Joe Hornung

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1879-1890)

Joe Hornung was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1879 to 1890 for 4 teams, including the Buffalo Bisons, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,123 career games, he hit .257 with 1,230 hits, 31 home runs, and 564 RBI.

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

AVG .257
HR 31
RBI 564
H 1,230
OPS .627
PIV -1,681
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 164 lb
Born
6/12/1857 in Carthage, NY, USA
Died
10/30/1931 in New York, NY, USA
MLB Debut
1879-05-01
Last Game
1890-10-03

Full name: Michael Joseph Hornung

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Career Batting Statistics

Joe Hornung — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,123 4,784 787 1,230 172 90 31 564 159 120 498 .257 .277 .350 .627 -1,681

Career AVG .257 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .277 vs. league average .303 across their career seasons — 8.5% below league average.

Career SLG .350 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .627 vs. league average .643 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Hornung Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1879 BFN NL 78 319 46 85 18 7 0 38 0 2 27 .266 .255 (+4%) .270 (avg) .328 (+12%) .599 (+6%) 232.1
1880 BFN NL 85 342 47 91 8 11 1 42 0 8 29 .266 .244 (+9%) .267 (+6%) .319 (+13%) .586 (+10%) 461.0
1881 BSN NL 83 324 39 78 12 8 2 25 0 5 25 .241 .260 (-7%) .290 (-13%) .338 (+2%) .628 (-5%) -302.0
1882 BSN NL 85 388 67 117 14 11 1 50 0 2 25 .302 .248 (+21%) .275 (+11%) .329 (+22%) .605 (+17%) 891.4
1883 BSN NL 98 446 107 124 25 13 8 66 0 8 54 .278 .257 (+8%) .285 (+2%) .345 (+29%) .631 (+17%) 1052.1
1884 BSN NL 115 518 119 139 27 10 7 51 0 17 80 .268 .243 (+10%) .278 (+5%) .327 (+22%) .606 (+14%) 1051.6
1885 BSN NL 25 109 14 22 4 1 1 7 0 1 20 .202 .244 (-17%) .287 (-27%) .325 (-13%) .613 (-20%) -316.4
1886 BSN NL 94 424 67 109 12 2 2 40 16 10 62 .257 .246 (+4%) .302 (-9%) .331 (-7%) .634 (-8%) -546.5
1887 BSN NL 98 437 85 118 10 6 5 49 41 17 28 .270 .270 (avg) .331 (-9%) .373 (-5%) .705 (-7%) -522.4
1888 BSN NL 107 431 61 103 11 7 3 53 29 16 39 .239 .238 (avg) .290 (-7%) .319 (-1%) .610 (-4%) -303.9
1889 BL2 AA 135 533 73 122 13 9 1 78 34 22 72 .229 .263 (-13%) .334 (-20%) .357 (-18%) .691 (-19%) -1650.5
1890 NY1 NL 120 513 62 122 18 5 0 65 39 12 37 .238 .260 (-9%) .336 (-23%) .351 (-17%) .687 (-20%) -1728.0
Career · 12 seasons 1,123 4,784 787 1,230 172 90 31 564 159 120 498 .257 — — — — -1,681

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 Pitching Statistics

Joe Hornung — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3.0 2 2 0 1 0 6.00 0.0

Career ERA 6.00 vs. league average 2.37 across their career seasons — 152.7% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Hornung — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1880 BFN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3.0 2 2 1 0 6.00 — 0.0
Career · 1 season 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3.0 2 2 1 0 6.00 — 0

