Thornton Kipper
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1953-1955)
Thornton Kipper was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1955 for the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 3 seasons. Across 55 career appearances, he went 3-4 with a 5.27 ERA and 35 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 190 lb
- Died
- 3/29/2006 in Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1953-06-07
- Last Game
- 1955-07-17
Full name: Thornton John Kipper
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | PHI | NL | 3 | 3 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45.2 | 59 | 24 | 12 | 15 | 4.73 | 4.14 (-14%) | -984.8 |
| 1954 | PHI | NL | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13.2 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 7.90 | 3.90 (-103%) | -212.8 |
| 1955 | PHI | NL | 0 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.2 | 47 | 22 | 22 | 15 | 4.99 | 4.00 (-25%) | -658.2 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 3 | 4 | 55 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 99.0 | 128 | 58 | 46 | 35 | 5.27 | — | -1,856 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | .125 | .125 | .125 | .250 | 0 |
Career AVG .125 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 52.2% below league average.
Career OBP .125 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 62.5% below league average.
Career SLG .125 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — 68.3% below league average.
Career OPS .250 vs. league average .728 across their career seasons — 65.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | PHI | NL | 20 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .091 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | PHI | NL | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1955 | PHI | NL | 24 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 55 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | .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 (110 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 26 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .222 |
| Away | 29 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 26 | 59.2 | 68 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 3.92 |
| Away | 29 | 39.1 | 60 | 32 | 20 | 13 | 7.32 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-07-17 | PHI | CHC | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-07-04 | PHI | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-07-02 | PHI | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-06-26 | PHI | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-06-24 | PHI | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-06-23 | PHI | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-06-19 | PHI | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-06-04 | PHI | ATL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-05-29 | PHI | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1955-05-22 | PHI | BRO | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-07-17 | PHI | CHC | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-07-04 | PHI | BRO | — | 3.2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1955-07-02 | PHI | NY1 | — | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1955-06-26 | PHI | CIN | — | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1955-06-24 | PHI | CIN | — | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-06-23 | PHI | STL | — | 2.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-06-19 | PHI | CHC | — | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-06-04 | PHI | ATL | — | 2.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1955-05-29 | PHI | PIT | — | 2.1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1955-05-22 | PHI | BRO | — | 0.1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 55 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin at Madison | Madison | WI | 1946, 1949, 1950 |
Thornton Kipper: the record in brief
The profile opens with Thornton Kipper's first major league game on June 7, 1953; the last one listed came on July 17, 1955. All of the seasons listed were played for the Philadelphia Phillies. Kipper played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on September 27, 1928, in Bagley, WI, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. Kipper's death is recorded on March 29, 2006, in Scottsdale, AZ, USA. On the record, Thornton Kipper was born Thornton John Kipper.
Kipper's career pitching line is 3 wins, 4 losses and a 5.27 ERA over 55 appearances. Also on Kipper's record: 35 strikeouts. Against a 4.01 league ERA for the same seasons, the 5.27 mark was 31.5% worse. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 4.73 in 1953, when the league's was 4.14.
Kipper appears at one position only: pitcher, in 55 games. On the mound, the fielding record shows 0 errors alongside 7 putouts and 14 assists.
Frequently Asked Questions about Thornton Kipper
- What years did Thornton Kipper play?
- Thornton Kipper played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1955.
- Was Thornton Kipper a pitcher?
- Yes. Thornton Kipper pitched in the major leagues, recording 3 wins and 35 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Thornton Kipper hit?
- Thornton Kipper hit 0 career home runs with 2 hits.
- What was Thornton Kipper's career batting average?
- Thornton Kipper batted .125 over his career, with 2 hits in 16 at bats.
- How many RBI did Thornton Kipper have?
- Thornton Kipper drove in 1 runs in his career.
- What was Thornton Kipper's career ERA?
- Thornton Kipper finished with a 5.27 career ERA, going 3-4 with 35 strikeouts.