Rankin Johnson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1914-1918)

Rankin Johnson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1914 to 1918 for 4 teams, including the Boston Red Sox, a span of 5 seasons. Across 72 career appearances, he went 22-30 with a 2.92 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 22–30
ERA 2.92
WHIP 1.23
SO 169
Pitcher PIV -2088.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 185 lb
Born
2/4/1888 in Burnet, TX, USA
Died
7/2/1972 in Williamsport, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1914-04-20
Last Game
1918-07-16

Full name: Adam Rankin Johnson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Rankin Johnson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
22 30 72 53 31 6 2 450.0 401 146 12 151 169 2.92 -2088.7

Career ERA 2.92 vs. league average 2.89 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rankin Johnson — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1914 BOS AL 3 9 16 13 4 2 0 99.1 92 34 34 24 3.08 2.93 (-5%) -1067.2
1914 CHF FL 9 5 16 14 12 2 0 120.0 88 21 29 60 1.57 2.93 (+46%) 307.2
1915 CHF FL 2 4 11 6 3 0 1 57.0 58 28 23 19 4.42 2.90 (-53%) -892.1
1915 BLF FL 7 11 23 19 12 2 1 150.2 143 56 58 62 3.35 2.90 (-15%) -419.9
1918 SLN NL 1 1 6 1 0 0 0 23.0 20 7 7 4 2.74 2.83 (+3%) -16.8
Career · 5 seasons 22 30 72 53 31 6 2 450.0 401 146 151 169 2.92 — -2,089

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

Rankin Johnson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
72 144 7 18 2 0 0 10 1 5 32 .125 .160 .139 .299 -292

Career AVG .125 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 50.7% below league average.

Career OBP .160 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 50.0% below league average.

Career SLG .139 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 58.4% below league average.

Career OPS .299 vs. league average .654 across their career seasons — 54.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rankin Johnson — 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
1914 BOS AL 16 30 2 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 13 .133 — — — — 0.0
1914 CHF FL 16 37 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .108 — — — — 0.0
1915 CHF FL 11 22 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 .045 — — — — 0.0
1915 BLF FL 23 51 3 8 2 0 0 6 1 3 11 .157 .250 (-37%) .318 (-36%) .332 (-41%) .651 (-39%) 0.0
1918 SLN NL 6 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .250 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 72 144 7 18 2 0 0 10 1 5 32 .125 — — — — 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.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (144 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Rankin Johnson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home32642603.094
Away407841206.154

Pitching — Home / Away

Rankin Johnson — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home32213.01805357692.24
Away40238.022593951033.52

Last 10 Games — Batting

Rankin Johnson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1918-07-16 STLBSNW 000000000
1918-07-13 STLPHIL 000000000
1918-07-11 STLPHIL 101000000
1918-07-05 STLCHCW 000000000
1918-07-02 STLCHCL 200000001
1918-06-29 STLPITL 100000001
1915-09-27 BLFKCFL 201100000
1915-09-23 BLFSLFL 211100000
1915-09-19 BLFSLFW 201000200
1915-09-15 BLFPTFW 300000001

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Rankin Johnson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1918-07-16 STLBSN W 1.0210000
1918-07-13 STLPHI — 3.0200110
1918-07-11 STLPHI — 2.0322200
1918-07-05 STLCHC — 2.0300010
1918-07-02 STLCHC — 7.0732010
1918-06-29 STLPIT L 8.0543410
1915-09-27 BLFKCF L 7.01064330
1915-09-23 BLFSLF L 6.01055200
1915-09-19 BLFSLF — 3.1866320
1915-09-15 BLFPTF W 9.0300210

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Rankin Johnson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 72 0 8 103 4 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Rankin Johnson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1914 BOS P 16 0 1 24 2 1
1914 CHF P 16 0 5 26 0 3
1915 CHF P 11 0 0 8 0 0
1915 BLF P 23 0 2 32 0 2
1918 SLN P 6 0 0 13 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Rankin Johnson — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 72

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Rankin Johnson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bill Grahame
    14-29, 2.90 ERA
  2. 97
    Stoney McGlynn
    17-33, 2.95 ERA
  3. 92
    Norwood Gibson
    34-32, 2.93 ERA
  4. 92
    George Dumont
    10-23, 2.85 ERA
  5. 89
    Slow Joe Doyle
    22-21, 2.85 ERA
  6. 87
    Doc Watson
    22-21, 2.70 ERA

Rankin Johnson: the record in brief

Rankin Johnson played a first major league game on April 20, 1914 and a last one on July 16, 1918. By club, Johnson's seasons break down as the Boston Red Sox (1914), the Chicago Chi-Feds (1914), the Chicago Whales (1915), the Baltimore Terrapins (1915), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1918). Johnson played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on February 4, 1888, in Burnet, TX, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds. Johnson's death is recorded on July 2, 1972, in Williamsport, PA, USA. Rankin Johnson was the playing name; the full given name is Adam Rankin.

The pitching table credits Johnson with a 22-30 record and a 2.92 ERA in 72 games. The totals include 169 strikeouts, 31 complete games, and 6 shutouts. Johnson's 2.92 ERA was close to the 2.89 league figure for those seasons. 1914 brought Johnson a season-high 9 wins. 1915 produced Johnson's most strikeouts, 62. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 1.57 in 1914, when the league's was 2.93.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rankin Johnson

What years did Rankin Johnson play?
Rankin Johnson played in Major League Baseball from 1914 to 1918.
Was Rankin Johnson a pitcher?
Yes. Rankin Johnson pitched in the major leagues, recording 22 wins and 169 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Rankin Johnson hit?
Rankin Johnson hit 0 career home runs with 18 hits.
What teams did Rankin Johnson play for?
Rankin Johnson played for 4 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1914), the Chicago Whales (1914–1915), the Baltimore Terrapins (1915), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1918).
What were Rankin Johnson's career stats?
In 72 games, Rankin Johnson went 22-30 with a 2.92 ERA, 169 strikeouts, 450.0 innings pitched, and 2 saves.
What position did Rankin Johnson play?
Rankin Johnson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Rankin Johnson and how much did he weigh?
Rankin Johnson was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds.
What was Rankin Johnson's career ERA?
Rankin Johnson finished with a 2.92 career ERA, going 22-30 with 169 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Rankin Johnson have?
Rankin Johnson recorded 169 career strikeouts.
Is Rankin Johnson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Rankin Johnson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.