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

W–L 27–17
ERA 4.32
WHIP 1.59
SO 140
Pitcher PIV -662.6
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 175 lb
Born
4/17/1903 in San Diego, TX, USA
Died
4/19/1960 in Paris, AR, USA
MLB Debut
1925-09-16
Last Game
1931-09-24

Full name: John Bode Osborn

Career Pitching Statistics

Bob Osborn — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
27 17 121 43 11 0 2 446.1 528 214 17 181 140 4.32 -662.6

Career ERA 4.32 vs. league average 4.37 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

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

Bob Osborn — 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

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

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.

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bob Osborn — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home636001105.183
Away588321006.120

Pitching — Home / Away

Bob Osborn — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home63208.22589774784.18
Away58237.2270109107624.13

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bob Osborn — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1931-09-24 PITPHIL 000000000
1931-09-21 PITPHIL 000000000
1931-09-18 PITBSNL 200000000
1931-09-16 PITBROL 000000000
1931-09-10 PITNY1L 100000000
1931-09-03 PITSTLW 401000000
1931-08-30 PITSTLL 000000000
1931-08-27 PITCHCL 000000000
1931-08-25 PITBROL 000000000
1931-08-23 PITBROL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bob Osborn — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1931-09-24 PITPHI — 2.0000020
1931-09-21 PITPHI — 1.0100000
1931-09-18 PITBSN — 6.0722110
1931-09-16 PITBRO — 0.2200000
1931-09-10 PITNY1 — 4.2411000
1931-09-03 PITSTL W 7.1300100
1931-08-30 PITSTL — 1.0200000
1931-08-27 PITCHC — 1.0433000
1931-08-25 PITBRO — 1.0100000
1931-08-23 PITBRO L 1.0311010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bob Osborn — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 121 0 29 106 6 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bob Osborn — Career Games by 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%.

Career Spans

Bob Osborn (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Alex Ferson
    18-25, 4.37 ERA
  2. 89
    Bert Husting
    23-21, 4.16 ERA
  3. 86
    Charlie Hastings
    18-29, 4.55 ERA
  4. 85
    Allyn Stout
    20-20, 4.54 ERA
  5. 82
    Myles Thomas
    23-22, 4.64 ERA
  6. 77
    Archie McKain
    26-21, 4.26 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.