Ken Penner
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1916-1929)
Ken Penner was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1929 for the Cleveland Guardians and the Chicago Cubs, a span of 14 seasons. Across 9 career appearances, he went 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA and 8 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
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 170 lb
- Died
- 5/28/1959 in Sacramento, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1916-09-11
- Last Game
- 1929-09-04
Full name: Kenneth William Penner
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | CLE | AL | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4.26 | 2.78 (-53%) | 78.6 |
| 1929 | CHN | NL | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2.84 | 4.60 (+38%) | -227.2 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 1 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25.1 | 28 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 3.55 | — | -149 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .167 | .167 | .333 | 0 |
Career AVG .167 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — 38.6% below league average.
Career OBP .167 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 50.4% below league average.
Career SLG .167 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 55.7% below league average.
Career OPS .333 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 53.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | CLE | AL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1929 | CHN | NL | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 9 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 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 (18 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .250 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 5 | 14.1 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3.77 |
| Away | 4 | 11.0 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3.27 |
Last 9 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-09-04 | CHC | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-08-28 | CHC | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-08-25 | CHC | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1929-08-24 | CHC | PHI | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-08-06 | CHC | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-10-01 | CLE | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-09-15 | CLE | PHA | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-09-12 | CLE | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-09-11 | CLE | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 9 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-09-04 | CHC | STL | L | 1.2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-08-28 | CHC | PIT | — | 4.2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 1929-08-25 | CHC | CIN | — | 3.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-08-24 | CHC | PHI | — | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-08-06 | CHC | BRO | — | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-10-01 | CLE | CHW | L | 3.0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1916-09-15 | CLE | PHA | W | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1916-09-12 | CLE | DET | — | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-09-11 | CLE | DET | — | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 9 |
Ken Penner: the record in brief
Ken Penner played a first major league game on September 11, 1916 and a last one on September 4, 1929. By club, Penner's seasons break down as the Cleveland Indians (1916) and the Chicago Cubs (1929). Penner, a pitcher by primary position, threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Height and weight on file: 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds. The birth record reads April 24, 1896, in Booneville, IN, USA. The bio records the death on May 28, 1959, in Sacramento, CA, USA. Ken Penner was the playing name; the full given name is Kenneth William.
Penner's career pitching line is 1 win, 1 loss and a 3.55 ERA over 9 appearances. Penner had 8 strikeouts. Against a 3.77 league ERA for the same years, Penner was 5.8% better. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.84 in 1929, when the league's was 4.60.
Retrosheet box scores cover 18 of Penner's games, and the full game log is linked from the splits section.
Every defensive appearance on record for Penner, 9 games, came at pitcher.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Penner
- What years did Ken Penner play?
- Ken Penner played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1929.
- Was Ken Penner a pitcher?
- Yes. Ken Penner pitched in the major leagues, recording 1 wins and 8 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Ken Penner hit?
- Ken Penner hit 0 career home runs with 1 hit.
- What teams did Ken Penner play for?
- Ken Penner played for 2 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1916) and the Chicago Cubs (1929).
- What were Ken Penner's career stats?
- In 9 games, Ken Penner went 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA, 8 strikeouts, and 25.1 innings pitched.
- What position did Ken Penner play?
- Ken Penner played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ken Penner and how much did he weigh?
- Ken Penner was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 170 pounds.
- What was Ken Penner's career ERA?
- Ken Penner finished with a 3.55 career ERA, going 1-1 with 8 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Ken Penner have?
- Ken Penner recorded 8 career strikeouts.
- Is Ken Penner in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ken Penner has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.