Henry Gruber

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1887-1891)

Henry Gruber was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1887 to 1891 for the Detroit Wolverines, the Cleveland Spiders, and the Cleveland Infants, a span of 5 seasons. Across 151 career appearances, he went 61-78 with a 3.67 ERA and 346 strikeouts. He also batted .170 with 1 home runs.

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 61–78
ERA 3.67
WHIP 1.46
SO 346
Pitcher PIV -8540.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 155 lb
Born
12/14/1863 in Hamden, CT, USA
Died
9/26/1932 in New Haven, CT, USA
MLB Debut
1887-07-28
Last Game
1891-10-02

Full name: Henry John Gruber

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Career Pitching Statistics

Henry Gruber — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
61 78 151 139 129 5 1 1239.1 1,328 505 42 479 346 3.67 -8540.1

Career ERA 3.67 vs. league average 3.70 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Henry Gruber — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1887 DTN NL 4 3 7 7 7 0 0 62.1 63 19 21 12 2.74 4.17 (+34%) -554.2
1888 DTN NL 11 14 27 25 25 3 0 240.0 196 61 41 71 2.29 2.95 (+22%) -252.9
1889 CL4 NL 7 16 25 23 23 0 1 205.0 198 83 94 74 3.64 3.93 (+7%) -1149.3
1890 CLP PL 22 23 48 44 39 1 0 383.1 464 182 204 110 4.27 3.88 (-10%) -6530.0
1891 CL4 NL 17 22 44 40 35 1 0 348.2 407 160 119 79 4.13 3.52 (-17%) -53.6
Career · 5 seasons 61 78 151 139 129 5 1 1,239.1 1,328 505 479 346 3.67 — -8,540

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

Henry Gruber — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
155 489 56 83 10 7 1 37 0 73 111 .170 .281 .225 .506 -1,643

Career AVG .170 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 34.1% below league average.

Career OBP .281 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 13.7% below league average.

Career SLG .225 vs. league average .349 across their career seasons — 35.6% below league average.

Career OPS .506 vs. league average .676 across their career seasons — 25.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Henry Gruber — 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
1887 DTN NL 7 24 3 4 0 1 0 0 0 6 6 .167 — — — — 0.0
1888 DTN NL 27 92 8 13 2 1 0 4 0 6 23 .141 .238 (-41%) .290 (-31%) .319 (-42%) .610 (-37%) -454.7
1889 CL4 NL 25 69 7 7 2 0 0 4 0 14 18 .101 .263 (-62%) .334 (-22%) .357 (-64%) .691 (-43%) -426.8
1890 CLP PL 50 163 21 36 3 3 0 9 0 26 29 .221 .260 (-15%) .336 (-3%) .351 (-21%) .687 (-12%) -259.3
1891 CL4 NL 46 141 17 23 3 2 1 20 0 21 35 .163 .254 (-36%) .331 (-17%) .343 (-32%) .675 (-24%) -502.3
Career · 5 seasons 155 489 56 83 10 7 1 37 0 73 111 .170 — — — — -1,643

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

Henry Gruber — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 1 0 1 1 1 0
OF 5 0 1 1 0 0
P 151 0 26 307 39 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Henry Gruber — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1887 DTN P 7 0 0 7 1 0
1888 DTN P 27 0 4 61 8 2
1889 CL4 P 25 0 6 40 6 2
1890 CLP 3B 1 0 1 1 1 0
1890 CLP OF 3 0 0 1 0 0
1890 CLP P 48 0 8 109 14 3
1891 CL4 OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1891 CL4 P 44 0 8 90 10 5

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Henry Gruber — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 151
Third Base 1
Center Field 1
Right Field 4

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Henry Gruber (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Cinders O'Brien
    59-65, 3.68 ERA
  2. 94
    Ed Beatin
    48-56, 3.68 ERA
  3. 90
    Phenomenal Smith
    54-74, 3.89 ERA
  4. 88
    Al Mays
    53-89, 3.91 ERA
  5. 88
    Dave Danforth
    71-66, 3.89 ERA
  6. 88
    Pete Dowling
    39-64, 3.84 ERA

Henry Gruber: the record in brief

July 28, 1887 and October 2, 1891 bracket Henry Gruber's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Detroit Wolverines (1887 to 1888), the Cleveland Spiders (1889 to 1891), and the Cleveland Infants (1890). At 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, Gruber is listed as a pitcher. Gruber threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is December 14, 1863, in Hamden, CT, USA. Gruber died on September 26, 1932, in New Haven, CT, USA. The given name on file is Henry John Gruber.

Gruber pitched in 151 games, starting 139, and finished with a 61-78 record and 3.67 ERA. Also on Gruber's record: 346 strikeouts, 129 complete games, and 5 shutouts. Gruber's 3.67 ERA was close to the 3.70 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 22, in 1890. In 1888, one of the busiest seasons, Gruber posted a 2.29 ERA; the league figure that year was 2.95.

Frequently Asked Questions about Henry Gruber

What years did Henry Gruber play?
Henry Gruber played in Major League Baseball from 1887 to 1891.
Was Henry Gruber a pitcher?
Yes. Henry Gruber pitched in the major leagues, recording 61 wins and 346 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Henry Gruber hit?
Henry Gruber hit 1 career home run with 83 hits.
What teams did Henry Gruber play for?
Henry Gruber played for 3 teams: the Detroit Wolverines (1887–1888), the Cleveland Spiders (1889, 1891), and the Cleveland Infants (1890).
What were Henry Gruber's career stats?
In 151 games, Henry Gruber went 61-78 with a 3.67 ERA, 346 strikeouts, 1,239.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 83 hits and 1 home runs.
What position did Henry Gruber play?
Henry Gruber played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Henry Gruber and how much did he weigh?
Henry Gruber was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 155 pounds.
What was Henry Gruber's career ERA?
Henry Gruber finished with a 3.67 career ERA, going 61-78 with 346 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Henry Gruber have?
Henry Gruber recorded 346 career strikeouts.
Is Henry Gruber in the Hall of Fame?
No. Henry Gruber has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.