Candy Cummings
Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1872-1877)
Candy Cummings was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1872 to 1877 for 6 teams, including the New York Mutuals, a span of 6 seasons. Across 242 career appearances, he went 145-94 with a 2.42 ERA and 259 strikeouts. He also batted .213 with 0 home runs. Candy Cummings was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 8752.8.
- 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" / 120 lb
- Died
- 5/16/1924 in Toledo, OH, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1872-04-22
- Last Game
- 1877-08-18
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1939 (Veterans)
Full name: William Arthur Cummings
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1872 | NY2 | 33 | 20 | 55 | 55 | 53 | 3 | 0 | 497.0 | 604 | 166 | 31 | 45 | 3.01 | 3.66 (+18%) | 2318.4 | |
| 1873 | BL1 | 28 | 14 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 382.0 | 475 | 119 | 33 | 34 | 2.80 | 3.40 (+17%) | 817.1 | |
| 1874 | PH2 | 28 | 26 | 54 | 54 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 483.0 | 616 | 105 | 18 | 61 | 1.96 | 2.19 (+11%) | 2125.1 | |
| 1875 | HR1 | 35 | 12 | 48 | 47 | 46 | 7 | 0 | 416.0 | 397 | 74 | 4 | 82 | 1.60 | 2.23 (+28%) | 4023.1 | |
| 1876 | HAR | NL | 16 | 8 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 216.0 | 215 | 40 | 14 | 26 | 1.67 | 2.31 (+28%) | 666.6 |
| 1877 | CN1 | NL | 5 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 155.2 | 219 | 75 | 13 | 11 | 4.34 | 2.81 (-54%) | -1197.5 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 145 | 94 | 242 | 241 | 233 | 19 | 0 | 2,149.2 | 2,526 | 579 | 113 | 259 | 2.42 | — | 8,753 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 247 | 1,068 | 149 | 227 | 29 | 9 | 0 | 107 | 3 | 16 | 51 | .213 | .224 | .257 | .481 | -3,244 |
Career AVG .213 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — 21.6% below league average.
Career OBP .224 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 20.6% below league average.
Career SLG .257 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 22.6% below league average.
Career OPS .481 vs. league average .614 across their career seasons — 21.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1872 | NY2 | 55 | 249 | 37 | 52 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 14 | .209 | .285 (-27%) | .296 (-25%) | .347 (-23%) | .644 (-24%) | -855.8 | |
| 1873 | BL1 | 42 | 192 | 30 | 48 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 5 | 5 | .250 | .290 (-14%) | .304 (-12%) | .357 (-23%) | .661 (-18%) | -456.9 | |
| 1874 | PH2 | 54 | 231 | 32 | 52 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 12 | .225 | .273 (-18%) | .282 (-20%) | .333 (-22%) | .615 (-21%) | -659.0 | |
| 1875 | HR1 | 53 | 221 | 30 | 44 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 11 | .199 | .253 (-22%) | .260 (-20%) | .309 (-20%) | .570 (-20%) | -538.2 | |
| 1876 | HAR | NL | 24 | 105 | 14 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .162 | .265 (-39%) | .277 (-42%) | .320 (-41%) | .598 (-41%) | -565.4 |
| 1877 | CN1 | NL | 19 | 70 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 6 | .200 | .271 (-26%) | .289 (-16%) | .337 (-20%) | .626 (-18%) | -169.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 247 | 1,068 | 149 | 227 | 29 | 9 | 0 | 107 | 3 | 16 | 51 | .213 | — | — | — | — | -3,244 | ||
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.
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 12 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| P | 242 | 108 | 100 | 319 | 59 | 10 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1872 | NY2 | OF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1872 | NY2 | P | 55 | 54 | 21 | 61 | 8 | 3 |
| 1873 | BL1 | P | 42 | 0 | 20 | 42 | 12 | 2 |
| 1874 | PH2 | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1874 | PH2 | P | 54 | 54 | 16 | 73 | 23 | 0 |
| 1875 | HR1 | OF | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1875 | HR1 | P | 48 | 0 | 28 | 85 | 11 | 5 |
| 1876 | HAR | P | 24 | 0 | 9 | 27 | 2 | 0 |
| 1877 | CN1 | OF | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1877 | CN1 | P | 19 | 0 | 6 | 31 | 3 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 241 |
| Left Field | 3 |
| Center Field | 5 |
| Right Field | 4 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Candy Cummings (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Candy Cummings
Candy Cummings: the record in brief
Candy Cummings played a first major league game on April 22, 1872 and a last one on August 18, 1877. Club by club, the record runs the New York Mutuals (1872), the Baltimore Canaries (1873), the Philadelphia Whites (1874), the Hartford Dark Blues (1875 through 1876), and the Cincinnati Reds (1877). Cummings, born on October 18, 1848, in Ware, MA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 5-foot-9 and 120 pounds. Cummings's death is recorded on May 16, 1924, in Toledo, OH, USA. Cummings's full given name, per the bio, is William Arthur Cummings.
Cummings went 145-94 with a 2.42 ERA in 242 games, 241 of them starts. Also on Cummings's record: 259 strikeouts, 233 complete games, and 19 shutouts. Against a 2.66 league ERA for the same years, Cummings was 9.0% better. Cummings won 35 games in 1875, the most of any season listed.
Frequently Asked Questions about Candy Cummings
- What years did Candy Cummings play?
- Candy Cummings played in Major League Baseball from 1872 to 1877.
- Was Candy Cummings a pitcher?
- Yes. Candy Cummings pitched in the major leagues, recording 145 wins and 259 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Candy Cummings hit?
- Candy Cummings hit 0 career home runs with 227 hits.
- Is Candy Cummings in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Candy Cummings was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
- What teams did Candy Cummings play for?
- Candy Cummings played for 6 teams: the New York Mutuals (1872), the Baltimore Canaries (1873), the Philadelphia Whites (1874), the Hartford Dark Blues (1875), the Hartford Dark Blues (1876), and the Cincinnati Reds (1877).
- What were Candy Cummings's career stats?
- In 242 games, Candy Cummings went 145-94 with a 2.42 ERA, 259 strikeouts, and 2,149.2 innings pitched. At the plate he had 227 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Candy Cummings play?
- Candy Cummings played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Candy Cummings and how much did he weigh?
- Candy Cummings was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 120 pounds.
- What was Candy Cummings's career ERA?
- Candy Cummings finished with a 2.42 career ERA, going 145-94 with 259 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Candy Cummings have?
- Candy Cummings recorded 259 career strikeouts.