Joe Lake

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1908-1913)

Joe Lake was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1913 for the New York Yankees, the St. Louis Browns, and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 6 seasons. Across 199 career appearances, he went 62-90 with a 2.85 ERA and 594 strikeouts. He also batted .206 with 3 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 11406.3.

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 62–90
ERA 2.85
WHIP 1.26
SO 594
Pitcher PIV 11406.3
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 185 lb
Born
1/6/1881 in Brooklyn, NY, USA
Died
6/30/1950 in Brooklyn, NY, USA
MLB Debut
1908-04-21
Last Game
1913-08-25

Full name: Joseph Henry Lake

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Joe Lake — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
62 90 199 139 95 8 5 1318.0 1,329 417 19 332 594 2.85 11406.3

Career ERA 2.85 vs. league average 2.92 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Lake Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1908 NYA AL 9 22 38 27 19 2 0 269.1 252 95 77 118 3.17 2.40 (-32%) -461.5
1909 NYA AL 14 11 31 26 17 3 1 215.1 180 45 59 117 1.88 2.55 (+26%) 2147.5
1910 SLA AL 11 17 35 29 24 1 2 261.1 243 64 77 141 2.20 2.79 (+21%) 3613.8
1911 SLA AL 10 15 30 25 14 2 0 215.1 245 79 40 69 3.30 3.37 (+2%) 2372.1
1912 SLA AL 1 7 11 6 4 0 0 57.0 70 28 16 28 4.42 3.36 (-32%) 840.7
1912 DET AL 9 11 26 14 11 0 1 162.2 190 56 39 86 3.10 3.36 (+8%) 2270.1
1913 DET AL 8 7 28 12 6 0 1 137.0 149 50 24 35 3.28 3.07 (-7%) 623.5
Career · 7 seasons 62 90 199 139 95 8 5 1,318.0 1,329 417 332 594 2.85 — 11,406

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

Joe Lake — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
208 491 39 101 14 6 3 38 3 7 116 .206 .218 .277 .495 -1,714

Career AVG .206 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 19.4% below league average.

Career OBP .218 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 31.8% below league average.

Career SLG .277 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 17.3% below league average.

Career OPS .495 vs. league average .655 across their career seasons — 24.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Lake — 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
1908 NYA AL 45 112 6 21 4 1 1 8 2 1 26 .188 .240 (-22%) .298 (-35%) .306 (-13%) .605 (-24%) -402.4
1909 NYA AL 31 81 10 14 3 2 0 8 0 2 19 .173 .244 (-29%) .306 (-37%) .312 (-17%) .618 (-27%) -341.5
1910 SLA AL 37 91 7 21 2 1 0 4 0 1 21 .231 .249 (-8%) .317 (-22%) .326 (-16%) .644 (-19%) -273.9
1911 SLA AL 30 80 7 21 2 1 0 10 0 1 15 .263 .266 (-2%) .336 (-19%) .356 (-12%) .693 (-16%) -217.3
1912 SLA AL 11 20 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 .150 — — — — 0.0
1912 DET AL 26 62 4 9 0 0 1 4 0 1 16 .145 .268 (-46%) .335 (-53%) .358 (-46%) .694 (-49%) 0.0
1913 DET AL 28 45 4 12 3 1 1 4 1 1 10 .267 — — — — 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 208 491 39 101 14 6 3 38 3 7 116 .206 — — — — -1,235

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 (407 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Joe Lake — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1082492163325.253
Away1002451838011.155

Pitching — Home / Away

Joe Lake — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home104689.06841841622922.40
Away95626.16491731712792.49

Last 10 Games — Batting

Joe Lake — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1913-08-25 DETBOSW 000000000
1913-08-23 DETNYYL 000000000
1913-08-19 DETPHAL 100000000
1913-08-15 DETMINL 312001100
1913-08-07 DETNYYL 200000000
1913-08-01 DETMINW 411010002
1913-07-19 DETBOSL 201000101
1913-07-13 DETPHAW 000000000
1913-07-12 DETPHAL 000000000
1913-07-11 DETMINL 100000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Joe Lake — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1913-08-25 DETBOS — 0.2433000
1913-08-23 DETNYY L 2.0422100
1913-08-19 DETPHA — 3.0100100
1913-08-15 DETMIN — 7.21365130
1913-08-07 DETNYY L 7.0832021
1913-08-01 DETMIN W 9.0732130
1913-07-19 DETBOS L 8.01164400
1913-07-13 DETPHA W 3.0000000
1913-07-12 DETPHA — 1.0463100
1913-07-11 DETMIN — 4.0300000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Joe Lake — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 199 82 42 466 45 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joe Lake — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1908 NYA P 38 27 9 64 10 1
1909 NYA P 31 26 3 94 10 2
1910 SLA P 35 29 5 88 9 2
1911 SLA P 30 0 15 88 7 0
1912 SLA P 11 0 3 24 2 1
1912 DET P 26 0 1 49 3 0
1913 DET P 28 0 6 59 4 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Joe Lake — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 199

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Joe Lake (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Charlie Smith
    66-87, 2.81 ERA
  2. 64
    Irv Young
    63-95, 3.11 ERA
  3. 61
    Otto Hess
    70-90, 2.98 ERA
  4. 56
    Leon Cadore
    68-72, 3.14 ERA
  5. 54
    Jack Warhop
    69-93, 3.12 ERA
  6. 53
    Pol Perritt
    92-78, 2.89 ERA

Joe Lake: the record in brief

April 21, 1908 and August 25, 1913 bracket Joe Lake's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Lake's seasons break down as the New York Highlanders (1908 through 1909), the St. Louis Browns (1910 to 1912), and the Detroit Tigers (1912 through 1913). Listed as a pitcher, Lake both batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6-foot-0 and 185 pounds. The birth record reads January 6, 1881, in Brooklyn, NY, USA. Lake died on June 30, 1950, in Brooklyn, NY, USA. The given name on file is Joseph Henry Lake.

Across 199 games (139 starts), Lake recorded 62 wins against 90 losses with a 2.85 ERA. The totals include 594 strikeouts, 95 complete games, and 8 shutouts. Lake's 2.85 ERA was close to the 2.92 league figure for those seasons. Lake won 14 games in 1909, the most of any season listed. 1910 produced Lake's most strikeouts, 141.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Lake

What years did Joe Lake play?
Joe Lake played in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1913.
Was Joe Lake a pitcher?
Yes. Joe Lake pitched in the major leagues, recording 62 wins and 594 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Joe Lake hit?
Joe Lake hit 3 career home runs with 101 hits.
What teams did Joe Lake play for?
Joe Lake played for 3 teams: the New York Highlanders (1908–1909), the St. Louis Browns (1910–1912), and the Detroit Tigers (1912–1913).
What were Joe Lake's career stats?
In 199 games, Joe Lake went 62-90 with a 2.85 ERA, 594 strikeouts, 1,318.0 innings pitched, and 5 saves. At the plate he had 101 hits and 3 home runs.
What position did Joe Lake play?
Joe Lake played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Joe Lake and how much did he weigh?
Joe Lake was listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds.
What was Joe Lake's career ERA?
Joe Lake finished with a 2.85 career ERA, going 62-90 with 594 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Joe Lake have?
Joe Lake recorded 594 career strikeouts.
Is Joe Lake in the Hall of Fame?
No. Joe Lake has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.