Eli Cates

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1908)

Eli Cates was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball in 1908 for the Washington Senators. Across 19 career appearances, he went 4-8 with a 2.53 ERA and 33 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 4–8
ERA 2.53
WHIP 1.27
SO 33
Pitcher PIV -1034.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 175 lb
Born
1/26/1877 in Greens Fork, IN, USA
Died
5/29/1964 in Anderson, IN, USA
MLB Debut
1908-04-20
Last Game
1908-09-29

Full name: Eli Eldo Cates

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Career Pitching Statistics

Eli Cates — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
4 8 19 10 7 0 0 113.2 112 32 3 32 33 2.53 -1034.7

Career ERA 2.53 vs. league average 2.40 across their career seasons — 5.6% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Eli Cates — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1908 WS1 AL 4 8 19 10 7 0 0 113.2 112 32 32 33 2.53 2.40 (-6%) -1034.7
Career · 1 season 4 8 19 10 7 0 0 113.2 112 32 32 33 2.53 — -1,035

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

Eli Cates — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
40 59 5 11 1 1 0 3 0 6 14 .186 .273 .237 .510 -113

Career AVG .186 vs. league average .241 across their career seasons — 22.5% below league average.

Career OBP .273 vs. league average .298 across their career seasons — 8.6% below league average.

Career SLG .237 vs. league average .307 across their career seasons — 22.6% below league average.

Career OPS .510 vs. league average .605 across their career seasons — 15.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Eli Cates — 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
1908 WS1 AL 40 59 5 11 1 1 0 3 0 6 14 .186 .240 (-22%) .298 (-9%) .306 (-23%) .605 (-16%) -112.8
Career · 1 season 40 59 5 11 1 1 0 3 0 6 14 .186 — — — — -113

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 (59 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Eli Cates — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home18252700.280
Away22342400.118

Pitching — Home / Away

Eli Cates — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home745.147020140.00
Away1268.165012190.00

Last 10 Games — Batting

Eli Cates — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1908-09-29 MINDETL 300000000
1908-09-23 MINSLAL 100000000
1908-09-19 MINCHWL 100000000
1908-09-18 MINCHWL 300000002
1908-09-15 MINPHAW 200000000
1908-08-22 MINDETL 000000000
1908-08-18 MINSLAL 302000010
1908-08-07 MINCLEW 100000020
1908-08-05 MINCLEL 100000000
1908-07-15 MINSLAW 100000001

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Eli Cates — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1908-09-29 MINDET — 6.0430210
1908-09-15 MINPHA W 6.0410200
1908-08-22 MINDET L 0.1210000
1908-08-18 MINSLA — 12.01130540
1908-08-05 MINCLE L 2.0440110
1908-07-14 MINSLA W 9.0640531
1908-07-02 MINNYY W 4.0430330
1908-07-01 MINPHA — 1.0000100
1908-06-25 MINBOS L 12.11520020
1908-06-23 MINBOS L 2.2310200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Eli Cates — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 3 1 4 3 1 0
P 19 10 8 41 5 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Eli Cates — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1908 WS1 2B 3 1 4 3 1 0
1908 WS1 P 19 10 8 41 5 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Eli Cates — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 19
Second Base 3

Eli Cates: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 20, 1908 and the final game on September 29, 1908, Eli Cates built the record summarized on this page. All of the seasons listed were played for the Washington Senators. Cates, a pitcher by primary position, batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds. The birth record reads January 26, 1877, in Greens Fork, IN, USA. Cates died on May 29, 1964, in Anderson, IN, USA. On the record, Eli Cates was born Eli Eldo Cates.

Across 19 games (10 starts), Cates recorded 4 wins against 8 losses with a 2.53 ERA. The totals include 33 strikeouts. Against a 2.40 league ERA for the same seasons, the 2.53 mark was 5.6% worse. All of that pitching came in 1908, with 19 games and 33 strikeouts.

At the plate, Cates went 11 for 59, a .186 average.

By games played in the field, pitcher leads with 19, followed by second base (3). Fielding on the mound produced 8 putouts and 41 assists against 5 errors.

Frequently Asked Questions about Eli Cates

Was Eli Cates a pitcher?
Yes. Eli Cates pitched in the major leagues, recording 4 wins and 33 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Eli Cates hit?
Eli Cates hit 0 career home runs with 11 hits.
What was Eli Cates's career batting average?
Eli Cates batted .186 over his career, with 11 hits in 59 at bats.
How many RBI did Eli Cates have?
Eli Cates drove in 3 runs in his career.
What was Eli Cates's career ERA?
Eli Cates finished with a 2.53 career ERA, going 4-8 with 33 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Eli Cates have?
Eli Cates recorded 33 career strikeouts.