John Ewing

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1883-1891)

John Ewing was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1883 to 1891 for 6 teams, including the St. Louis Browns, a span of 9 seasons. Across 129 career appearances, he went 53-63 with a 3.68 ERA and 525 strikeouts. He also batted .192 with 2 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 11030.1.

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

W–L 53–63
ERA 3.68
WHIP 1.42
SO 525
Pitcher PIV 11030.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 168 lb
Born
6/1/1863 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
Died
4/23/1895 in Denver, CO, USA
MLB Debut
1883-06-18
Last Game
1891-10-01
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Career Pitching Statistics

John Ewing — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
53 63 129 121 113 9 2 1058.2 1,113 433 17 390 525 3.68 11030.1

Career ERA 3.68 vs. league average 3.60 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Ewing — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1888 LS2 AA 8 13 21 21 21 2 0 191.0 175 60 34 87 2.83 2.95 (+4%) 2042.5
1889 LS2 AA 6 30 40 39 37 1 0 331.0 407 179 147 155 4.87 3.93 (-24%) 1505.5
1890 NYP PL 18 12 35 31 27 1 2 267.1 294 126 104 145 4.24 3.88 (-9%) 2940.8
1891 NY1 NL 21 8 33 30 28 5 0 269.1 237 68 105 138 2.27 3.52 (+35%) 4541.3
Career · 4 seasons 53 63 129 121 113 9 2 1,058.2 1,113 433 390 525 3.68 — 11,030

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

John Ewing — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
133 454 47 87 6 3 2 36 18 18 94 .192 .226 .231 .457 -2,108

Career AVG .192 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 24.1% below league average.

Career OBP .226 vs. league average .311 across their career seasons — 27.5% below league average.

Career SLG .231 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — 32.1% below league average.

Career OPS .457 vs. league average .652 across their career seasons — 29.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Ewing — 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
1883 SL4 AA 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1884 CNU UA 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1884 WSU UA 1 5 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .200 — — — — 0.0
1888 LS2 AA 21 79 6 16 1 1 0 5 7 1 15 .203 .238 (-15%) .290 (-27%) .319 (-25%) .610 (-26%) -292.1
1889 LS2 AA 41 134 12 23 2 0 0 6 5 9 30 .172 .263 (-35%) .334 (-30%) .357 (-48%) .691 (-39%) -796.0
1890 NYP PL 35 114 18 24 2 1 2 17 2 5 35 .211 .260 (-19%) .336 (-28%) .351 (-15%) .687 (-21%) -405.1
1891 NY1 NL 33 113 10 23 1 0 0 8 4 3 14 .204 .254 (-20%) .331 (-32%) .343 (-38%) .675 (-35%) -614.9
Career · 7 seasons 133 454 47 87 6 3 2 36 18 18 94 .192 — — — — -2,108

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

John Ewing — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 3 0 0 0
OF 3 0 3 1 4 0
P 129 0 44 227 19 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

John Ewing — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1883 SL4 OF 1 0 1 0 2 0
1884 CNU OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1884 WSU OF 1 0 1 1 2 0
1888 LS2 P 21 0 4 44 5 0
1889 LS2 1B 1 0 3 0 0 0
1889 LS2 P 40 0 9 73 4 3
1890 NYP P 35 0 14 61 4 1
1891 NY1 P 33 0 17 49 6 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

John Ewing — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 129
First Base 1
Center Field 2
Right Field 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

John Ewing (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Phenomenal Smith
    54-74, 3.89 ERA
  2. 92
    Ed Beatin
    48-56, 3.68 ERA
  3. 88
    Dave Danforth
    71-66, 3.89 ERA
  4. 87
    Cal Koonce
    47-49, 3.78 ERA
  5. 85
    Tommie Sisk
    40-49, 3.92 ERA
  6. 85
    Al Mays
    53-89, 3.91 ERA

Compare John Ewing

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Ewing's closest peers by position and era.

vs Buck Ewing

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John Ewing: the record in brief

John Ewing played a first major league game on June 18, 1883 and a last one on October 1, 1891. The team column moves through the St. Louis Browns (1883), the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds (1884), the Washington Nationals (1884), the Louisville Colonels (1888 through 1889), and the New York Giants (1890 through 1891). Ewing, a pitcher by primary position, threw and hit right-handed. Ewing is listed at 6'1" and 168 pounds. The birth record reads June 1, 1863, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. The bio records the death on April 23, 1895, in Denver, CO, USA.

Ewing went 53-63 with a 3.68 ERA in 129 games, 121 of them starts. Ewing had 525 strikeouts, 113 complete games, and 9 shutouts. Ewing's 3.68 ERA was close to the 3.60 league figure for those seasons. 1891 brought Ewing a season-high 21 wins. Ewing struck out 155 batters in 1889, a career high. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.27 in 1891, when the league's was 3.52.

Frequently Asked Questions about John Ewing

What years did John Ewing play?
John Ewing played in Major League Baseball from 1883 to 1891.
Was John Ewing a pitcher?
Yes. John Ewing pitched in the major leagues, recording 53 wins and 525 strikeouts.
How many home runs did John Ewing hit?
John Ewing hit 2 career home runs with 87 hits.
What teams did John Ewing play for?
John Ewing played for 6 teams: the St. Louis Browns (1883), the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds (1884), the Washington Nationals (1884), the Louisville Colonels (1888–1889), the New York Giants (1890), and the New York Giants (1891).
What were John Ewing's career stats?
In 129 games, John Ewing went 53-63 with a 3.68 ERA, 525 strikeouts, 1,058.2 innings pitched, and 2 saves. At the plate he had 87 hits and 2 home runs.
What position did John Ewing play?
John Ewing played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was John Ewing and how much did he weigh?
John Ewing was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 168 pounds.
What was John Ewing's career ERA?
John Ewing finished with a 3.68 career ERA, going 53-63 with 525 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did John Ewing have?
John Ewing recorded 525 career strikeouts.
Is John Ewing in the Hall of Fame?
No. John Ewing has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.