Jesse Houston
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Jesse Houston was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Tigers, the Chicago American Giants, and the Homestead Grays. Across 48 career appearances, he went 20-12 with a 3.26 ERA and 165 strikeouts. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 5788.5.
- 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
- — / R
- Died
- 4/7/1968 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
Full name: Benjamin Jesse Houston
Negro Leagues Career Statistics
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | CT | NAL | 9 | 3 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 111.2 | 101 | 28 | 21 | 84 | 2.26 | 4.34 (+48%) | 4732.7 |
| 1938 | CAG | NAL | 2 | 4 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 53.0 | 59 | 30 | 25 | 26 | 5.09 | 4.35 (-17%) | 37.9 |
| 1939 | CAG | NAL | 5 | 5 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 77.1 | 79 | 32 | 37 | 36 | 3.72 | 4.28 (+13%) | 330.6 |
| 1941 | HG | NN2 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 40.0 | 36 | 12 | 10 | 19 | 2.70 | 3.94 (+31%) | 687.4 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 20 | 12 | 48 | 35 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 282.0 | 275 | 102 | 93 | 165 | 3.26 | — | 5,788 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69 | 147 | 18 | 34 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 1 | .231 | .276 | .279 | .555 | -182 |
Career AVG .231 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — 14.8% below league average.
Career OBP .276 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 18.9% below league average.
Career SLG .279 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 28.3% below league average.
Career OPS .555 vs. league average .729 across their career seasons — 23.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | CT | NAL | 18 | 47 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .255 | — | — | — | — | -181.7 |
| 1938 | CAG | NAL | 18 | 38 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .184 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | CAG | NAL | 25 | 45 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .267 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1941 | HG | NN2 | 8 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .176 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 69 | 147 | 18 | 34 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 1 | .231 | — | — | — | — | -182 | ||
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
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2B | 4 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 48 | 35 | 14 | 85 | 3 | 0 |
| SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | CT | OF | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937 | CT | P | 16 | 15 | 7 | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938 | CAG | 2B | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938 | CAG | 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938 | CAG | P | 12 | 7 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 0 |
| 1939 | CAG | 1B | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1939 | CAG | 2B | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | CAG | OF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | CAG | P | 13 | 10 | 5 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | CAG | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1941 | HG | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941 | HG | P | 7 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 48 |
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 4 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Center Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 2 |
Jesse Houston: the record in brief
Jesse Houston's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1937 to 1941. Houston played for the Cincinnati Tigers (1937), the Chicago American Giants (1938 through 1939), and the Homestead Grays (1941). Houston played primarily as a pitcher. Houston was born on July 17, 1909, in Montgomery, AL, USA. Houston died on April 7, 1968, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. The bio lists the given name Benjamin Jesse.
Houston pitched in 48 games, starting 35, and finished with a 20-12 record and 3.26 ERA. The totals include 165 strikeouts and 22 complete games. Against a 4.23 league ERA for the same years, Houston was 23.0% better. No season topped the 9 wins of 1937. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.26 in 1937, when the league's was 4.34. By Pitcher PIV, Baseball Data Hub's measure of run prevention relative to each season's league, Houston's career adds up to 5,788.5.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jesse Houston
- Was Jesse Houston a pitcher?
- Yes. Jesse Houston pitched in the major leagues, recording 20 wins and 165 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jesse Houston hit?
- Jesse Houston hit 0 career home runs with 34 hits.
- What teams did Jesse Houston play for?
- Jesse Houston played for 3 teams: the Cincinnati Tigers (1937), the Chicago American Giants (1938–1939), and the Homestead Grays (1941).
- What were Jesse Houston's career stats?
- In 48 games, Jesse Houston went 20-12 with a 3.26 ERA, 165 strikeouts, 282.0 innings pitched, and 2 saves.
- What position did Jesse Houston play?
- Jesse Houston played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- What was Jesse Houston's career ERA?
- Jesse Houston finished with a 3.26 career ERA, going 20-12 with 165 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Jesse Houston have?
- Jesse Houston recorded 165 career strikeouts.
- Is Jesse Houston in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jesse Houston has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.