Elmer Jacobs
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1914-1927)
Elmer Jacobs was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1914 to 1927 for 5 teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 14 seasons. Across 250 career appearances, he went 50-81 with a 3.55 ERA and 336 strikeouts. He also batted .161 with 0 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 165 lb
- Died
- 2/10/1958 in Salem, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1914-04-23
- Last Game
- 1927-09-13
Full name: William Elmer Jacobs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | PHI | NL | 1 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50.2 | 65 | 27 | 20 | 17 | 4.80 | 2.93 (-64%) | -934.5 |
| 1916 | PIT | NL | 6 | 10 | 34 | 17 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 153.0 | 151 | 50 | 38 | 46 | 2.94 | 2.78 (-6%) | 52.3 |
| 1917 | PIT | NL | 6 | 19 | 38 | 25 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 227.1 | 214 | 71 | 76 | 58 | 2.81 | 2.69 (-5%) | -1826.5 |
| 1918 | PIT | NL | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23.1 | 31 | 15 | 14 | 2 | 5.79 | 2.83 (-105%) | -637.3 |
| 1918 | PHI | NL | 9 | 5 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 123.0 | 91 | 33 | 42 | 33 | 2.41 | 2.83 (+15%) | -1126.6 |
| 1919 | PHI | NL | 6 | 10 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 128.2 | 150 | 55 | 44 | 37 | 3.85 | 3.09 (-25%) | -1661.5 |
| 1919 | SLN | NL | 3 | 6 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 85.1 | 81 | 24 | 25 | 31 | 2.53 | 3.09 (+18%) | -114.1 |
| 1920 | SLN | NL | 4 | 8 | 23 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 77.2 | 91 | 45 | 33 | 21 | 5.21 | 3.45 (-51%) | -1184.4 |
| 1924 | CHN | NL | 11 | 12 | 38 | 22 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 190.1 | 181 | 79 | 72 | 50 | 3.74 | 4.13 (+9%) | -1592.6 |
| 1925 | CHN | NL | 2 | 3 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 55.2 | 63 | 32 | 22 | 19 | 5.17 | 4.55 (-14%) | -2378.3 |
| 1927 | CHA | AL | 2 | 4 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 74.1 | 105 | 38 | 37 | 22 | 4.60 | 4.08 (-13%) | -1105.9 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 50 | 81 | 250 | 133 | 65 | 9 | 7 | 1,189.1 | 1,223 | 469 | 423 | 336 | 3.55 | — | -12,509 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | 347 | 22 | 56 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 101 | .161 | .198 | .199 | .397 | -898 |
Career AVG .161 vs. league average .268 across their career seasons — 39.7% below league average.
Career OBP .198 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 40.0% below league average.
Career SLG .199 vs. league average .361 across their career seasons — 44.9% below league average.
Career OPS .397 vs. league average .692 across their career seasons — 42.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | PHI | NL | 14 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1916 | PIT | NL | 34 | 40 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 | .075 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1917 | PIT | NL | 38 | 67 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | .179 | .248 (-28%) | .312 (-35%) | .323 (-35%) | .635 (-35%) | -343.8 |
| 1918 | PIT | NL | 8 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1918 | PHI | NL | 18 | 38 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 | .158 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1919 | PHI | NL | 17 | 45 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | .178 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1919 | SLN | NL | 17 | 23 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .348 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1920 | SLN | NL | 23 | 26 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .192 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1924 | CHN | NL | 38 | 54 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 13 | .111 | .283 (-61%) | .345 (-54%) | .389 (-71%) | .734 (-63%) | -553.7 |
| 1925 | CHN | NL | 18 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1927 | CHA | AL | 25 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .150 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 250 | 347 | 22 | 56 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 101 | .161 | — | — | — | — | -898 | ||
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 (500 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 138 | 199 | 17 | 34 | 0 | 10 | .171 |
| Away | 112 | 149 | 5 | 22 | 0 | 3 | .148 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 138 | 695.1 | 677 | 233 | 241 | 217 | 3.02 |
