Carl Mays

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1915-1929)

Carl Mays was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929 for 4 teams, including the Boston Red Sox, a span of 15 seasons. Across 490 career appearances, he went 207-126 with a 2.92 ERA, 862 strikeouts, and 31 saves. He also batted .268 with 5 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 14830.5.

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 207–126
ERA 2.92
WHIP 1.21
SO 862
Pitcher PIV 14830.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 195 lb
Born
11/12/1891 in Liberty, KY, USA
Died
4/4/1971 in El Cajon, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1915-04-15
Last Game
1929-09-24

Full name: Carl William Mays

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Career Pitching Statistics

Carl Mays — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
207 126 490 325 231 29 31 3021.1 2,912 979 73 734 862 2.92 14830.5

Career ERA 2.92 vs. league average 3.75 across their career seasons — 22.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Carl Mays Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1915 BOS AL 6 5 38 6 2 0 7 131.2 119 38 21 65 2.60 2.90 (+10%) 2967.7
1916 BOS AL 18 13 44 24 14 2 3 245.0 208 65 74 76 2.39 2.78 (+14%) -917.3
1917 BOS AL 22 9 35 33 27 2 0 289.0 230 56 74 91 1.74 2.69 (+35%) 618.5
1918 BOS AL 21 13 35 33 30 8 0 293.1 230 72 81 114 2.21 2.83 (+22%) 2226.5
1919 BOS AL 5 11 21 16 14 2 2 146.0 131 40 40 53 2.47 3.09 (+20%) 429.0
1919 NYA AL 9 3 13 13 12 1 0 120.0 96 22 37 54 1.65 3.09 (+47%) 656.3
1920 NYA AL 26 11 45 37 26 6 2 312.0 310 106 84 92 3.06 3.45 (+11%) -1365.7
1921 NYA AL 27 9 49 38 30 1 7 336.2 332 114 76 70 3.05 4.02 (+24%) 794.9
1922 NYA AL 12 14 34 29 21 1 2 240.0 257 96 50 41 3.60 4.18 (+14%) -218.7
1923 NYA AL 5 2 23 7 2 0 0 81.1 119 56 32 16 6.20 4.03 (-54%) -2468.9
1924 CIN NL 20 9 37 27 15 2 0 226.0 238 79 36 63 3.15 4.13 (+24%) 4592.9
1925 CIN NL 3 5 12 5 3 0 2 51.2 60 19 13 10 3.31 4.55 (+27%) 608.5
1926 CIN NL 19 12 39 33 24 3 1 281.0 286 98 53 58 3.14 4.11 (+24%) 5239.9
1927 CIN NL 3 7 14 9 6 0 0 82.0 89 32 10 17 3.51 4.08 (+14%) 1765.1
1928 CIN NL 4 1 14 7 4 1 1 62.2 67 27 22 10 3.88 4.13 (+6%) -496.1
1929 NY1 NL 7 2 37 8 1 0 4 123.0 140 59 31 32 4.32 4.60 (+6%) 397.9
Career · 16 seasons 207 126 490 325 231 29 31 3,021.1 2,912 979 734 862 2.92 — 14,830

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

Carl Mays — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
502 1,085 113 291 32 21 5 110 1 66 116 .268 .313 .350 .663 -946

Career AVG .268 vs. league average .274 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .313 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 7.2% below league average.

Career SLG .350 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 6.8% below league average.

Career OPS .663 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 7.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Carl Mays Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1915 BOS AL 38 38 3 9 1 0 0 0 0 3 7 .237 — — — — 0.0
1916 BOS AL 48 77 8 18 1 2 0 8 0 16 19 .234 .248 (-6%) .314 (+16%) .326 (-9%) .640 (+4%) 112.0
1917 BOS AL 35 107 9 27 3 3 0 14 0 6 11 .252 .248 (+1%) .312 (-7%) .323 (+4%) .635 (-1%) -51.2
1918 BOS AL 38 104 10 30 3 3 0 5 1 9 15 .288 .255 (+13%) .318 (+12%) .326 (+15%) .645 (+13%) 219.7
1919 BOS AL 22 53 3 8 0 0 0 2 0 4 2 .151 .262 (-42%) .322 (-35%) .347 (-57%) .670 (-46%) -356.8
1919 NYA AL 13 45 6 14 3 0 0 4 0 0 3 .311 — — — — -356.8
1920 NYA AL 45 109 10 26 4 2 0 13 0 5 12 .239 .271 (-12%) .331 (-18%) .363 (-14%) .694 (-16%) -292.9
1921 NYA AL 51 143 18 49 5 1 2 22 0 4 7 .343 .286 (+20%) .344 (+6%) .395 (+10%) .739 (+8%) 190.3
1922 NYA AL 35 92 7 23 1 1 0 7 0 2 10 .250 .285 (-12%) .345 (-23%) .397 (-29%) .743 (-26%) -400.3
1923 NYA AL 23 27 2 4 0 1 1 3 0 3 4 .148 — — — — 0.0
1924 CIN NL 38 83 9 24 6 2 1 12 0 4 12 .289 .283 (+2%) .345 (-7%) .389 (+14%) .734 (+4%) 25.7
1925 CIN NL 12 16 3 4 0 1 0 3 0 2 1 .250 — — — — 0.0
1926 CIN NL 39 98 12 22 2 4 0 8 0 3 7 .224 .279 (-20%) .345 (-28%) .390 (-16%) .735 (-22%) -392.0
1927 CIN NL 14 32 5 13 1 1 1 1 0 0 2 .406 — — — — 0.0
1928 CIN NL 14 27 5 8 1 0 0 3 0 0 2 .296 — — — — 0.0
1929 NY1 NL 37 34 3 12 1 0 0 5 0 5 2 .353 — — — — 0.0
Career · 16 seasons 502 1,085 113 291 32 21 5 110 1 66 116 .268 — — — — -1,302

