Elmer Ponder

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1917-1921)

Elmer Ponder was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1917 to 1921 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs, a span of 5 seasons. Across 69 career appearances, he went 17-27 with a 3.21 ERA and 113 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 2629.9.

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 17–27
ERA 3.21
WHIP 1.23
SO 113
Pitcher PIV 2629.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 178 lb
Born
6/26/1893 in Reed, OK, USA
Died
4/20/1974 in Albuquerque, NM, USA
MLB Debut
1917-09-18
Last Game
1921-09-21

Full name: Charles Elmer Ponder

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Career Pitching Statistics

Elmer Ponder — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
17 27 69 42 20 3 0 378.2 395 135 11 72 113 3.21 2629.9

Career ERA 3.21 vs. league average 3.35 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Elmer Ponder — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1917 PIT NL 1 1 3 2 1 1 0 21.1 12 4 6 11 1.69 2.69 (+37%) 244.3
1919 PIT NL 0 5 9 5 0 0 0 47.1 55 21 6 6 3.99 3.09 (-29%) 314.1
1920 PIT NL 11 15 33 23 13 2 0 196.0 182 57 40 62 2.62 3.45 (+24%) 2261.0
1921 PIT NL 2 0 8 1 1 0 0 24.2 29 6 3 3 2.19 4.02 (+46%) 127.5
1921 CHN NL 3 6 16 11 5 0 0 89.1 117 47 17 31 4.74 4.02 (-18%) -316.9
Career · 5 seasons 17 27 69 42 20 3 0 378.2 395 135 72 113 3.21 — 2,630

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

Elmer Ponder — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
69 124 2 13 2 0 0 5 0 2 50 .105 .119 .121 .240 -541

Career AVG .105 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — 61.0% below league average.

Career OBP .119 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 63.8% below league average.

Career SLG .121 vs. league average .360 across their career seasons — 66.4% below league average.

Career OPS .240 vs. league average .689 across their career seasons — 65.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Elmer Ponder — 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
1917 PIT NL 3 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 .000 — — — — 0.0
1919 PIT NL 9 15 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 .133 — — — — 0.0
1920 PIT NL 33 59 2 7 1 0 0 3 0 2 24 .119 .271 (-56%) .331 (-56%) .363 (-63%) .694 (-59%) -541.1
1921 PIT NL 8 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 .000 — — — — 0.0
1921 CHN NL 16 33 0 4 1 0 0 2 0 0 9 .121 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 69 124 2 13 2 0 0 5 0 2 50 .105 — — — — -541

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 (138 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Elmer Ponder — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home38540304.056
Away317021001.143

Pitching — Home / Away

Elmer Ponder — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home38190.22087240603.40
Away31188.01876332533.02

Last 10 Games — Batting

Elmer Ponder — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1921-09-21 CHCNY1L 000000000
1921-09-17 CHCBROW 100000001
1921-09-11 CHCSTLL 201000101
1921-09-05 CHCSTLL 100000000
1921-08-30 CHCNY1L 000000000
1921-08-27 CHCBROL 201100001
1921-08-22 CHCPHIL 400000001
1921-08-17 CHCBSNW 400000001
1921-08-09 CHCNY1W 101000100
1921-08-04 CHCBSNL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Elmer Ponder — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1921-09-21 CHCNY1 — 2.0211020
1921-09-17 CHCBRO — 3.0311011
1921-09-11 CHCSTL — 6.2711040
1921-09-05 CHCSTL L 2.2644100
1921-08-30 CHCNY1 — 0.1000000
1921-08-27 CHCBRO L 6.01177210
1921-08-22 CHCPHI L 11.0721371
1921-08-17 CHCBSN W 9.01144042
1921-08-09 CHCNY1 — 4.0864102
1921-08-04 CHCBSN — 0.2241200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Elmer Ponder — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 69 0 17 106 8 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Elmer Ponder — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1917 PIT P 3 0 0 1 0 0
1919 PIT P 9 0 1 12 3 0
1920 PIT P 33 0 13 55 3 2
1921 PIT P 8 0 0 7 0 2
1921 CHN P 16 0 3 31 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Elmer Ponder — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 69

College History

Elmer Ponder — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Oklahoma Norman OK 1913, 1914, 1915

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Elmer Ponder (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jake Thielman
    30-28, 3.16 ERA
  2. 91
    Marv Goodwin
    21-25, 3.30 ERA
  3. 79
    Beany Jacobson
    22-46, 3.19 ERA
  4. 73
    Win Kellum
    20-16, 3.19 ERA
  5. 72
    Ralph Stroud
    20-20, 2.94 ERA
  6. 71
    Mark Fidrych
    29-19, 3.10 ERA

Elmer Ponder: the record in brief

Between the debut on September 18, 1917 and the final game on September 21, 1921, Elmer Ponder built the record summarized on this page. By club, Ponder's seasons break down as the Pittsburgh Pirates (1917 through 1921) and the Chicago Cubs (1921). Ponder, born on June 26, 1893, in Reed, OK, USA, is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Ponder's listed size is 6'0" and 178 pounds. The bio records the death on April 20, 1974, in Albuquerque, NM, USA. Elmer Ponder was the playing name; the full given name is Charles Elmer.

Ponder's career pitching line is 17 wins, 27 losses and a 3.21 ERA over 69 appearances. Ponder had 113 strikeouts and 20 complete games. Ponder's 3.21 ERA was close to the 3.35 league figure for those seasons. Ponder won 11 games in 1920, the most of any season listed. 1920 was Ponder's sharpest full season, a 2.62 ERA against the league's 3.45.

Frequently Asked Questions about Elmer Ponder

What years did Elmer Ponder play?
Elmer Ponder played in Major League Baseball from 1917 to 1921.
Was Elmer Ponder a pitcher?
Yes. Elmer Ponder pitched in the major leagues, recording 17 wins and 113 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Elmer Ponder hit?
Elmer Ponder hit 0 career home runs with 13 hits.
What teams did Elmer Ponder play for?
Elmer Ponder played for 2 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1917, 1919–1921) and the Chicago Cubs (1921).
What were Elmer Ponder's career stats?
In 69 games, Elmer Ponder went 17-27 with a 3.21 ERA, 113 strikeouts, and 378.2 innings pitched.
What position did Elmer Ponder play?
Elmer Ponder played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Elmer Ponder and how much did he weigh?
Elmer Ponder was listed at 6 feet and 178 pounds.
What was Elmer Ponder's career ERA?
Elmer Ponder finished with a 3.21 career ERA, going 17-27 with 113 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Elmer Ponder have?
Elmer Ponder recorded 113 career strikeouts.
Is Elmer Ponder in the Hall of Fame?
No. Elmer Ponder has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.