Del Gainer
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1909-1922)
Del Gainer was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1909 to 1922 for the Detroit Tigers, the Boston Red Sox, and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 14 seasons. In 548 career games, he hit .272 with 438 hits, 14 home runs, and 185 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,433.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- Died
- 1/29/1947 in Elkins, WV, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1909-10-02
- Last Game
- 1922-09-30
Full name: Dellas Clinton Gainer
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 548 | 1,608 | 218 | 438 | 75 | 36 | 14 | 185 | 54 | 149 | 219 | .272 | .342 | .390 | .732 | 2,433 |
Career AVG .272 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +5.2% above league average.
Career OBP .342 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — +5.6% above league average.
Career SLG .390 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — +13.2% above league average.
Career OPS .732 vs. league average .669 across their career seasons — +9.5% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | DET | AL | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1911 | DET | AL | 70 | 248 | 32 | 75 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 25 | 10 | 20 | 43 | .302 | .266 (+13%) | .336 (+9%) | .356 (+13%) | .693 (+11%) | 489.0 |
| 1912 | DET | AL | 52 | 179 | 28 | 43 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 14 | 18 | 18 | .240 | .268 (-11%) | .335 (-5%) | .358 (-7%) | .694 (-6%) | -161.8 |
| 1913 | DET | AL | 105 | 363 | 47 | 97 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 25 | 10 | 30 | 45 | .267 | .259 (+3%) | .325 (+2%) | .345 (+8%) | .670 (+5%) | 313.5 |
| 1914 | DET | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1914 | BOS | AL | 38 | 84 | 11 | 20 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 14 | .238 | .255 (-7%) | .322 (-3%) | .339 (+37%) | .661 (+17%) | 0.0 |
| 1915 | BOS | AL | 82 | 200 | 30 | 59 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 29 | 7 | 21 | 31 | .295 | .250 (+18%) | .318 (+16%) | .332 (+25%) | .651 (+21%) | 705.6 |
| 1916 | BOS | AL | 56 | 142 | 14 | 36 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 5 | 10 | 24 | .254 | .248 (+2%) | .314 (-4%) | .326 (+10%) | .640 (+3%) | 51.2 |
| 1917 | BOS | AL | 52 | 172 | 28 | 53 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 15 | 21 | .308 | .248 (+24%) | .312 (+20%) | .323 (+31%) | .635 (+26%) | 702.0 |
| 1919 | BOS | AL | 47 | 118 | 9 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 13 | 15 | .237 | .262 (-10%) | .322 (-1%) | .347 (-7%) | .670 (-5%) | -68.5 |
| 1922 | SLN | NL | 43 | 97 | 19 | 26 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 0 | 14 | 6 | .268 | .285 (-6%) | .345 (+4%) | .397 (+22%) | .743 (+14%) | 215.1 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 548 | 1,608 | 218 | 438 | 75 | 36 | 14 | 185 | 54 | 149 | 219 | .272 | — | — | — | — | 2,246 | ||
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.
Postseason Statistics
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (549 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 287 | 794 | 107 | 225 | 4 | 97 | .283 |
| Away | 262 | 819 | 113 | 214 | 10 | 104 | .261 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922-09-30 | STL | CHC | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-09-26 | STL | NY1 | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-09-18 | STL | BSN | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-09-15 | STL | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-09-07 | STL | CIN | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-09-01 | STL | PIT | W | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1922-08-25 | STL | NY1 | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-08-24 | STL | BSN | L | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1922-08-19 | STL | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1922-08-17 | STL | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 444 | 1 | 4099 | 220 | 64 | 200 |
| 2B | 13 | 0 | 23 | 28 | 2 | 4 |
| OF | 36 | 0 | 46 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | DET | 1B | 2 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1911 | DET | 1B | 69 | 0 | 671 | 38 | 18 | 36 |
| 1912 | DET | 1B | 50 | 0 | 547 | 22 | 8 | 25 |
| 1912 | DET | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913 | DET | 1B | 103 | 0 | 1118 | 50 | 14 | 55 |
| 1914 | DET | 1B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914 | BOS | 1B | 18 | 0 | 100 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 1914 | BOS | 2B | 11 | 0 | 23 | 27 | 2 | 4 |
| 1914 | BOS | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915 | BOS | 1B | 56 | 0 | 457 | 33 | 6 | 22 |
| 1915 | BOS | OF | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916 | BOS | 1B | 48 | 0 | 362 | 23 | 1 | 18 |
| 1916 | BOS | 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1917 | BOS | 1B | 50 | 0 | 490 | 27 | 6 | 29 |
| 1919 | BOS | 1B | 21 | 0 | 163 | 11 | 4 | 6 |
| 1919 | BOS | OF | 18 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1922 | SLN | 1B | 26 | 0 | 175 | 9 | 4 | 7 |
| 1922 | SLN | OF | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 443 |
| Second Base | 13 |
| Left Field | 24 |
| Center Field | 12 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Del Gainer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Del Gainer: the record in brief
Del Gainer's major league career runs from a debut on October 2, 1909 to a final game on September 30, 1922. By club, Gainer's seasons break down as the Detroit Tigers (1909 through 1914), the Boston Red Sox (1914 to 1919), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1922). Gainer, a first baseman by primary position, threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 180 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. The birth record reads November 10, 1886, in Montrose, WV, USA. The bio records the death on January 29, 1947, in Elkins, WV, USA. Del Gainer was the playing name; the full given name is Dellas Clinton.
Across 548 games at the plate, Gainer's career line reads 438 hits in 1,608 at bats for a .272 average, along with 14 homers, 185 RBI, and 54 stolen bases. Gainer got on base at a .342 rate and slugged .390 (.732 OPS). Over the seasons Gainer played, league hitters batted .259; the .272 career figure is 5.2% above that.
Frequently Asked Questions about Del Gainer
- What years did Del Gainer play?
- Del Gainer played in Major League Baseball from 1909 to 1922.
- Was Del Gainer a pitcher?
- No. Del Gainer was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Del Gainer hit?
- Del Gainer hit 14 career home runs with 438 hits.
- What was Del Gainer's career batting average?
- Del Gainer batted .272 over his career, with 438 hits in 1,608 at bats.
- How many RBI did Del Gainer have?
- Del Gainer drove in 185 runs in his career.
- Is Del Gainer in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Del Gainer has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.