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Carl Mays — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 17 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 .118

Playoff Batting by Year

Carl Mays — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1922 WS NYA 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1921 WS NYA 3 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .111
1918 WS BOS 2 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .200
1916 WS BOS 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Carl Mays — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
3 4 8 7 1 57.1 47 15 8 17 2.35

Playoff Pitching by Year

Carl Mays — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1922 WS NYA 0 1 1 1 0 8.0 9 4 2 1 4.50
1921 WS NYA 1 2 3 3 0 26.0 20 5 0 9 1.73
1918 WS BOS 2 0 2 2 0 18.0 10 2 3 5 1.00
1916 WS BOS 0 1 2 1 1 5.1 8 4 3 2 6.75

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (992 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Carl Mays — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home24854059159245.294
Away25454054132364.244

Pitching — Home / Away

Carl Mays — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home2401572.114644723874572.70
Away2501447.014475223564183.25

Last 10 Games — Batting

Carl Mays — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1929-09-24 NY1BSNW 200000000
1929-09-11 NY1PITW 504100200
1929-09-04 NY1BSNL 000000000
1929-08-21 NY1CHCL 000000000
1929-08-17 NY1STLL 100000000
1929-08-15 NY1STLW 101000000
1929-08-10 NY1CINL 000000000
1929-08-05 NY1PITW 110000010
1929-07-27 NY1STLW 000000000
1929-07-24 NY1CHCL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Carl Mays — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1929-09-24 NY1BSN — 7.0951020
1929-09-11 NY1PIT W 7.1722300
1929-09-04 NY1BSN — 0.2000000
1929-08-21 NY1CHC — 2.0422001
1929-08-17 NY1STL — 2.2644200
1929-08-15 NY1STL — 3.2511100
1929-08-10 NY1CIN — 2.0433200
1929-08-05 NY1PIT — 2.0654010
1929-07-27 NY1STL SV 2.0200000
1929-07-24 NY1CHC — 2.0100000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Carl Mays — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 490 0 174 1138 44 56

Season-by-Season Fielding

Carl Mays — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1915 BOS P 38 0 9 44 2 0
1916 BOS P 44 0 13 117 6 5
1917 BOS P 35 0 22 118 1 5
1918 BOS P 35 0 16 122 8 3
1919 BOS P 21 0 9 49 2 5
1919 NYA P 13 0 10 37 3 1
1920 NYA P 45 0 19 106 1 5
1921 NYA P 49 0 8 104 2 4
1922 NYA P 34 0 8 94 5 4
1923 NYA P 23 0 8 32 1 2
1924 CIN P 37 0 13 94 5 5
1925 CIN P 12 0 3 15 2 3
1926 CIN P 39 0 16 117 4 10
1927 CIN P 14 0 5 38 0 1
1928 CIN P 14 0 3 17 1 0
1929 NY1 P 37 0 12 34 1 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Carl Mays Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 490

Awards & Honors

Carl Mays — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1926 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1921 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1921 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3

Award Voting History

Carl Mays — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1926 Most Valuable Player NL 22th 4.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Carl Mays (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Urban Shocker
    187-117, 3.17 ERA
  2. 97
    Stan Coveleski HOF
    215-142, 2.89 ERA
  3. 95
    Slim Sallee
    174-143, 2.56 ERA
  4. 82
    Dolf Luque
    194-179, 3.24 ERA
  5. 81
    Eddie Cicotte
    209-149, 2.38 ERA
  6. 81
    Rube Benton
    150-144, 3.09 ERA

Carl Mays: the record in brief

According to the bio, Carl Mays debuted on April 15, 1915 and played a final game on September 24, 1929. By club, Mays's seasons break down as the Boston Red Sox (1915 to 1919), the New York Yankees (1919 through 1923), the Cincinnati Reds (1924 through 1928), and the New York Giants (1929). Born on November 12, 1891, in Liberty, KY, USA, Mays is listed as a pitcher and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Size on record: 5 feet, 11 inches and 195 pounds. Mays's death is recorded on April 4, 1971, in El Cajon, CA, USA. Carl Mays was the playing name; the full given name is Carl William.

Mays's career pitching line is 207 wins, 126 losses and a 2.92 ERA over 490 appearances. Mays had 862 strikeouts, 231 complete games, 29 shutouts, and 31 saves. The leagues Mays pitched in allowed 3.75 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 22.2% better than average. The best win total was 27, in 1921.

Frequently Asked Questions about Carl Mays

What years did Carl Mays play?
Carl Mays played in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929.
Was Carl Mays a pitcher?
Yes. Carl Mays pitched in the major leagues, recording 207 wins and 862 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Carl Mays hit?
Carl Mays hit 5 career home runs with 291 hits.
What teams did Carl Mays play for?
Carl Mays played for 4 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1915–1919), the New York Yankees (1919–1923), the Cincinnati Reds (1924–1928), and the New York Giants (1929).
What were Carl Mays's career stats?
In 490 games, Carl Mays went 207-126 with a 2.92 ERA, 862 strikeouts, 3,021.1 innings pitched, and 31 saves. At the plate he had 291 hits and 5 home runs.
What position did Carl Mays play?
Carl Mays played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Carl Mays and how much did he weigh?
Carl Mays was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 195 pounds.
What was Carl Mays's career ERA?
Carl Mays finished with a 2.92 career ERA, going 207-126 with 862 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Carl Mays have?
Carl Mays recorded 862 career strikeouts.
Is Carl Mays in the Hall of Fame?
No. Carl Mays has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.