 | CHA | AL | 14 | 10 | 30 | 26 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 195.1 | 228 | 103 | 75 | 42 | 4.75 | 4.59 (-3%) | -3747.8 |
| 1937 | CHA | AL | 4 | 2 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 68.2 | 88 | 47 | 51 | 17 | 6.16 | 4.34 (-42%) | -3300.1 |
| 1938 | CHA | AL | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19.2 | 26 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 4.58 | 4.35 (-5%) | -433.1 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 53 | 60 | 178 | 137 | 58 | 2 | 1 | 987.1 | 1,119 | 530 | 569 | 279 | 4.83 | — | -24,503 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 180 | 344 | 18 | 56 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 13 | 83 | .163 | .196 | .174 | .370 | -2,259 |
Career AVG .163 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — 41.1% below league average.
Career OBP .196 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 42.5% below league average.
Career SLG .174 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — 55.7% below league average.
Career OPS .370 vs. league average .734 across their career seasons — 49.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | PHA | AL | 10 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1933 | PHA | AL | 39 | 80 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | .200 | .270 (-26%) | .329 (-31%) | .377 (-40%) | .707 (-36%) | -446.6 |
| 1934 | PHA | AL | 36 | 82 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 23 | .159 | .278 (-43%) | .340 (-50%) | .392 (-57%) | .733 (-54%) | -712.9 |
| 1935 | PHA | AL | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1935 | SLA | AL | 31 | 57 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .193 | .279 (-31%) | .342 (-40%) | .399 (-47%) | .742 (-44%) | 0.0 |
| 1936 | SLA | AL | 4 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1936 | CHA | AL | 31 | 68 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 14 | .103 | .283 (-64%) | .349 (-47%) | .404 (-75%) | .753 (-62%) | 0.0 |
| 1937 | CHA | AL | 18 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1938 | CHA | AL | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 180 | 344 | 18 | 56 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 13 | 83 | .163 | — | — | — | — | -1,159 | ||
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 (358 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 92 | 181 | 11 | 29 | 0 | 11 | .160 |
| Away | 88 | 163 | 7 | 27 | 0 | 10 | .166 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 92 | 529.2 | 584 | 271 | 298 | 166 | 4.60 |
| Away | 86 | 457.2 | 535 | 257 | 272 | 114 | 5.05 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938-05-28 | CHW | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1938-05-26 | CHW | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-05-03 | CHW | PHA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-04-26 | CHW | CLE | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1938-04-20 | CHW | DET | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-09-30 | CHW | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-09-09 | CHW | SLA | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-08-19 | CHW | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-08-12 | CHW | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-07-25 | CHW | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938-05-28 | CHW | DET | — | 2.1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1938-05-26 | CHW | PHA | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-05-03 | CHW | PHA | L | 2.2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-04-26 | CHW | CLE | — | 6.2 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1938-04-20 | CHW | DET | — | 6.0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 1937-09-30 | CHW | CLE | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-09-09 | CHW | SLA | W | 4.0 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-08-19 | CHW | DET | — | 4.0 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 1937-08-12 | CHW | DET | L | 6.0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 1937-07-25 | CHW | NYY | — | 2.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 178 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Sugar Cain (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Sugar Cain: the record in brief
Sugar Cain's major league career runs from a debut on April 15, 1932 to a final game on May 28, 1938. The season rows list, in order, the Philadelphia Athletics (1932 through 1935), the St. Louis Browns (1935 through 1936), and the Chicago White Sox (1936 through 1938). Cain played primarily as a pitcher and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Born on April 5, 1907, in Macon, GA, USA, Cain was listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds. Cain's death is recorded on April 3, 1975, in Atlanta, GA, USA. Sugar Cain was the playing name; the full given name is Merritt Patrick.
Cain's career pitching line is 53 wins, 60 losses and a 4.83 ERA over 178 appearances. The totals include 279 strikeouts and 58 complete games. The league ERA over Cain's seasons was 4.27, so the 4.83 figure ran 13.2% worse than average. 1936 brought Cain a season-high 14 wins. The strikeout high was 68 in 1935.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sugar Cain
- What years did Sugar Cain play?
- Sugar Cain played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1938.
- Was Sugar Cain a pitcher?
- Yes. Sugar Cain pitched in the major leagues, recording 53 wins and 279 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Sugar Cain hit?
- Sugar Cain hit 0 career home runs with 56 hits.
- What teams did Sugar Cain play for?
- Sugar Cain played for 3 teams: the Philadelphia Athletics (1932–1935), the St. Louis Browns (1935–1936), and the Chicago White Sox (1936–1938).
- What were Sugar Cain's career stats?
- In 178 games, Sugar Cain went 53-60 with a 4.83 ERA, 279 strikeouts, 987.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 56 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Sugar Cain play?
- Sugar Cain played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Sugar Cain and how much did he weigh?
- Sugar Cain was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 190 pounds.
- What was Sugar Cain's career ERA?
- Sugar Cain finished with a 4.83 career ERA, going 53-60 with 279 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Sugar Cain have?
- Sugar Cain recorded 279 career strikeouts.
- Is Sugar Cain in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Sugar Cain has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.