Jay Hughes

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1898-1902)

Jay Hughes was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1902 for the Baltimore Orioles and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 5 seasons. Across 134 career appearances, he went 83-40 with a 3.02 ERA and 363 strikeouts. He also batted .219 with 3 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 469.6.

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 83–40
ERA 3.02
WHIP 1.27
SO 363
Pitcher PIV 469.6
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
— / 185 lb
Born
1/22/1874 in Sacramento, CA, USA
Died
6/2/1924 in Sacramento, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1898-04-18
Last Game
1902-09-27

Full name: James H. Hughes

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Career Pitching Statistics

Jay Hughes — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
83 40 134 128 111 8 0 1088.0 1,004 365 16 375 363 3.02 469.6

Career ERA 3.02 vs. league average 3.50 across their career seasons — 13.9% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jay Hughes — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1898 BLN NL 23 12 38 35 31 5 0 300.2 268 107 100 81 3.20 3.59 (+11%) 180.5
1899 BRO NL 28 6 35 35 30 3 0 291.2 250 87 119 99 2.68 3.85 (+30%) -334.3
1901 BRO NL 17 12 31 29 24 0 0 250.2 265 91 102 96 3.27 3.49 (+6%) -1211.9
1902 BRO NL 15 10 30 29 26 0 0 245.0 221 80 54 87 2.94 3.17 (+7%) 1835.2
Career · 4 seasons 83 40 134 128 111 8 0 1,088.0 1,004 365 375 363 3.02 — 470

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

Jay Hughes — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
149 452 67 99 17 9 3 55 2 39 76 .219 .284 .316 .600 -927

Career AVG .219 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 19.6% below league average.

Career OBP .284 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 14.1% below league average.

Career SLG .316 vs. league average .354 across their career seasons — 10.6% below league average.

Career OPS .600 vs. league average .685 across their career seasons — 12.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jay Hughes — 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
1898 BLN NL 52 164 23 37 7 4 2 20 0 12 27 .226 .270 (-17%) .333 (-15%) .347 (+2%) .680 (-7%) -219.7
1899 BRO NL 35 107 17 27 4 2 0 14 1 12 16 .252 .282 (-11%) .343 (-5%) .366 (-11%) .710 (-8%) -128.0
1901 BRO NL 31 91 16 16 2 0 0 8 1 8 13 .176 .271 (-35%) .326 (-26%) .359 (-45%) .686 (-36%) -482.9
1902 BRO NL 31 90 11 19 4 3 1 13 0 7 20 .211 .266 (-21%) .321 (-14%) .343 (+3%) .665 (-5%) -96.7
Career · 4 seasons 149 452 67 99 17 9 3 55 2 39 76 .219 — — — — -927

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 (283 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jay Hughes — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home762203852228.236
Away732312849127.212

Pitching — Home / Away

Jay Hughes — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home68539.14531521681952.54
Away66548.05522092091663.43

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jay Hughes — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1902-09-27 BRONY1W 312100210
1902-09-12 BROCINW 300000010
1902-09-06 BROSTLW 400000000
1902-09-02 BROPITL 300000000
1902-08-30 BROBSNL 402000001
1902-08-25 BROPITL 221010110
1902-08-23 BROPITW 411010000
1902-08-20 BROCINL 200000021
1902-08-16 BROSTLL 411100100
1902-08-09 BROSTLW 312010200

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Jay Hughes — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1902-09-27 BRONY1 W 9.0940070
1902-09-12 BROCIN W 9.0741130
1902-09-06 BROSTL W 9.0622420
1902-09-02 BROPIT L 9.0854330
1902-08-30 BROBSN L 8.01044230
1902-08-23 BROPIT W 9.01185340
1902-08-20 BROCIN L 8.0211515331
1902-08-16 BROSTL L 8.013105110
1902-08-09 BROSTL W 9.0110220
1902-08-04 BROCIN W 9.0810330

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jay Hughes — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 16 0 21 3 1 1
P 134 0 86 287 28 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jay Hughes — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1898 BLN OF 15 0 20 2 1 1
1898 BLN P 38 0 29 78 11 1
1899 BRO P 35 0 19 74 7 4
1901 BRO P 31 0 18 66 6 5
1902 BRO OF 1 0 1 1 0 0
1902 BRO P 30 0 20 69 4 5

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jay Hughes — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 134
Left Field 1
Center Field 10
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

Jay Hughes (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Doc Newton
    54-72, 3.22 ERA
  2. 97
    Jesse Duryea
    59-67, 3.45 ERA
  3. 92
    Ed Seward
    89-72, 3.40 ERA
  4. 91
    Ted Lewis
    94-64, 3.53 ERA
  5. 90
    Johnny Lanning
    58-60, 3.58 ERA
  6. 90
    Sandy Consuegra
    51-32, 3.37 ERA

Jay Hughes: the record in brief

The profile opens with Jay Hughes's first major league game on April 18, 1898; the last one listed came on September 27, 1902. Club by club, the record runs the Baltimore Orioles (1898) and the Brooklyn Superbas (1899 through 1902). Hughes, born on January 22, 1874, in Sacramento, CA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Hughes's death is recorded on June 2, 1924, in Sacramento, CA, USA. Jay Hughes was the playing name; the full given name is James H.

Across 134 games (128 starts), Hughes recorded 83 wins against 40 losses with a 3.02 ERA. Also on Hughes's record: 363 strikeouts, 111 complete games, and 8 shutouts. The leagues Hughes pitched in allowed 3.50 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 13.9% better than average. 1899 brought Hughes a season-high 28 wins. In 1899, one of the busiest seasons, Hughes posted a 2.68 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.85.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jay Hughes

What years did Jay Hughes play?
Jay Hughes played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1902.
Was Jay Hughes a pitcher?
Yes. Jay Hughes pitched in the major leagues, recording 83 wins and 363 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Jay Hughes hit?
Jay Hughes hit 3 career home runs with 99 hits.
What teams did Jay Hughes play for?
Jay Hughes played for 2 teams: the Baltimore Orioles (1898) and the Brooklyn Superbas (1899, 1901–1902).
What were Jay Hughes's career stats?
In 134 games, Jay Hughes went 83-40 with a 3.02 ERA, 363 strikeouts, and 1,088.0 innings pitched. At the plate he had 99 hits and 3 home runs.
What position did Jay Hughes play?
Jay Hughes played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How much did Jay Hughes weigh?
Jay Hughes was listed at 185 pounds.
What was Jay Hughes's career ERA?
Jay Hughes finished with a 3.02 career ERA, going 83-40 with 363 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Jay Hughes have?
Jay Hughes recorded 363 career strikeouts.
Is Jay Hughes in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jay Hughes has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.