Otto Hess
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1902-1915)
Otto Hess was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1902 to 1915 for the Cleveland Guardians and the Boston Braves, a span of 14 seasons. Across 198 career appearances, he went 70-90 with a 2.98 ERA and 580 strikeouts. He also batted .216 with 5 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 170 lb
- Born
- 10/10/1878 in Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Died
- 2/25/1926 in Tucson, AZ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1902-08-03
- Last Game
- 1915-06-13
Full name: Otto C. Hess
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | CLE | AL | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 43.2 | 67 | 29 | 23 | 13 | 5.98 | 3.17 (-88%) | -600.3 |
| 1904 | CLE | AL | 8 | 7 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 151.1 | 134 | 28 | 31 | 64 | 1.67 | 2.66 (+37%) | 788.6 |
| 1905 | CLE | AL | 10 | 15 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 213.2 | 179 | 75 | 72 | 109 | 3.16 | 2.82 (-12%) | 654.3 |
| 1906 | CLE | AL | 20 | 17 | 43 | 36 | 33 | 7 | 3 | 333.2 | 274 | 68 | 85 | 167 | 1.83 | 2.68 (+31%) | 1485.3 |
| 1907 | CLE | AL | 6 | 6 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 93.1 | 84 | 30 | 37 | 36 | 2.89 | 2.50 (-16%) | -1453.2 |
| 1908 | CLE | AL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5.14 | — | 0.0 |
| 1912 | BSN | NL | 12 | 17 | 33 | 31 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 254.0 | 270 | 106 | 90 | 80 | 3.76 | 3.36 (-12%) | -1710.7 |
| 1913 | BSN | NL | 7 | 17 | 29 | 27 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 218.1 | 231 | 93 | 70 | 80 | 3.83 | 3.07 (-25%) | -3079.2 |
| 1914 | BSN | NL | 5 | 6 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 89.0 | 89 | 30 | 33 | 24 | 3.03 | 2.93 (-4%) | -1262.7 |
| 1915 | BSN | NL | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3.86 | 2.90 (-33%) | -182.3 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 70 | 90 | 198 | 165 | 129 | 18 | 5 | 1,418.0 | 1,355 | 469 | 448 | 580 | 2.98 | — | -5,360 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 280 | 714 | 63 | 154 | 21 | 9 | 5 | 58 | 4 | 27 | 212 | .216 | .248 | .291 | .540 | -1,314 |
Career AVG .216 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 14.7% below league average.
Career OBP .248 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 21.1% below league average.
Career SLG .291 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 11.8% below league average.
Career OPS .540 vs. league average .645 across their career seasons — 16.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | CLE | AL | 7 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .071 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1904 | CLE | AL | 34 | 100 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 27 | .120 | .246 (-51%) | .300 (-52%) | .321 (-50%) | .622 (-51%) | -721.1 |
| 1905 | CLE | AL | 54 | 173 | 15 | 44 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 59 | .254 | .248 (+2%) | .307 (-5%) | .322 (+7%) | .629 (+1%) | -3.9 |
| 1906 | CLE | AL | 53 | 154 | 13 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 53 | .201 | .247 (-19%) | .307 (-31%) | .315 (-18%) | .622 (-24%) | -577.0 |
| 1907 | CLE | AL | 19 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | .133 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1908 | CLE | AL | 9 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1912 | BSN | NL | 33 | 94 | 10 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 26 | .245 | .268 (-9%) | .335 (-27%) | .358 (+4%) | .694 (-11%) | -226.1 |
| 1913 | BSN | NL | 35 | 83 | 9 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 15 | .313 | .259 (+21%) | .325 (+13%) | .345 (+19%) | .670 (+16%) | 213.9 |
| 1914 | BSN | NL | 31 | 47 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .234 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1915 | BSN | NL | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .400 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 280 | 714 | 63 | 154 | 21 | 9 | 5 | 58 | 4 | 27 | 212 | .216 | — | — | — | — | -1,314 | ||
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 (480 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 134 | 319 | 38 | 72 | 3 | 27 | .226 |
| Away | 148 | 397 | 25 | 82 | 2 | 18 | .207 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 105 | 750.0 | 716 | 151 | 242 | 332 | 1.81 |
