What years did Archie McKain play?

Archie McKain played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1943.

Was Archie McKain a pitcher?

Yes. Archie McKain pitched in the major leagues, recording 26 wins and 188 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Archie McKain hit?

Archie McKain hit 2 career home runs with 25 hits.

What teams did Archie McKain play for?

Archie McKain played for 3 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1937–1938), the Detroit Tigers (1939–1941), and the St. Louis Browns (1941, 1943).

What were Archie McKain's career stats?

In 165 games, Archie McKain went 26-21 with a 4.26 ERA, 188 strikeouts, 486.1 innings pitched, and 16 saves.

What position did Archie McKain play?

Archie McKain played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Archie McKain and how much did he weigh?

Archie McKain was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 175 pounds.

What was Archie McKain's career ERA?

Archie McKain finished with a 4.26 career ERA, going 26-21 with 188 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Archie McKain have?

Archie McKain recorded 188 career strikeouts.

Is Archie McKain in the Hall of Fame?

No. Archie McKain has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Archie McKain

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1937-1943)

Archie McKain was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1943 for the Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers, and the St. Louis Browns, a span of 7 seasons. Across 165 career appearances, he went 26-21 with a 4.26 ERA and 188 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 October 17, 2026

W–L 26–21

ERA 4.26

WHIP 1.52

SO 188

Pitcher PIV -517.0

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: B / L
Height / Weight: 5'10" / 175 lb
Born: 5/12/1911 in Delphos, KS, USA
Died: 5/21/1985 in Salina, KS, USA
MLB Debut: 1937-04-25
Last Game: 1943-07-05

Full name: Archie Richard McKain

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Career Pitching Statistics

Archie McKain — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
26	21	165	34	8	1	16	486.1	529	230	26	208	188	4.26	-517.0

Career ERA 4.26 vs. league average 4.10 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Archie McKain — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1937	BOS	AL	8	8	36	18	3	0	2	137.0	152	71	64	66	4.66	4.34 (-8%)	118.9
1938	BOS	AL	5	4	37	5	1	0	6	99.2	119	50	44	27	4.52	4.35 (-4%)	-923.8
1939	DET	AL	5	6	32	11	4	1	4	129.2	120	53	54	49	3.68	4.28 (+14%)	401.5
1940	DET	AL	5	0	27	0	0	0	3	51.0	48	16	25	24	2.82	4.21 (+33%)	220.0
1941	DET	AL	2	1	15	0	0	0	0	43.0	58	24	11	14	5.02	3.94 (-28%)	117.4
1941	SLA	AL	0	1	8	0	0	0	1	10.0	16	9	4	2	8.10	3.94 (-106%)	-642.1
1943	SLA	AL	1	1	10	0	0	0	0	16.0	16	7	6	6	3.94	3.50 (-12%)	191.2
Career · 7 seasons			26	21	165	34	8	1	16	486.1	529	230	208	188	4.26	—	-517

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

Archie McKain — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
167	142	19	25	8	1	2	9	0	15	48	.176	.264	.289	.553	-77

Career AVG .176 vs. league average .268 across their career seasons — 34.3% below league average.

Career OBP .264 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 21.5% below league average.

Career SLG .289 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 24.4% below league average.

Career OPS .553 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — 23.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Archie McKain — Season-by-Season Batting
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1937	BOS	AL	38	49	5	13	5	0	0	3	1	16	.265	—	—	—	—	-77.2
1938	BOS	AL	37	31	3	2	1	0	0	1	3	9	.065	—	—	—	—	0.0
1939	DET	AL	32	41	7	9	2	1	2	5	8	12	.220	—	—	—	—	0.0
1940	DET	AL	27	7	3	1	0	0	0	0	2	4	.143	—	—	—	—	0.0
1941	DET	AL	15	11	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1941	SLA	AL	8	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1943	SLA	AL	10	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 7 seasons			167	142	19	25	8	1	2	9	15	48	.176	—	—	—	—	-77

