Bob Kelly

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1951-1958)

Bob Kelly was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1958 for the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 8 seasons. Across 123 career appearances, he went 12-18 with a 4.50 ERA and 146 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 12–18
ERA 4.50
WHIP 1.45
SO 146
Pitcher PIV -330.6
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 180 lb
Born
10/4/1927 in Cleveland, OH, USA
Died
11/27/2024 in Old Lyme, CT, USA
MLB Debut
1951-05-04
Last Game
1958-06-04

Full name: Robert Edward Kelly

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bob Kelly — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
12 18 123 35 7 2 2 362.0 374 181 28 152 146 4.50 -330.6

Career ERA 4.50 vs. league average 3.93 across their career seasons — 14.4% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Kelly — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1951 CHN NL 7 4 35 11 4 0 0 123.2 130 64 55 48 4.66 4.04 (-15%) 436.2
1952 CHN NL 4 9 31 15 3 2 0 125.1 114 50 46 50 3.59 3.70 (+3%) 679.0
1953 CHN NL 0 1 14 0 0 0 0 17.0 27 18 9 6 9.53 4.14 (-130%) -442.9
1953 CIN NL 1 2 28 5 0 0 2 66.1 71 32 26 29 4.34 4.14 (-5%) -210.9
1958 CIN NL 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 2.0 3 1 3 1 4.50 — 0.0
1958 CLE AL 0 2 13 3 0 0 0 27.2 29 16 13 12 5.20 3.86 (-35%) -791.9
Career · 6 seasons 12 18 123 35 7 2 2 362.0 374 181 152 146 4.50 — -331

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

Bob Kelly — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
123 90 3 16 0 0 0 1 0 2 22 .178 .196 .178 .373 0

Career AVG .178 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 31.3% below league average.

Career OBP .196 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 40.9% below league average.

Career SLG .178 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 54.0% below league average.

Career OPS .373 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — 48.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Kelly — 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
1951 CHN NL 35 31 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 .161 — — — — 0.0
1952 CHN NL 31 37 2 8 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 .216 — — — — 0.0
1953 CHN NL 14 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1953 CIN NL 28 17 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 .118 — — — — 0.0
1958 CIN NL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1958 CLE AL 13 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 123 90 3 16 0 0 0 1 0 2 22 .178 — — — — 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 (246 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bob Kelly — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home65402601.150
Away585111000.196

Pitching — Home / Away

Bob Kelly — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home65182.11959376714.59
Away58179.11798876754.42

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bob Kelly — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1958-06-04 CLEBOSW 000000000
1958-06-03 CLEBOSL 000000000
1958-06-01 CLEKC1L 000000000
1958-05-30 CLEKC1L 201000000
1958-05-27 CLEBALW 000000000
1958-05-25 CLENYYL 000000000
1958-05-25 CLENYYL 000000000
1958-05-20 CLEBOSL 000000000
1958-05-18 CLECHWW 000000000
1958-05-14 CLEDETW 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bob Kelly — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1958-06-04 CLEBOS — 0.1100100
1958-06-03 CLEBOS — 0.1121300
1958-06-01 CLEKC1 — 1.0000110
1958-05-30 CLEKC1 L 6.0555242
1958-05-27 CLEBAL — 1.1000000
1958-05-25 CLENYY — 1.1100120
1958-05-25 CLENYY — 1.0000000
1958-05-20 CLEBOS — 2.1211110
1958-05-18 CLECHW — 1.1555101
1958-05-14 CLEDET — 2.0100010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bob Kelly — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 123 4 24 71 5 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bob Kelly — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1951 CHN P 35 0 13 20 2 1
1952 CHN P 31 0 8 27 2 1
1953 CHN P 14 0 1 5 0 0
1953 CIN P 28 0 2 13 1 2
1958 CIN P 2 1 0 1 0 0
1958 CLE P 13 3 0 5 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bob Kelly — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 123

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bob Kelly (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    George Susce
    22-17, 4.42 ERA
  2. 93
    John Keefe
    17-24, 4.32 ERA
  3. 91
    Ken Clay
    10-24, 4.68 ERA
  4. 85
    Ed Bagley
    16-27, 4.39 ERA
  5. 84
    Pete Walker
    20-14, 4.48 ERA
  6. 81
    Al Aber
    24-25, 4.18 ERA

Bob Kelly: the record in brief

According to the bio, Bob Kelly debuted on May 4, 1951 and played a final game on June 4, 1958. The team column moves through the Chicago Cubs (1951 to 1953), the Cincinnati Reds (1953), the Cincinnati Redlegs (1958), and the Cleveland Indians (1958). Born on October 4, 1927, in Cleveland, OH, USA, Kelly is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Kelly's listed size is 6 feet, 0 inches and 180 pounds. The bio records the death on November 27, 2024, in Old Lyme, CT, USA. Bob Kelly was the playing name; the full given name is Robert Edward.

The pitching table credits Kelly with a 12-18 record and a 4.50 ERA in 123 games. The totals include 146 strikeouts. Against a 3.93 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.50 mark was 14.4% worse. 1951 brought Kelly a season-high 7 wins. 1952 produced Kelly's most strikeouts, 50. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.59 in 1952, when the league's was 3.70.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bob Kelly

What years did Bob Kelly play?
Bob Kelly played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1958.
Was Bob Kelly a pitcher?
Yes. Bob Kelly pitched in the major leagues, recording 12 wins and 146 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bob Kelly hit?
Bob Kelly hit 0 career home runs with 16 hits.
What teams did Bob Kelly play for?
Bob Kelly played for 3 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1951–1953), the Cincinnati Redlegs (1953, 1958), and the Cleveland Indians (1958).
What were Bob Kelly's career stats?
In 123 games, Bob Kelly went 12-18 with a 4.50 ERA, 146 strikeouts, 362.0 innings pitched, and 2 saves.
What position did Bob Kelly play?
Bob Kelly played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bob Kelly and how much did he weigh?
Bob Kelly was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.
What was Bob Kelly's career ERA?
Bob Kelly finished with a 4.50 career ERA, going 12-18 with 146 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bob Kelly have?
Bob Kelly recorded 146 career strikeouts.
Is Bob Kelly in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bob Kelly has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.