Jack Chesbro
Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1899-1909)
Jack Chesbro was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1909 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 11 seasons. Across 392 career appearances, he went 198-132 with a 2.68 ERA and 1,265 strikeouts. He also batted .197 with 5 home runs. Jack Chesbro was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 22639.1.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 180 lb
- Died
- 11/6/1931 in Conway, MA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1899-07-12
- Last Game
- 1909-10-02
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1946 (BBWAA)
Full name: John Dwight Chesbro
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 | PIT | NL | 6 | 9 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 149.0 | 165 | 68 | 59 | 28 | 4.11 | 3.85 (-7%) | -1432.5 |
| 1900 | PIT | NL | 15 | 13 | 32 | 26 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 215.2 | 220 | 88 | 79 | 56 | 3.67 | 3.68 (avg) | -664.9 |
| 1901 | PIT | NL | 21 | 10 | 36 | 28 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 287.2 | 261 | 76 | 52 | 129 | 2.38 | 3.49 (+32%) | 4521.5 |
| 1902 | PIT | NL | 28 | 6 | 35 | 33 | 31 | 8 | 1 | 286.1 | 242 | 69 | 62 | 136 | 2.17 | 3.17 (+32%) | 4117.1 |
| 1903 | NYA | AL | 21 | 15 | 40 | 36 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 324.2 | 300 | 100 | 74 | 147 | 2.77 | 3.10 (+11%) | 1855.7 |
| 1904 | NYA | AL | 41 | 12 | 55 | 51 | 48 | 6 | 0 | 454.2 | 338 | 92 | 88 | 239 | 1.82 | 2.66 (+31%) | 6940.5 |
| 1905 | NYA | AL | 19 | 15 | 41 | 38 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 303.1 | 262 | 74 | 71 | 156 | 2.20 | 2.82 (+22%) | 2822.7 |
| 1906 | NYA | AL | 23 | 17 | 49 | 42 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 325.0 | 314 | 107 | 75 | 152 | 2.96 | 2.68 (-11%) | 3244.0 |
| 1907 | NYA | AL | 10 | 10 | 30 | 25 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 206.0 | 192 | 58 | 46 | 78 | 2.53 | 2.50 (-1%) | 1729.2 |
| 1908 | NYA | AL | 14 | 20 | 45 | 31 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 288.2 | 276 | 94 | 67 | 124 | 2.93 | 2.40 (-22%) | 126.8 |
| 1909 | NYA | AL | 0 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 49.2 | 70 | 35 | 13 | 17 | 6.34 | 2.55 (-149%) | -621.1 |
| 1909 | BOS | AL | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4.50 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 198 | 132 | 392 | 332 | 260 | 35 | 5 | 2,896.2 | 2,647 | 864 | 690 | 1,265 | 2.68 | — | 22,639 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 393 | 1,103 | 85 | 217 | 37 | 13 | 5 | 82 | 5 | 25 | 269 | .197 | .216 | .267 | .483 | -4,294 |
Career AVG .197 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 23.1% below league average.
Career OBP .216 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — 31.2% below league average.
Career SLG .267 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 19.1% below league average.
Career OPS .483 vs. league average .644 across their career seasons — 25.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 | PIT | NL | 19 | 58 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .155 | .282 (-45%) | .343 (-43%) | .366 (-58%) | .710 (-50%) | -459.1 |
| 1900 | PIT | NL | 32 | 85 | 10 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 17 | .176 | .279 (-37%) | .338 (-32%) | .366 (-33%) | .705 (-32%) | -445.2 |
| 1901 | PIT | NL | 36 | 116 | 9 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 31 | .216 | .271 (-21%) | .326 (-26%) | .359 (-16%) | .686 (-21%) | -393.4 |
| 1902 | PIT | NL | 35 | 112 | 11 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 28 | .179 | .266 (-33%) | .321 (-38%) | .343 (-35%) | .665 (-36%) | -623.2 |
| 1903 | NYA | AL | 40 | 124 | 8 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 29 | .185 | .261 (-29%) | .316 (-37%) | .345 (-23%) | .662 (-30%) | -571.6 |
| 1904 | NYA | AL | 56 | 174 | 17 | 41 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 43 | .236 | .246 (-5%) | .300 (-16%) | .321 (+5%) | .622 (-5%) | -192.4 |
| 1905 | NYA | AL | 41 | 112 | 6 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 32 | .188 | .248 (-24%) | .307 (-34%) | .322 (-9%) | .629 (-21%) | -395.1 |
| 1906 | NYA | AL | 49 | 125 | 10 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 34 | .208 | .247 (-16%) | .307 (-30%) | .315 (-16%) | .622 (-23%) | -442.6 |
| 1907 | NYA | AL | 30 | 76 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20 | .197 | .245 (-20%) | .304 (-35%) | .308 (-11%) | .613 (-23%) | -278.1 |
| 1908 | NYA | AL | 45 | 102 | 8 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 23 | .176 | .240 (-27%) | .298 (-38%) | .306 (-30%) | .605 (-34%) | -493.8 |
| 1909 | NYA | AL | 9 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .176 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1909 | BOS | AL | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 393 | 1,103 | 85 | 217 | 37 | 13 | 5 | 82 | 5 | 25 | 269 | .197 | — | — | — | — | -4,294 | ||
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 (785 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 204 | 563 | 47 | 123 | 3 | 51 | .218 |