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

Archie McKain — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Archie McKain — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1940	WS	DET	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Archie McKain — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	0	1	0	0	3.0	4	1	0	0	3.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Archie McKain — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1940	WS	DET	0	0	1	0	0	3.0	4	1	0	0	3.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (332 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Archie McKain — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	82	66	11	11	0	5	.167
Away	85	75	8	14	2	4	.187

Pitching — Home / Away

Archie McKain — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	81	233.0	252	114	99	88	4.40
Away	84	253.1	277	114	109	100	4.05

Last 10 Games — Batting

Archie McKain — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB
1943-07-05	SLA	NYY	L	0
1943-07-03	SLA	MIN	L	0
1943-07-02	SLA	PHA	W	0
1943-06-24	SLA	CHW	L	1
1943-06-19	SLA	DET	L	0
1943-06-06	SLA	NYY	L	0
1943-05-27	SLA	MIN	L	0
1943-05-16	SLA	NYY	L	0
1943-05-13	SLA	BOS	L	0
1943-05-05	SLA	DET	L	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Archie McKain — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1943-07-05	SLA	NYY	—	1.2	2	1	0	1	1	0
1943-07-03	SLA	MIN	—	1.2	1	1	1	1	0	0
1943-07-02	SLA	PHA	W	1.0	0	1	0	0	1	0
1943-06-24	SLA	CHW	—	3.1	8	3	3	1	0	1
1943-06-19	SLA	DET	—	1.1	1	0	0	1	1	0
1943-06-06	SLA	NYY	L	1.0	2	3	3	2	0	0
1943-05-27	SLA	MIN	—	1.0	1	0	0	0	2	0
1943-05-16	SLA	NYY	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1943-05-13	SLA	BOS	—	2.0	0	0	0	0	1	0
1943-05-05	SLA	DET	—	2.0	1	0	0	0	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Archie McKain — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	165	0	20	112	8	3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Archie McKain — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1937	BOS	P	36	4	27	3	0
1938	BOS	P	37	10	26	2	1
1939	DET	P	32	1	15	2	0
1940	DET	P	27	2	16	0	0
1941	DET	P	15	2	19	0	2
1941	SLA	P	8	0	5	0	0
1943	SLA	P	10	1	4	1	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Archie McKain — Career Games by Position
Position	Games
Pitcher	165

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Archie McKain (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Archie McKain: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 25, 1937 and the final game on July 5, 1943, Archie McKain built the record summarized on this page. McKain played for the Boston Red Sox (1937 to 1938), the Detroit Tigers (1939 to 1941), and the St. Louis Browns (1941 to 1943). At 5'10" and 175 pounds, McKain is listed as a pitcher. McKain batted from both sides and threw left-handed, per the bio block. McKain was born on May 12, 1911, in Delphos, KS, USA. McKain's death is recorded on May 21, 1985, in Salina, KS, USA. On the record, Archie McKain was born Archie Richard McKain.

McKain went 26-21 with a 4.26 ERA in 165 games, 34 of them starts. The same table counts 188 strikeouts and 16 saves. McKain's 4.26 ERA was close to the 4.10 league figure for those seasons. 1937 brought McKain a season-high 8 wins. 1939 was McKain's sharpest full season, a 3.68 ERA against the league's 4.28.

Frequently Asked Questions about Archie McKain

What years did Archie McKain play?: Archie McKain played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1943.
Was Archie McKain a pitcher?: Yes. Archie McKain pitched in the major leagues, recording 26 wins and 188 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Archie McKain hit?: Archie McKain hit 2 career home runs with 25 hits.
What teams did Archie McKain play for?: Archie McKain played for 3 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1937–1938), the Detroit Tigers (1939–1941), and the St. Louis Browns (1941, 1943).
What were Archie McKain's career stats?: In 165 games, Archie McKain went 26-21 with a 4.26 ERA, 188 strikeouts, 486.1 innings pitched, and 16 saves.
What position did Archie McKain play?: Archie McKain played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Archie McKain and how much did he weigh?: Archie McKain was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 175 pounds.
What was Archie McKain's career ERA?: Archie McKain finished with a 4.26 career ERA, going 26-21 with 188 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Archie McKain have?: Archie McKain recorded 188 career strikeouts.
Is Archie McKain in the Hall of Fame?: No. Archie McKain has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.