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

Joe Hornung — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 62 0 604 22 24 29
2B 5 0 13 16 4 2
3B 7 0 12 6 4 1
OF 1054 0 1925 176 178 33
P 1 0 0 1 0 0
SS 2 0 4 4 2 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joe Hornung — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1879 BFN 1B 1 0 6 0 0 1
1879 BFN OF 77 0 129 12 26 1
1880 BFN 1B 18 0 179 7 12 3
1880 BFN 2B 5 0 13 16 4 2
1880 BFN OF 67 0 127 12 20 2
1880 BFN P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1881 BSN OF 83 0 198 19 12 5
1882 BSN 1B 1 0 5 1 0 0
1882 BSN OF 84 0 191 14 15 4
1883 BSN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1883 BSN OF 98 0 175 15 13 3
1884 BSN 1B 6 0 51 0 3 2
1884 BSN OF 110 0 182 14 18 1
1885 BSN OF 25 0 33 1 3 0
1886 BSN OF 94 0 187 12 11 1
1887 BSN OF 98 0 192 23 15 3
1888 BSN OF 107 0 151 10 9 0
1889 BL2 3B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1889 BL2 OF 134 0 250 32 27 10
1890 NY1 1B 36 0 363 14 9 23
1890 NY1 3B 5 0 11 6 4 1
1890 NY1 OF 77 0 110 12 9 3
1890 NY1 SS 2 0 4 4 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Joe Hornung Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 1
First Base 62
Second Base 5
Third Base 7
Shortstop 2
Left Field 1051
Center Field 1
Right Field 5

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Joe Hornung (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    John Corkhill
    .254 avg, 31 HR
  2. 79
    Dick Johnston
    .251 avg, 33 HR
  3. 73
    Rube Oldring
    .270 avg, 27 HR
  4. 68
    Blondie Purcell
    .267 avg, 13 HR
  5. 65
    Jack Manning
    .263 avg, 14 HR
  6. 61
    George Whitted
    .269 avg, 23 HR

Joe Hornung: the record in brief

May 1, 1879 and October 3, 1890 bracket Joe Hornung's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Buffalo Bisons (1879 to 1880), the Boston Red Caps (1881 to 1882), the Boston Beaneaters (1883 through 1888), the Baltimore Orioles (1889), and the New York Giants (1890). Hornung played primarily as an outfielder and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on June 12, 1857, in Carthage, NY, USA and a listed size of 5-foot-8 and 164 pounds. Hornung died on October 30, 1931, in New York, NY, USA. Joe Hornung was the playing name; the full given name is Michael Joseph.

In 1,123 games and 4,784 at bats, Hornung batted .257 with 1,230 hits, along with 31 home runs, 564 RBI, and 159 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .277 and the slugging percentage .350, for an OPS of .627. The .257 career average is close to the .253 the league hit across the same seasons.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Hornung

What years did Joe Hornung play?
Joe Hornung played in Major League Baseball from 1879 to 1890.
Was Joe Hornung a pitcher?
No. Joe Hornung was a position player (Outfielder), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
How many home runs did Joe Hornung hit?
Joe Hornung hit 31 career home runs with 1,230 hits.
What teams did Joe Hornung play for?
Joe Hornung played for 4 teams: the Buffalo Bisons (1879–1880), the Boston Beaneaters (1881–1888), the Baltimore Orioles (1889), and the New York Giants (1890).
What were Joe Hornung's career stats?
In 1,123 games, Joe Hornung had 1,230 hits, 31 home runs, 564 RBI, 787 runs, and 159 stolen bases, with a .257 batting average.
What position did Joe Hornung play?
Joe Hornung played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Joe Hornung and how much did he weigh?
Joe Hornung was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 164 pounds.
How many home runs did Joe Hornung hit each season?
Joe Hornung's home runs by season: 0 in 1879, 1 in 1880, 2 in 1881, 1 in 1882, 8 in 1883, 7 in 1884, 1 in 1885, 2 in 1886, 5 in 1887, 3 in 1888, 1 in 1889, and 0 in 1890. His most in one season was 8, in 1883.
What was Joe Hornung's career batting average?
Joe Hornung batted .257 over his career, with 1,230 hits in 4,784 at bats.
How many RBI did Joe Hornung have?
Joe Hornung drove in 564 runs in his career.
What was Joe Hornung's career ERA?
Joe Hornung finished with a 6.00 career ERA, going 0-0 with 0 strikeouts.
Is Joe Hornung in the Hall of Fame?
No. Joe Hornung has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.