Harley Payne

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1896-1899)

Harley Payne was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1896 to 1899 for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 4 seasons. Across 80 career appearances, he went 30-36 with a 4.04 ERA and 148 strikeouts. He also batted .230 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 4993.9.

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 30–36
ERA 4.04
WHIP 1.46
SO 148
Pitcher PIV 4993.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
B / L
Height / Weight
6'0" / 160 lb
Born
1/9/1868 in Windsor, OH, USA
Died
12/29/1935 in Orwell, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1896-04-18
Last Game
1899-06-08

Full name: Harley Fenwick Payne

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Career Pitching Statistics

Harley Payne — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
30 36 80 72 57 3 0 557.0 678 250 14 136 148 4.04 4993.9

Career ERA 4.04 vs. league average 4.00 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Harley Payne — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1896 BRO NL 14 16 34 28 24 2 0 241.2 284 91 58 52 3.39 4.36 (+22%) 2949.4
1897 BRO NL 14 17 40 38 30 1 0 280.0 350 144 71 86 4.63 4.30 (-8%) 2144.9
1898 BRO NL 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 11 4 3 2 4.00 3.59 (-11%) 0.0
1899 PIT NL 1 3 5 5 2 0 0 26.1 33 11 4 8 3.76 3.85 (+2%) -100.4
Career · 4 seasons 30 36 80 72 57 3 0 557.0 678 250 136 148 4.04 — 4,994

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

Harley Payne — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
85 222 20 51 4 2 0 24 0 18 15 .230 .287 .266 .553 -882

Career AVG .230 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 18.9% below league average.

Career OBP .287 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — 16.9% below league average.

Career SLG .266 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 28.4% below league average.

Career OPS .553 vs. league average .717 across their career seasons — 22.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Harley Payne — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1896 BRO NL 38 98 5 21 4 1 0 10 0 9 3 .214 .290 (-26%) .354 (-21%) .387 (-29%) .741 (-25%) -408.2
1897 BRO NL 41 110 13 26 0 1 0 11 0 8 11 .236 .291 (-19%) .354 (-19%) .387 (-34%) .741 (-27%) -473.6
1898 BRO NL 1 4 1 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 .750 — — — — 0.0
1899 PIT NL 5 10 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .100 — — — — 0.0
Career · 4 seasons 85 222 20 51 4 2 0 24 0 18 15 .230 — — — — -882

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 (12 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Harley Payne — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home3101100.100
Away341303.750

Pitching — Home / Away

Harley Payne — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home325.0267382.52
Away310.1189427.84

Last 6 Games — Batting

Harley Payne — Last 6 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1899-06-08 PITBLNL 000000000
1899-05-25 PITPHIL 401000001
1899-05-19 PITWSNL 000000010
1899-05-12 PITCINL 100000000
1899-05-06 PITLS3W 510000000
1898-04-23 BROWSNW 413000300

Last 6 Games — Pitching

Harley Payne — Last 6 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1899-06-08 PITBLN L 0.1544101
1899-05-25 PITPHI L 10.01161140
1899-05-19 PITWSN — 1.0211000
1899-05-12 PITCIN L 4.0431110
1899-05-06 PITLS3 W 11.01155130
1898-04-23 BROWSN W 9.01184320

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Harley Payne — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 2 0 2 0 0 0
P 80 0 23 166 14 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Harley Payne — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1896 BRO OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1896 BRO P 34 0 12 76 7 1
1897 BRO OF 1 0 2 0 0 0
1897 BRO P 40 0 11 68 5 1
1898 BRO P 1 0 0 4 0 0
1899 PIT P 5 0 0 18 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Harley Payne — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 80
Left 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

Harley Payne (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ed Scott
    23-26, 4.01 ERA
  2. 86
    Dad Clarke
    44-51, 4.16 ERA
  3. 86
    Wild Bill Widner
    22-36, 4.36 ERA
  4. 83
    John Fox
    13-28, 4.16 ERA
  5. 81
    Park Swartzel
    19-27, 4.32 ERA
  6. 79
    Bill Reidy
    27-41, 4.17 ERA

Harley Payne: the record in brief

According to the bio, Harley Payne debuted on April 18, 1896 and played a final game on June 8, 1899. Payne played for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1896 to 1898) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1899). Born on January 9, 1868, in Windsor, OH, USA, Payne is listed as a pitcher and switch-hit and threw left-handed. The bio gives 6'0" and 160 pounds. Payne's death is recorded on December 29, 1935, in Orwell, OH, USA. The given name on file is Harley Fenwick Payne.

Payne's career pitching line is 30 wins, 36 losses and a 4.04 ERA over 80 appearances. The same table counts 148 strikeouts and 57 complete games. Payne's 4.04 ERA was close to the 4.00 league figure for those seasons. 1896 brought Payne a season-high 14 wins. 1897 produced Payne's most strikeouts, 86. 1896 was Payne's sharpest full season, a 3.39 ERA against the league's 4.36. By Pitcher PIV, Baseball Data Hub's measure of run prevention relative to each season's league, Payne's career adds up to 4,993.9.

Frequently Asked Questions about Harley Payne

What years did Harley Payne play?
Harley Payne played in Major League Baseball from 1896 to 1899.
Was Harley Payne a pitcher?
Yes. Harley Payne pitched in the major leagues, recording 30 wins and 148 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Harley Payne hit?
Harley Payne hit 0 career home runs with 51 hits.
What teams did Harley Payne play for?
Harley Payne played for 2 teams: the Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1896–1898) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1899).
What were Harley Payne's career stats?
In 80 games, Harley Payne went 30-36 with a 4.04 ERA, 148 strikeouts, and 557.0 innings pitched. At the plate he had 51 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Harley Payne play?
Harley Payne played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Harley Payne and how much did he weigh?
Harley Payne was listed at 6 feet and 160 pounds.
What was Harley Payne's career ERA?
Harley Payne finished with a 4.04 career ERA, going 30-36 with 148 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Harley Payne have?
Harley Payne recorded 148 career strikeouts.
Is Harley Payne in the Hall of Fame?
No. Harley Payne has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.