Ed Holley

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1928-1934)

Ed Holley was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1928 to 1934 for the Chicago Cubs, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 7 seasons. Across 97 career appearances, he went 25-40 with a 4.40 ERA and 169 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 25–40
ERA 4.40
WHIP 1.41
SO 169
Pitcher PIV -6764.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 195 lb
Born
7/23/1899 in Benton, KY, USA
Died
10/26/1986 in Paducah, KY, USA
MLB Debut
1928-05-24
Last Game
1934-08-08

Full name: Edward Edgar Holley

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Ed Holley — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
25 40 97 76 30 5 0 547.2 602 268 45 170 169 4.40 -6764.2

Career ERA 4.40 vs. league average 4.10 across their career seasons — 7.3% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ed Holley — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1928 CHN NL 0 0 13 1 0 0 0 31.0 31 13 16 10 3.77 4.13 (+9%) -369.2
1932 PHI NL 11 14 34 30 16 2 0 228.0 247 100 55 87 3.95 4.13 (+4%) 627.3
1933 PHI NL 13 15 30 28 12 3 0 206.2 219 81 62 56 3.53 3.86 (+9%) -3792.8
1934 PHI NL 1 8 15 13 2 0 0 72.2 85 58 31 14 7.18 4.29 (-67%) -3229.6
1934 PIT NL 0 3 5 4 0 0 0 9.1 20 16 6 2 15.43 4.29 (-259%) 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 25 40 97 76 30 5 0 547.2 602 268 170 169 4.40 — -6,764

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

Ed Holley — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
98 196 10 31 5 0 0 13 0 4 43 .158 .179 .184 .363 -1,416

Career AVG .158 vs. league average .276 across their career seasons — 42.7% below league average.

Career OBP .179 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 46.9% below league average.

Career SLG .184 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 52.9% below league average.

Career OPS .363 vs. league average .727 across their career seasons — 50.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ed Holley — 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
1928 CHN NL 13 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1932 PHI NL 34 91 6 12 0 0 0 5 0 1 24 .132 .275 (-52%) .335 (-55%) .391 (-66%) .726 (-61%) -884.4
1933 PHI NL 30 74 3 12 3 0 0 5 0 2 14 .162 .270 (-40%) .329 (-44%) .377 (-46%) .707 (-45%) -531.6
1934 PHI NL 16 24 0 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 .208 — — — — 0.0
1934 PIT NL 5 2 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 98 196 10 31 5 0 0 13 0 4 43 .158 — — — — -1,416

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 (195 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Ed Holley — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home438651309.151
Away5511151804.162

Pitching — Home / Away

Ed Holley — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home42229.027813479795.27
Away55318.232413691893.84

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ed Holley — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1934-08-08 PITCHCL 101100000
1934-07-29 PITSTLL 000000000
1934-07-22 PITBROL 000000000
1934-07-18 PITBSNL 111100000
1934-07-13 PITNY1L 000000000
1934-07-07 PHIBSNW 000000000
1934-07-06 PHIBSNL 000000000
1934-07-01 PHIBSNL 200000001
1934-06-26 PHIPITL 200000001
1934-06-21 PHICINL 200000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Ed Holley — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1934-08-08 PITCHC L 2.0444110
1934-07-29 PITSTL — 1.1322001
1934-07-22 PITBRO L 1.1755000
1934-07-18 PITBSN L 3.0544210
1934-07-13 PITNY1 — 1.2111300
1934-07-07 PHIBSN — 1.2344210
1934-07-06 PHIBSN — 1.1755101
1934-07-01 PHIBSN L 7.0566212
1934-06-26 PHIPIT L 5.0342211
1934-06-21 PHICIN L 7.0522100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ed Holley — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 97 0 19 89 7 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ed Holley — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1928 CHN P 13 0 0 5 0 0
1932 PHI P 34 0 11 39 5 3
1933 PHI P 30 0 8 32 0 2
1934 PHI P 15 0 0 11 2 1
1934 PIT P 5 0 0 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ed Holley — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 97

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Ed Holley (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Fernando Arroyo
    24-37, 4.44 ERA
  2. 68
    Ron Romanick
    31-29, 4.24 ERA
  3. 63
    Ed Durham
    29-44, 4.45 ERA
  4. 54
    Johnny Podgajny
    20-37, 4.20 ERA
  5. 50
    Jack Ogden
    25-34, 4.24 ERA
  6. 41
    Lucas Boada
    25-44, 4.65 ERA

Ed Holley: the record in brief

Ed Holley's major league career runs from a debut on May 24, 1928 to a final game on August 8, 1934. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago Cubs (1928), the Philadelphia Phillies (1932 to 1934), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1934). Holley played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on July 23, 1899, in Benton, KY, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds. Holley's death is recorded on October 26, 1986, in Paducah, KY, USA. Holley's full given name, per the bio, is Edward Edgar Holley.

The pitching table credits Holley with a 25-40 record and a 4.40 ERA in 97 games. The totals include 169 strikeouts, 30 complete games, and 5 shutouts. Against a 4.10 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.40 mark was 7.3% worse. The best win total was 13, in 1933. The strikeout high was 87 in 1932. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.53 in 1933, when the league's was 3.86.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ed Holley

What years did Ed Holley play?
Ed Holley played in Major League Baseball from 1928 to 1934.
Was Ed Holley a pitcher?
Yes. Ed Holley pitched in the major leagues, recording 25 wins and 169 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Ed Holley hit?
Ed Holley hit 0 career home runs with 31 hits.
What teams did Ed Holley play for?
Ed Holley played for 3 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1928), the Philadelphia Phillies (1932–1934), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1934).
What were Ed Holley's career stats?
In 97 games, Ed Holley went 25-40 with a 4.40 ERA, 169 strikeouts, and 547.2 innings pitched.
What position did Ed Holley play?
Ed Holley played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Ed Holley and how much did he weigh?
Ed Holley was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 195 pounds.
What was Ed Holley's career ERA?
Ed Holley finished with a 4.40 career ERA, going 25-40 with 169 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Ed Holley have?
Ed Holley recorded 169 career strikeouts.
Is Ed Holley in the Hall of Fame?
No. Ed Holley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.