What years did Cinders O'Brien play?

Cinders O'Brien played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1891.

Was Cinders O'Brien a pitcher?

Yes. Cinders O'Brien pitched in the major leagues, recording 59 wins and 398 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Cinders O'Brien hit?

Cinders O'Brien hit 0 career home runs with 100 hits.

What teams did Cinders O'Brien play for?

Cinders O'Brien played for 3 teams: the Cleveland Spiders (1888–1889), the Cleveland Infants (1890), and the Boston Reds (1891).

What were Cinders O'Brien's career stats?

In 136 games, Cinders O'Brien went 59-65 with a 3.68 ERA, 398 strikeouts, 1,080.2 innings pitched, and 2 saves. At the plate he had 100 hits and 0 home runs.

What position did Cinders O'Brien play?

Cinders O'Brien played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Cinders O'Brien and how much did he weigh?

Cinders O'Brien was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 165 pounds.

What was Cinders O'Brien's career ERA?

Cinders O'Brien finished with a 3.68 career ERA, going 59-65 with 398 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Cinders O'Brien have?

Cinders O'Brien recorded 398 career strikeouts.

Is Cinders O'Brien in the Hall of Fame?

No. Cinders O'Brien has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Cinders O'Brien

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1888-1891)

Cinders O'Brien was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1891 for 4 teams, including the Cleveland Blues, a span of 4 seasons. Across 136 career appearances, he went 59-65 with a 3.68 ERA and 398 strikeouts. He also batted .211 with 0 home runs.

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 15, 2026

W–L 59–65

ERA 3.68

WHIP 1.49

SO 398

Pitcher PIV -11806.6

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 5'10" / 165 lb
Born: 4/15/1867 in Troy, NY, USA
Died: 3/11/1892 in West Troy, NY, USA
MLB Debut: 1888-06-23
Last Game: 1891-10-02

Full name: John F. O'Brien

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Career Pitching Statistics

Cinders O'Brien — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
59	65	136	126	113	2	2	1080.2	1,119	442	36	486	398	3.68	-11806.6

Career ERA 3.68 vs. league average 3.60 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Cinders O'Brien — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1888	CL3	AA	11	19	30	30	30	1	0	259.0	245	95	99	135	3.30	2.95 (-12%)	-856.0
1889	CL4	NL	22	17	41	41	39	1	0	346.2	345	160	167	122	4.15	3.93 (-6%)	-3116.4
1890	CLP	PL	8	16	25	25	22	0	0	206.1	229	78	93	54	3.40	3.88 (+12%)	-3635.3
1891	BS2	AA	18	13	40	30	22	0	2	268.2	300	109	127	87	3.65	3.52 (-4%)	-4199.0
Career · 4 seasons			59	65	136	126	113	2	2	1,080.2	1,119	442	486	398	3.68	—	-11,807

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

Cinders O'Brien — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
140	473	57	100	4	1	0	43	7	26	62	.211	.257	.224	.481	-1,948

Career AVG .211 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 17.0% below league average.

Career OBP .257 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 21.0% below league average.

Career SLG .224 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 34.8% below league average.

Career OPS .481 vs. league average .669 across their career seasons — 28.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Cinders O'Brien — Season-by-Season Batting
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1888	CL3	AA	32	109	13	20	1	0	9	2	4	21	.183	.238 (-23%)	.290 (-25%)	.319 (-40%)	.610 (-33%)	-470.6
1889	CL4	NL	41	140	13	35	1	0	18	2	12	18	.250	.263 (-5%)	.334 (-6%)	.357 (-28%)	.691 (-17%)	-341.3
1890	CLP	PL	26	96	12	15	1	1	6	0	2	6	.156	.260 (-40%)	.336 (-48%)	.351 (-47%)	.687 (-48%)	-720.8
1891	BS2	AA	41	128	19	30	1	0	10	3	8	17	.234	.254 (-8%)	.331 (-14%)	.343 (-29%)	.675 (-22%)	-414.9
Career · 4 seasons			140	473	57	100	4	1	43	7	26	62	.211	—	—	—	—	-1,948

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

Cinders O'Brien — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	3	0	0	2	0	0
P	136	0	61	227	22	11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Cinders O'Brien — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1888	CL3	OF	2	0	1	0	0
1888	CL3	P	30	16	62	9	2
1889	CL4	P	41	25	70	7	3
1890	CLP	OF	1	0	1	0	0
1890	CLP	P	25	9	45	2	2
1891	BS2	P	40	11	50	4	4

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Cinders O'Brien — Career Games by Position
Position	Games
Pitcher	136
Left Field	1
Right Field	2

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Cinders O'Brien (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Cinders O'Brien: the record in brief

The profile opens with Cinders O'Brien's first major league game on June 23, 1888; the last one listed came on October 2, 1891. By club, O'Brien's seasons break down as the Cleveland Blues (1888), the Cleveland Spiders (1889), the Cleveland Infants (1890), and the Boston Reds (1891). At 5'10" and 165 pounds, O'Brien is listed as a pitcher. O'Brien threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is April 15, 1867, in Troy, NY, USA. O'Brien died on March 11, 1892, in West Troy, NY, USA. On the record, Cinders O'Brien was born John F. O'Brien.

O'Brien's career pitching line is 59 wins, 65 losses and a 3.68 ERA over 136 appearances. O'Brien had 398 strikeouts and 113 complete games. O'Brien's 3.68 ERA was close to the 3.60 league figure for those seasons. O'Brien won 22 games in 1889, the most of any season listed. O'Brien struck out 135 batters in 1888, a career high.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cinders O'Brien

What years did Cinders O'Brien play?: Cinders O'Brien played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1891.
Was Cinders O'Brien a pitcher?: Yes. Cinders O'Brien pitched in the major leagues, recording 59 wins and 398 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Cinders O'Brien hit?: Cinders O'Brien hit 0 career home runs with 100 hits.
What teams did Cinders O'Brien play for?: Cinders O'Brien played for 3 teams: the Cleveland Spiders (1888–1889), the Cleveland Infants (1890), and the Boston Reds (1891).
What were Cinders O'Brien's career stats?: In 136 games, Cinders O'Brien went 59-65 with a 3.68 ERA, 398 strikeouts, 1,080.2 innings pitched, and 2 saves. At the plate he had 100 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Cinders O'Brien play?: Cinders O'Brien played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Cinders O'Brien and how much did he weigh?: Cinders O'Brien was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 165 pounds.
What was Cinders O'Brien's career ERA?: Cinders O'Brien finished with a 3.68 career ERA, going 59-65 with 398 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Cinders O'Brien have?: Cinders O'Brien recorded 398 career strikeouts.
Is Cinders O'Brien in the Hall of Fame?: No. Cinders O'Brien has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.