| Away | 93 | 664.2 | 636 | 147 | 209 | 266 | 1.99 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915-06-13 | BSN | CHC | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1915-06-09 | BSN | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915-04-29 | BSN | NY1 | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915-04-26 | BSN | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915-04-22 | BSN | PHI | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1914-10-05 | BSN | BRO | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-10-03 | BSN | NY1 | W | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-09-26 | BSN | CHC | W | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1914-08-29 | BSN | STL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1914-08-26 | BSN | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915-06-13 | BSN | CHC | — | 4.2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915-06-09 | BSN | PIT | — | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1915-04-29 | BSN | NY1 | — | 0.1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915-04-22 | BSN | PHI | L | 8.0 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 1914-10-05 | BSN | BRO | SV | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-10-03 | BSN | NY1 | W | 6.0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-09-26 | BSN | CHC | W | 9.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-08-29 | BSN | STL | — | 5.1 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1914-08-22 | BSN | PIT | W | 9.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1914-08-07 | BSN | PIT | — | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 6 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| OF | 51 | 46 | 71 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| P | 198 | 91 | 96 | 380 | 30 | 11 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | CLE | P | 7 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 3 | 0 |
| 1904 | CLE | OF | 12 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 1904 | CLE | P | 21 | 16 | 13 | 45 | 3 | 0 |
| 1905 | CLE | OF | 28 | 28 | 52 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 1905 | CLE | P | 26 | 25 | 22 | 62 | 6 | 0 |
| 1906 | CLE | OF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906 | CLE | P | 43 | 36 | 25 | 86 | 6 | 4 |
| 1907 | CLE | OF | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907 | CLE | P | 17 | 14 | 6 | 26 | 2 | 0 |
| 1908 | CLE | OF | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1908 | CLE | P | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1912 | BSN | P | 33 | 0 | 11 | 47 | 3 | 3 |
| 1913 | BSN | P | 29 | 0 | 11 | 58 | 4 | 2 |
| 1914 | BSN | 1B | 5 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1914 | BSN | P | 14 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 2 | 2 |
| 1915 | BSN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915 | BSN | P | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 198 |
| First Base | 6 |
| Left Field | 36 |
| Center Field | 11 |
| Right Field | 5 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Otto Hess (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Otto Hess: the record in brief
The profile opens with Otto Hess's first major league game on August 3, 1902; the last one listed came on June 13, 1915. The season rows list, in order, the Cleveland Bronchos (1902), the Cleveland Naps (1904 to 1908), and the Boston Braves (1912 to 1915). Hess played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on October 10, 1878, in Bern, Bern, Switzerland and a listed size of 170 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The bio records the death on February 25, 1926, in Tucson, AZ, USA. The given name on file is Otto C. Hess.
Hess pitched in 198 games, starting 165, and finished with a 70-90 record and 2.98 ERA. Also on Hess's record: 580 strikeouts, 129 complete games, and 18 shutouts. Hess's 2.98 ERA was close to the 2.85 league figure for those seasons. 1906 brought Hess a season-high 20 wins.
Frequently Asked Questions about Otto Hess
- What years did Otto Hess play?
- Otto Hess played in Major League Baseball from 1902 to 1915.
- Was Otto Hess a pitcher?
- Yes. Otto Hess pitched in the major leagues, recording 70 wins and 580 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Otto Hess hit?
- Otto Hess hit 5 career home runs with 154 hits.
- What teams did Otto Hess play for?
- Otto Hess played for 2 teams: the Cleveland Naps (1902, 1904–1908) and the Boston Braves (1912–1915).
- What were Otto Hess's career stats?
- In 198 games, Otto Hess went 70-90 with a 2.98 ERA, 580 strikeouts, 1,418.0 innings pitched, and 5 saves. At the plate he had 154 hits and 5 home runs.
- What position did Otto Hess play?
- Otto Hess played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Otto Hess and how much did he weigh?
- Otto Hess was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 170 pounds.
- What was Otto Hess's career ERA?
- Otto Hess finished with a 2.98 career ERA, going 70-90 with 580 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Otto Hess have?
- Otto Hess recorded 580 career strikeouts.
- Is Otto Hess in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Otto Hess has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.