Cotton Pippen
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1936-1940)
Cotton Pippen was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1940 for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Philadelphia Athletics, and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 5 seasons. Across 38 career appearances, he went 5-16 with a 6.38 ERA and 55 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
- 6'2" / 180 lb
- Died
- 2/15/1981 in Williams, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1936-08-28
- Last Game
- 1940-05-21
Full name: Henry Harold Pippen
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | SLN | NL | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21.0 | 37 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 7.71 | 4.59 (-68%) | -1329.7 |
| 1939 | PHA | AL | 4 | 11 | 25 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 118.2 | 169 | 79 | 40 | 33 | 5.99 | 4.28 (-40%) | -2043.8 |
| 1939 | DET | AL | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 7.07 | 4.28 (-65%) | -99.5 |
| 1940 | DET | AL | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21.1 | 29 | 16 | 10 | 9 | 6.75 | 4.21 (-60%) | -704.7 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 5 | 16 | 38 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 175.0 | 253 | 124 | 64 | 55 | 6.38 | — | -4,178 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 54 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | .111 | .172 | .130 | .302 | 0 |
Career AVG .111 vs. league average .275 across their career seasons — 59.6% below league average.
Career OBP .172 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 49.6% below league average.
Career SLG .130 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — 67.2% below league average.
Career OPS .302 vs. league average .737 across their career seasons — 59.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | SLN | NL | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | PHA | AL | 25 | 35 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | .086 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | DET | AL | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .400 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | DET | AL | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 38 | 54 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 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 (76 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 15 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .059 |
| Away | 23 | 37 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | .135 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 15 | 69.2 | 105 | 51 | 21 | 19 | 6.59 |
| Away | 23 | 105.2 | 148 | 75 | 43 | 37 | 6.39 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940-05-21 | DET | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-05-08 | DET | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-04-29 | DET | CLE | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1940-04-19 | DET | CLE | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-10-01 | DET | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-21 | DET | PHA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-16 | DET | NYY | L | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-08 | PHA | MIN | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-04 | PHA | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-03 | PHA | MIN | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940-05-21 | DET | BOS | — | 3.0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1940-05-08 | DET | BOS | L | 4.0 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1940-04-29 | DET | CLE | W | 8.1 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 1940-04-19 | DET | CLE | L | 6.0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 1939-10-01 | DET | CLE | — | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1939-09-21 | DET | PHA | — | 2.1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-16 | DET | NYY | L | 7.2 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1939-09-08 | PHA | MIN | W | 9.0 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1939-09-04 | PHA | NYY | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1939-09-03 | PHA | MIN | L | 1.2 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 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 | 38 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso | TX | 1930 |
Cotton Pippen: the record in brief
August 28, 1936 and May 21, 1940 bracket Cotton Pippen's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Pippen's seasons break down as the St. Louis Cardinals (1936), the Philadelphia Athletics (1939), and the Detroit Tigers (1939 through 1940). Pippen is listed as a pitcher at 180 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. Pippen both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Pippen was born on April 2, 1911, in Cisco, TX, USA. Pippen's death is recorded on February 15, 1981, in Williams, CA, USA. The given name on file is Henry Harold Pippen.
Pippen pitched in 38 games, starting 25, and finished with a 5-16 record and 6.38 ERA. The totals include 55 strikeouts. Against a 4.36 league ERA for the same seasons, the 6.38 mark was 46.3% worse. In 1939, one of the busiest seasons, Pippen posted a 5.99 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.28.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cotton Pippen
- What years did Cotton Pippen play?
- Cotton Pippen played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1940.
- Was Cotton Pippen a pitcher?
- Yes. Cotton Pippen pitched in the major leagues, recording 5 wins and 55 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Cotton Pippen hit?
- Cotton Pippen hit 0 career home runs with 6 hits.
- What teams did Cotton Pippen play for?
- Cotton Pippen played for 3 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1936), the Philadelphia Athletics (1939), and the Detroit Tigers (1939–1940).
- What were Cotton Pippen's career stats?
- In 38 games, Cotton Pippen went 5-16 with a 6.38 ERA, 55 strikeouts, 175.0 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
- What position did Cotton Pippen play?
- Cotton Pippen played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Cotton Pippen and how much did he weigh?
- Cotton Pippen was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 180 pounds.
- What was Cotton Pippen's career ERA?
- Cotton Pippen finished with a 6.38 career ERA, going 5-16 with 55 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Cotton Pippen have?
- Cotton Pippen recorded 55 career strikeouts.
- Is Cotton Pippen in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Cotton Pippen has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.