John Finner
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
John Finner was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for 4 teams, including the St. Louis Giants. Across 82 career appearances, he went 23-30 with a 5.15 ERA and 186 strikeouts. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- 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
- 6'2" / 176 lb
Full name: Johnnie Charley Finner
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | SLG | NNL | 6 | 6 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 137.1 | 130 | 46 | 23 | 51 | 3.01 | 3.45 (+13%) | 1841.1 |
| 1921 | SLG | NNL | 8 | 7 | 24 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 134.2 | 144 | 61 | 38 | 61 | 4.08 | 4.02 (-1%) | -1723.7 |
| 1922 | SLS | NNL | 4 | 5 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 71.2 | 118 | 64 | 27 | 33 | 8.04 | 4.18 (-92%) | -2161.3 |
| 1923 | MB | NNL | 2 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 50.2 | 63 | 31 | 18 | 13 | 5.51 | 4.03 (-37%) | -309.7 |
| 1923 | SLS | NNL | 2 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 41.0 | 54 | 33 | 13 | 17 | 7.24 | 4.03 (-80%) | -1201.1 |
| 1924 | SLS | NNL | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 21 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 7.50 | 4.13 (-82%) | 277.0 |
| 1925 | BBB | NNL | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21.1 | 24 | 23 | 8 | 8 | 9.70 | 4.55 (-113%) | 307.9 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 23 | 30 | 82 | 53 | 34 | 3 | 5 | 468.2 | 554 | 268 | 129 | 186 | 5.15 | — | -2,970 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92 | 197 | 22 | 39 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 4 | .198 | .244 | .284 | .528 | -693 |
Career AVG .198 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 30.1% below league average.
Career OBP .244 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 29.0% below league average.
Career SLG .284 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 27.3% below league average.
Career OPS .528 vs. league average .735 across their career seasons — 28.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | SLG | NNL | 26 | 63 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | .175 | .271 (-36%) | .331 (-26%) | .363 (-43%) | .694 (-35%) | -330.8 |
| 1921 | SLG | NNL | 24 | 55 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .182 | .286 (-36%) | .344 (-39%) | .395 (-40%) | .739 (-40%) | -361.7 |
| 1922 | SLS | NNL | 16 | 30 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1923 | MB | NNL | 7 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .227 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1923 | SLS | NNL | 10 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1924 | SLS | NNL | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1925 | BBB | NNL | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 92 | 197 | 22 | 39 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 4 | .198 | — | — | — | — | -693 | ||
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
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away | 1 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
Last 1 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921-07-10 | SLG | CAG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Last 1 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921-07-10 | SLG | CAG | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 82 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 5 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Finner: the record in brief
The season rows for John Finner begin in 1920. The team column moves through the St. Louis Giants (1920 through 1921), the St. Louis Stars (1922 to 1924), the Milwaukee Bears (1923), and the Birmingham Black Barons (1925). Listed as a pitcher, Finner both batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 176 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. Finner was born on August 7, 1885, in USA. John Finner was the playing name; the full given name is Johnnie Charley.
Finner pitched in 82 games, starting 53, and finished with a 23-30 record and 5.15 ERA. Also on Finner's record: 186 strikeouts and 34 complete games. Against a 4.07 league ERA for the same seasons, the 5.15 mark was 26.4% worse. Finner won 8 games in 1921, the most of any season listed. In 1920, one of the busiest seasons, Finner posted a 3.01 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.45.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Finner
- Was John Finner a pitcher?
- Yes. John Finner pitched in the major leagues, recording 23 wins and 186 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did John Finner hit?
- John Finner hit 1 career home runs with 39 hits.
- What was John Finner's career batting average?
- John Finner batted .198 over his career, with 39 hits in 197 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Finner have?
- John Finner drove in 15 runs in his career.
- What was John Finner's career ERA?
- John Finner finished with a 5.15 career ERA, going 23-30 with 186 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did John Finner have?
- John Finner recorded 186 career strikeouts.