The Only Nolan

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1878-1885)

W–L 23–52
ERA 2.98
WHIP 1.26
SO 274
Pitcher PIV 17.6
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 171 lb
Born
11/7/1855 in Trenton, ON, CAN
Died
5/18/1913 in Paterson, NJ, USA
MLB Debut
1878-05-01
Last Game
1885-10-09

Full name: Edward Sylvester Nolan

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Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
23 52 79 78 74 1 0 676.0 720 224 6 135 274 2.98 17.6

Career ERA 2.98 vs. league average 3.04 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

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
1878 IN1 NL 13 22 38 38 37 1 0 347.0 357 99 56 125 2.57 2.30 (-11%) -287.2
1881 CL2 NL 8 14 22 21 20 0 0 180.0 183 61 38 54 3.05 2.77 (-10%) -728.2
1883 PT1 AA 0 7 7 7 6 0 0 55.0 81 26 10 23 4.25 3.22 (-32%) 354.3
1884 WIL UA 1 4 5 5 5 0 0 40.0 44 13 7 52 2.92 3.11 (+6%) 1599.6
1885 PHI NL 1 5 7 7 6 0 0 54.0 55 25 24 20 4.17 3.03 (-37%) -920.9
Career · 5 seasons 23 52 79 78 74 1 0 676.0 720 224 135 274 2.98 — 18

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
102 405 33 97 17 2 0 35 0 12 31 .240 .261 .291 .553 -463

Career AVG .240 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .261 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — 7.8% below league average.

Career SLG .291 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 12.0% below league average.

Career OPS .553 vs. league average .615 across their career seasons — 10.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

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
1878 IN1 NL 38 152 11 37 8 0 0 16 0 2 10 .243 .259 (-6%) .278 (-9%) .319 (-7%) .597 (-8%) -168.7
1881 CL2 NL 41 168 12 41 5 1 0 18 0 4 13 .244 .260 (-6%) .290 (-10%) .338 (-16%) .628 (-13%) -294.2
1883 PT1 AA 7 26 4 8 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .308 — — — — 0.0
1884 WIL UA 9 33 5 9 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 .273 — — — — 0.0
1885 PHI NL 7 26 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 3 8 .077 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 102 405 33 97 17 2 0 35 0 12 31 .240 — — — — -463

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.

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 6 0 3 7 3 1
OF 21 0 25 3 3 1
P 79 0 31 140 21 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1878 IN1 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1878 IN1 P 38 0 19 80 11 5
1881 CL2 3B 6 0 3 7 3 1
1881 CL2 OF 14 0 20 2 2 1
1881 CL2 P 22 0 9 28 4 0
1883 PT1 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1883 PT1 P 7 0 2 11 3 0
1884 WIL OF 4 0 4 0 0 0
1884 WIL P 5 0 1 11 1 0
1885 PHI OF 1 0 1 1 1 0
1885 PHI P 7 0 0 10 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Position Games
Pitcher 79
Third Base 6
Left Field 7
Center Field 12
Right Field 3

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

The Only Nolan (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    George Derby
    48-56, 3.01 ERA
  2. 94
    Bob Emslie
    44-44, 3.19 ERA
  3. 92
    Bill Mountjoy
    31-24, 3.25 ERA
  4. 91
    Nat Hudson
    48-26, 3.08 ERA
  5. 87
    Gus Krock
    32-26, 3.49 ERA
  6. 86
    Bobby Mitchell
    20-23, 3.18 ERA

Frequently Asked Questions about The Only Nolan

What years did The Only Nolan play?
The Only Nolan played in Major League Baseball from 1878 to 1885.
Was The Only Nolan a pitcher?
Yes. The Only Nolan pitched in the major leagues, recording 23 wins and 274 strikeouts.
How many home runs did The Only Nolan hit?
The Only Nolan hit 0 career home runs with 97 hits.