| Away | 112 | 492.0 | 557 | 241 | 185 | 115 | 4.41 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927-09-13 | CHW | PHA | L | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1927-09-06 | CHW | DET | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1927-09-04 | CHW | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-09-02 | CHW | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-09-01 | CHW | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-08-21 | CHW | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-08-04 | CHW | BOS | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1927-07-26 | CHW | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-07-23 | CHW | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-07-20 | CHW | MIN | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927-09-13 | CHW | PHA | — | 3.1 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-09-06 | CHW | DET | W | 6.0 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1927-09-04 | CHW | CLE | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-09-02 | CHW | CLE | — | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-09-01 | CHW | CLE | — | 2.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1927-08-21 | CHW | PHA | L | 0.1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1927-08-04 | CHW | BOS | L | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1927-07-26 | CHW | MIN | — | 4.1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1927-07-23 | CHW | NYY | — | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1927-07-20 | CHW | MIN | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | PHI | P | 14 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 1916 | PIT | P | 34 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 2 | 0 |
| 1917 | PIT | P | 38 | 0 | 8 | 75 | 2 | 3 |
| 1918 | PIT | P | 8 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918 | PHI | P | 18 | 0 | 9 | 25 | 0 | 1 |
| 1919 | PHI | P | 17 | 0 | 3 | 46 | 3 | 0 |
| 1919 | SLN | P | 17 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 1 |
| 1920 | SLN | P | 23 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 2 | 1 |
| 1924 | CHN | P | 38 | 0 | 9 | 54 | 2 | 0 |
| 1925 | CHN | P | 18 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 1927 | CHA | P | 25 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 2 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 250 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Elmer Jacobs (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Elmer Jacobs: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 23, 1914 and the final game on September 13, 1927, Elmer Jacobs built the record summarized on this page. By club, Jacobs's seasons break down as the Philadelphia Phillies (1914 through 1919), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1916 to 1918), the St. Louis Cardinals (1919 to 1920), the Chicago Cubs (1924 to 1925), and the Chicago White Sox (1927). Jacobs played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on August 10, 1892, in Salem, MO, USA, Jacobs was listed at 6-foot-0 and 165 pounds. The bio records the death on February 10, 1958, in Salem, MO, USA. Elmer Jacobs was the playing name; the full given name is William Elmer.
The pitching table credits Jacobs with a 50-81 record and a 3.55 ERA in 250 games. Jacobs had 336 strikeouts, 65 complete games, and 9 shutouts. Jacobs's 3.55 ERA was close to the 3.45 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 11, in 1924.
Frequently Asked Questions about Elmer Jacobs
- What years did Elmer Jacobs play?
- Elmer Jacobs played in Major League Baseball from 1914 to 1927.
- Was Elmer Jacobs a pitcher?
- Yes. Elmer Jacobs pitched in the major leagues, recording 50 wins and 336 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Elmer Jacobs hit?
- Elmer Jacobs hit 0 career home runs with 56 hits.
- What teams did Elmer Jacobs play for?
- Elmer Jacobs played for 5 teams: the Philadelphia Phillies (1914, 1918–1919), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1916–1918), the St. Louis Cardinals (1919–1920), the Chicago Cubs (1924–1925), and the Chicago White Sox (1927).
- What were Elmer Jacobs's career stats?
- In 250 games, Elmer Jacobs went 50-81 with a 3.55 ERA, 336 strikeouts, 1,189.1 innings pitched, and 7 saves. At the plate he had 56 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Elmer Jacobs play?
- Elmer Jacobs played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Elmer Jacobs and how much did he weigh?
- Elmer Jacobs was listed at 6 feet and 165 pounds.
- What was Elmer Jacobs's career ERA?
- Elmer Jacobs finished with a 3.55 career ERA, going 50-81 with 336 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Elmer Jacobs have?
- Elmer Jacobs recorded 336 career strikeouts.
- Is Elmer Jacobs in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Elmer Jacobs has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.