Rufe Gentry

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1943-1948)

Rufe Gentry was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1948 for the Detroit Tigers, a span of 6 seasons. Across 48 career appearances, he went 13-17 with a 4.37 ERA and 78 strikeouts.

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 13–17
ERA 4.37
WHIP 1.58
SO 78
Pitcher PIV -4036.3
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 180 lb
Born
5/18/1918 in Daisy Station, NC, USA
Died
7/3/1997 in Winston-Salem, NC, USA
MLB Debut
1943-09-10
Last Game
1948-05-09

Full name: James Ruffus Gentry

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Career Pitching Statistics

Rufe Gentry — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
13 17 48 34 12 3 0 243.0 251 118 11 134 78 4.37 -4036.3

Career ERA 4.37 vs. league average 3.75 across their career seasons — 16.7% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rufe Gentry — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1943 DET AL 1 3 4 4 2 0 0 29.1 30 12 12 8 3.68 3.50 (-5%) -675.6
1944 DET AL 12 14 37 30 10 3 0 203.2 211 96 108 68 4.24 3.57 (-19%) -3360.7
1946 DET AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3.0 4 5 7 1 15.00 — 0.0
1947 DET AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.1 1 3 2 0 81.00 — 0.0
1948 DET AL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6.2 5 2 5 1 2.70 — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 13 17 48 34 12 3 0 243.0 251 118 134 78 4.37 — -4,036

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

Rufe Gentry — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
48 87 2 16 2 0 0 10 0 2 16 .184 .202 .207 .409 -435

Career AVG .184 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 29.3% below league average.

Career OBP .202 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 39.0% below league average.

Career SLG .207 vs. league average .363 across their career seasons — 43.1% below league average.

Career OPS .409 vs. league average .695 across their career seasons — 41.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rufe Gentry — 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
1943 DET AL 4 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 .000 — — — — 0.0
1944 DET AL 37 76 1 15 2 0 0 10 0 1 11 .197 .261 (-25%) .325 (-36%) .357 (-37%) .683 (-37%) -435.2
1946 DET AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1947 DET AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1948 DET AL 4 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 48 87 2 16 2 0 0 10 0 2 16 .184 — — — — -435

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 (96 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Rufe Gentry — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home20440706.159
Away28432904.209

Pitching — Home / Away

Rufe Gentry — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home20114.01205258344.11
Away28129.01316376444.40

Last 10 Games — Batting

Rufe Gentry — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1948-05-09 DETPHAL 111000000
1948-05-08 DETNYYL 000000000
1948-05-04 DETBOSL 000000000
1948-04-25 DETCLEL 000000000
1947-04-26 DETCLEL 000000000
1946-05-05 DETPHAL 000000000
1946-05-01 DETBOSL 000000000
1944-09-29 DETMINW 301000100
1944-09-25 DETPHAL 301000000
1944-09-22 DETBOSW 401000002

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Rufe Gentry — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1948-05-09 DETPHA — 3.2222300
1948-05-08 DETNYY — 1.0100000
1948-05-04 DETBOS — 1.0100100
1948-04-25 DETCLE — 1.0100110
1947-04-26 DETCLE — 0.1133200
1946-05-05 DETPHA — 1.0111210
1946-05-01 DETBOS — 2.0344500
1944-09-29 DETMIN W 7.2922310
1944-09-25 DETPHA L 9.0621340
1944-09-22 DETBOS W 9.0643520

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Rufe Gentry — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 48 0 8 49 1 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Rufe Gentry — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1943 DET P 4 0 1 6 0 0
1944 DET P 37 0 5 43 1 6
1946 DET P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1947 DET P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1948 DET P 4 0 2 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Rufe Gentry — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 48

Rufe Gentry: the record in brief

Between the debut on September 10, 1943 and the final game on May 9, 1948, Rufe Gentry built the record summarized on this page. Gentry's only club in the season tables is the Detroit Tigers. Gentry is listed as a pitcher at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds. The bio says Gentry batted and threw right-handed. Gentry was born on May 18, 1918, in Daisy Station, NC, USA. Gentry's death is recorded on July 3, 1997, in Winston-Salem, NC, USA. Rufe Gentry was the playing name; the full given name is James Ruffus.

Gentry's career pitching line is 13 wins, 17 losses and a 4.37 ERA over 48 appearances. Gentry had 78 strikeouts and 12 complete games. Against a 3.75 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.37 mark was 16.7% worse. The best win total was 12, in 1944. 1944 was Gentry's sharpest full season, a 4.24 ERA against the league's 3.57.

As a hitter, Gentry batted .184 on 16 hits.

The position breakdown shows 48 games, all at pitcher. Fielding on the mound produced 8 putouts and 49 assists against 1 errors.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rufe Gentry

What years did Rufe Gentry play?
Rufe Gentry played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1948.
Was Rufe Gentry a pitcher?
Yes. Rufe Gentry pitched in the major leagues, recording 13 wins and 78 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Rufe Gentry hit?
Rufe Gentry hit 0 career home runs with 16 hits.
What teams did Rufe Gentry play for?
Rufe Gentry played for one team, the Detroit Tigers (1943–1944, 1946–1948).
What were Rufe Gentry's career stats?
In 48 games, Rufe Gentry went 13-17 with a 4.37 ERA, 78 strikeouts, and 243.0 innings pitched.
What position did Rufe Gentry play?
Rufe Gentry played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Rufe Gentry and how much did he weigh?
Rufe Gentry was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 180 pounds.
What was Rufe Gentry's career ERA?
Rufe Gentry finished with a 4.37 career ERA, going 13-17 with 78 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Rufe Gentry have?
Rufe Gentry recorded 78 career strikeouts.
Is Rufe Gentry in the Hall of Fame?
No. Rufe Gentry has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.