| Away | 189 | 539 | 38 | 94 | 2 | 29 | .174 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 204 | 1548.2 | 1436 | 264 | 358 | 677 | 1.53 |
| Away | 188 | 1350.0 | 1234 | 262 | 340 | 596 | 1.75 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909-10-02 | BOS | NYY | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-08-27 | NYY | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-08-23 | NYY | CHW | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1909-08-18 | NYY | BOS | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-07-17 | NYY | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1909-07-07 | NYY | BOS | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1909-06-23 | NYY | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1909-06-19 | NYY | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-06-12 | NYY | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-05-31 | NYY | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909-10-02 | BOS | NYY | L | 6.0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 1909-08-27 | NYY | DET | — | 5.2 | 13 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 1909-08-23 | NYY | CHW | L | 7.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1909-08-18 | NYY | BOS | L | 9.0 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1909-07-17 | NYY | DET | — | 6.0 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1909-07-07 | NYY | BOS | — | 6.2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1909-06-23 | NYY | BOS | — | 2.0 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-06-19 | NYY | MIN | L | 9.0 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 1909-06-12 | NYY | CHW | L | 1.1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-05-31 | NYY | MIN | — | 2.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 392 | 192 | 103 | 836 | 56 | 28 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 | PIT | P | 19 | 0 | 5 | 26 | 3 | 0 |
| 1900 | PIT | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1900 | PIT | P | 32 | 0 | 4 | 44 | 7 | 3 |
| 1901 | PIT | P | 36 | 0 | 12 | 57 | 5 | 2 |
| 1902 | PIT | P | 35 | 0 | 11 | 60 | 4 | 2 |
| 1903 | NYA | P | 40 | 0 | 13 | 103 | 2 | 2 |
| 1904 | NYA | P | 55 | 51 | 24 | 166 | 12 | 7 |
| 1905 | NYA | P | 41 | 38 | 11 | 97 | 7 | 5 |
| 1906 | NYA | P | 49 | 42 | 11 | 95 | 5 | 3 |
| 1907 | NYA | P | 30 | 25 | 3 | 71 | 5 | 2 |
| 1908 | NYA | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1908 | NYA | P | 45 | 31 | 7 | 96 | 6 | 2 |
| 1909 | NYA | P | 9 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909 | BOS | P | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 392 |
| First Base | 1 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jack Chesbro (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Jack Chesbro
Jack Chesbro: the record in brief
According to the bio, Jack Chesbro debuted on July 12, 1899 and played a final game on October 2, 1909. Club by club, the record runs the Pittsburgh Pirates (1899 through 1902), the New York Highlanders (1903 through 1909), and the Boston Red Sox (1909). Born on June 5, 1874, in North Adams, MA, USA, Chesbro is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 5'9" and 180 pounds. The bio records the death on November 6, 1931, in Conway, MA, USA. Chesbro's full given name, per the bio, is John Dwight Chesbro.
Chesbro's career pitching line is 198 wins, 132 losses and a 2.68 ERA over 392 appearances. The totals include 1,265 strikeouts, 260 complete games, and 35 shutouts. That 2.68 ERA compares with a 2.91 league average across the same seasons, 7.8% better. No season topped the 41 wins of 1904. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 1.82 in 1904, when the league's was 2.66.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jack Chesbro
- What years did Jack Chesbro play?
- Jack Chesbro played in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1909.
- Was Jack Chesbro a pitcher?
- Yes. Jack Chesbro pitched in the major leagues, recording 198 wins and 1265 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jack Chesbro hit?
- Jack Chesbro hit 5 career home runs with 217 hits.
- Is Jack Chesbro in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Jack Chesbro was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.
- What teams did Jack Chesbro play for?
- Jack Chesbro played for 3 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1899–1902), the New York Highlanders (1903–1909), and the Boston Red Sox (1909).
- What were Jack Chesbro's career stats?
- In 392 games, Jack Chesbro went 198-132 with a 2.68 ERA, 1,265 strikeouts, 2,896.2 innings pitched, and 5 saves. At the plate he had 217 hits and 5 home runs.
- What position did Jack Chesbro play?
- Jack Chesbro played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jack Chesbro and how much did he weigh?
- Jack Chesbro was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 180 pounds.
- What was Jack Chesbro's career ERA?
- Jack Chesbro finished with a 2.68 career ERA, going 198-132 with 1,265 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Jack Chesbro have?
- Jack Chesbro recorded 1,265 career strikeouts.