Chet Nichols
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1951-1964)
Chet Nichols was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1964 for 4 teams, including the Boston Braves, a span of 14 seasons. Across 189 career appearances, he went 34-36 with a 3.64 ERA and 266 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 3.6.
- 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
- B / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 165 lb
- Died
- 3/27/1995 in Lincoln, RI, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1951-04-19
- Last Game
- 1964-04-24
Full name: Chester Raymond Nichols
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | BSN | NL | 11 | 8 | 33 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 156.0 | 142 | 50 | 69 | 71 | 2.88 | 4.04 (+29%) | 3190.5 |
| 1954 | ML1 | NL | 9 | 11 | 35 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 122.1 | 132 | 60 | 65 | 55 | 4.41 | 3.90 (-13%) | 549.3 |
| 1955 | ML1 | NL | 9 | 8 | 34 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 144.0 | 139 | 64 | 67 | 44 | 4.00 | 4.00 (avg) | -3530.5 |
| 1956 | ML1 | NL | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6.75 | — | 0.0 |
| 1960 | BOS | AL | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 4.26 | 3.82 (-12%) | 660.4 |
| 1961 | BOS | AL | 3 | 2 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 51.2 | 40 | 12 | 26 | 20 | 2.09 | 4.03 (+48%) | -49.0 |
| 1962 | BOS | AL | 1 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 57.0 | 61 | 19 | 22 | 33 | 3.00 | 3.96 (+24%) | 942.7 |
| 1963 | BOS | AL | 1 | 3 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52.2 | 61 | 28 | 24 | 27 | 4.78 | 3.46 (-38%) | -1759.8 |
| 1964 | CIN | NL | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 34 | 36 | 189 | 71 | 23 | 4 | 10 | 603.1 | 600 | 244 | 280 | 266 | 3.64 | — | 4 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 189 | 173 | 8 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 50 | .127 | .142 | .133 | .275 | -965 |
Career AVG .127 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 50.3% below league average.
Career OBP .142 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 56.3% below league average.
Career SLG .133 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 65.7% below league average.
Career OPS .275 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 61.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | BSN | NL | 33 | 51 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | .137 | .260 (-47%) | .336 (-59%) | .385 (-64%) | .721 (-62%) | -505.8 |
| 1954 | ML1 | NL | 35 | 35 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .086 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1955 | ML1 | NL | 34 | 52 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .154 | .258 (-40%) | .332 (-54%) | .393 (-56%) | .726 (-55%) | -459.5 |
| 1956 | ML1 | NL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1960 | BOS | AL | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1961 | BOS | AL | 26 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1962 | BOS | AL | 29 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | BOS | AL | 21 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1964 | CIN | NL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 189 | 173 | 8 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 50 | .127 | — | — | — | — | -965 | ||
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 (378 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 84 | 77 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1 | .156 |
| Away | 105 | 96 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 4 | .104 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 84 | 298.0 | 275 | 93 | 118 | 127 | 2.81 |
| Away | 105 | 305.1 | 325 | 151 | 162 | 139 | 4.45 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-04-24 | CIN | SFG | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964-04-19 | CIN | SFG | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964-04-13 | CIN | HOU | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-05 | BOS | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-04 | BOS | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-27 | BOS | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-24 | BOS | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-07 | BOS | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-07-18 | BOS | KC1 | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963-07-14 | BOS | LAA | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-04-24 | CIN | SFG | — | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1964-04-19 | CIN | SFG | — | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1964-04-13 | CIN | HOU | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-05 | BOS | DET | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1963-09-04 | BOS | DET | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-27 | BOS | NYY | L | 1.1 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-24 | BOS | CLE | — | 0.1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-07 | BOS | DET | — | 3.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1963-07-18 | BOS | KC1 | — | 4.2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 1963-07-14 | BOS | LAA | W | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 189 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 2nd | 4.0 | 24 | 4 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Chet Nichols (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Chet Nichols: the record in brief
According to the bio, Chet Nichols debuted on April 19, 1951 and played a final game on April 24, 1964. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Braves (1951), the Milwaukee Braves (1954 through 1956), the Boston Red Sox (1960 through 1963), and the Cincinnati Reds (1964). Nichols, a pitcher by primary position, batted from both sides and threw left-handed. Nichols is listed at 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds. The birth record reads February 22, 1931, in Pawtucket, RI, USA. Nichols died on March 27, 1995, in Lincoln, RI, USA. The given name on file is Chester Raymond Nichols.
The pitching table credits Nichols with a 34-36 record and a 3.64 ERA in 189 games. The totals include 266 strikeouts, 23 complete games, and 10 saves. Against a 3.84 league ERA for the same years, Nichols was 5.3% better. The best win total was 11, in 1951. In 1951, one of the busiest seasons, Nichols posted a 2.88 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.04.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chet Nichols
- What years did Chet Nichols play?
- Chet Nichols played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1964.
- Was Chet Nichols a pitcher?
- Yes. Chet Nichols pitched in the major leagues, recording 34 wins and 266 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Chet Nichols hit?
- Chet Nichols hit 0 career home runs with 22 hits.
- What teams did Chet Nichols play for?
- Chet Nichols played for 3 teams: the Milwaukee Braves (1951, 1954–1956), the Boston Red Sox (1960–1963), and the Cincinnati Reds (1964).
- What were Chet Nichols's career stats?
- In 189 games, Chet Nichols went 34-36 with a 3.64 ERA, 266 strikeouts, 603.1 innings pitched, and 10 saves.
- What position did Chet Nichols play?
- Chet Nichols played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Chet Nichols and how much did he weigh?
- Chet Nichols was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 165 pounds.
- What was Chet Nichols's career ERA?
- Chet Nichols finished with a 3.64 career ERA, going 34-36 with 266 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Chet Nichols have?
- Chet Nichols recorded 266 career strikeouts.
- Is Chet Nichols in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Chet Nichols has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.