Bob Osborn
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1925-1931)
Bob Osborn was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1931 for the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 7 seasons. Across 121 career appearances, he went 27-17 with a 4.32 ERA and 140 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 175 lb
- Died
- 4/19/1960 in Paris, AR, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1925-09-16
- Last Game
- 1931-09-24
Full name: John Bode Osborn
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | CHN | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1926 | CHN | NL | 6 | 5 | 31 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 136.1 | 157 | 55 | 58 | 43 | 3.63 | 4.11 (+12%) | 372.3 |
| 1927 | CHN | NL | 5 | 5 | 24 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 107.2 | 125 | 50 | 48 | 45 | 4.18 | 4.08 (-2%) | 610.0 |
| 1929 | CHN | NL | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3.00 | 4.60 (+35%) | 0.0 |
| 1930 | CHN | NL | 10 | 6 | 35 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 126.2 | 147 | 70 | 53 | 42 | 4.97 | 4.80 (-4%) | -1098.2 |
| 1931 | PIT | NL | 6 | 1 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64.2 | 85 | 36 | 20 | 9 | 5.01 | 4.10 (-22%) | -546.6 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 27 | 17 | 121 | 43 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 446.1 | 528 | 214 | 181 | 140 | 4.32 | — | -663 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 121 | 144 | 2 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 40 | .153 | .153 | .181 | .333 | 0 |
Career AVG .153 vs. league average .285 across their career seasons — 46.4% below league average.
Career OBP .153 vs. league average .348 across their career seasons — 56.1% below league average.
Career SLG .181 vs. league average .404 across their career seasons — 55.3% below league average.
Career OPS .333 vs. league average .752 across their career seasons — 55.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | CHN | NL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1926 | CHN | NL | 31 | 41 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | .146 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1927 | CHN | NL | 24 | 39 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .205 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1929 | CHN | NL | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1930 | CHN | NL | 35 | 42 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .095 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1931 | PIT | NL | 27 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 121 | 144 | 2 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 40 | .153 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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 (242 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 63 | 60 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 5 | .183 |
| Away | 58 | 83 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 6 | .120 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 63 | 208.2 | 258 | 97 | 74 | 78 | 4.18 |
| Away | 58 | 237.2 | 270 | 109 | 107 | 62 | 4.13 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931-09-24 | PIT | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-21 | PIT | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-18 | PIT | BSN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-16 | PIT | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-10 | PIT | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-03 | PIT | STL | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-08-30 | PIT | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-08-27 | PIT | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-08-25 | PIT | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-08-23 | PIT | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931-09-24 | PIT | PHI | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1931-09-21 | PIT | PHI | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-18 | PIT | BSN | — | 6.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1931-09-16 | PIT | BRO | — | 0.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-10 | PIT | NY1 | — | 4.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-03 | PIT | STL | W | 7.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-08-30 | PIT | STL | — | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-08-27 | PIT | CHC | — | 1.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-08-25 | PIT | BRO | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-08-23 | PIT | BRO | L | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 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 | 121 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bob Osborn (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Bob Osborn: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 16, 1925 and the final game on September 24, 1931, Bob Osborn built the record summarized on this page. Osborn played for the Chicago Cubs (1925 through 1930) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1931). Osborn played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on April 17, 1903, in San Diego, TX, USA and a listed size of 175 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The bio records the death on April 19, 1960, in Paris, AR, USA. On the record, Bob Osborn was born John Bode Osborn.
Osborn went 27-17 with a 4.32 ERA in 121 games, 43 of them starts. The totals include 140 strikeouts and 11 complete games. Osborn's 4.32 ERA was close to the 4.37 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 10 wins of 1930. 1926 was Osborn's sharpest full season, a 3.63 ERA against the league's 4.11.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bob Osborn
- What years did Bob Osborn play?
- Bob Osborn played in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1931.
- Was Bob Osborn a pitcher?
- Yes. Bob Osborn pitched in the major leagues, recording 27 wins and 140 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bob Osborn hit?
- Bob Osborn hit 0 career home runs with 22 hits.
- What teams did Bob Osborn play for?
- Bob Osborn played for 2 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1925–1927, 1929–1930) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1931).
- What were Bob Osborn's career stats?
- In 121 games, Bob Osborn went 27-17 with a 4.32 ERA, 140 strikeouts, 446.1 innings pitched, and 2 saves.
- What position did Bob Osborn play?
- Bob Osborn played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bob Osborn and how much did he weigh?
- Bob Osborn was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 175 pounds.
- What was Bob Osborn's career ERA?
- Bob Osborn finished with a 4.32 career ERA, going 27-17 with 140 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Bob Osborn have?
- Bob Osborn recorded 140 career strikeouts.
- Is Bob Osborn in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bob Osborn has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.