Henry Porter

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1884-1889)

Henry Porter was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1889 for the Milwaukee Brewers, the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, and the Kansas City Cowboys, a span of 6 seasons. Across 207 career appearances, he went 96-107 with a 3.70 ERA and 659 strikeouts. He also batted .184 with 1 home runs.

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 96–107
ERA 3.70
WHIP 1.32
SO 659
Pitcher PIV -2852.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
— / 142 lb
Born
1858 in Vergennes, VT, USA
Died
12/30/1906 in Brockton, MA, USA
MLB Debut
1884-09-27
Last Game
1889-05-23

Full name: Walter Henry Porter

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Career Pitching Statistics

Henry Porter — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
96 107 207 206 201 9 0 1793.1 1,893 737 43 466 659 3.70 -2852.1

Career ERA 3.70 vs. league average 3.41 across their career seasons — 8.4% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Henry Porter — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1884 MLU UA 3 3 6 6 6 1 0 51.0 32 17 9 71 3.00 3.11 (+3%) 2367.4
1885 BR3 AA 33 21 54 54 53 2 0 481.2 427 149 107 197 2.78 3.03 (+8%) -1129.2
1886 BR3 AA 27 19 48 48 48 1 0 424.0 439 161 120 163 3.42 3.37 (-1%) -974.7
1887 BR3 AA 15 24 40 40 38 1 0 339.2 416 159 96 74 4.21 4.17 (-1%) 1411.6
1888 KC2 AA 18 37 55 54 53 4 0 474.0 527 219 120 145 4.16 2.95 (-41%) -4385.1
1889 KC2 AA 0 3 4 4 3 0 0 23.0 52 32 14 9 12.52 3.93 (-218%) -142.0
Career · 6 seasons 96 107 207 206 201 9 0 1,793.1 1,893 737 466 659 3.70 — -2,852

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

Henry Porter — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
212 770 79 142 13 8 1 52 10 28 63 .184 .213 .226 .439 -3,343

Career AVG .184 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — 26.5% below league average.

Career OBP .213 vs. league average .303 across their career seasons — 29.8% below league average.

Career SLG .226 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 33.3% below league average.

Career OPS .439 vs. league average .642 across their career seasons — 31.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Henry Porter — 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
1884 MLU UA 11 40 3 11 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .275 — — — — 0.0
1885 BR3 AA 54 195 28 40 1 4 0 16 0 5 0 .205 .244 (-16%) .287 (-22%) .325 (-23%) .613 (-22%) -613.3
1886 BR3 AA 48 184 20 33 4 0 0 13 3 4 0 .179 .246 (-27%) .302 (-35%) .331 (-39%) .634 (-37%) -976.7
1887 BR3 AA 40 146 16 29 2 4 1 12 6 10 21 .199 .270 (-27%) .331 (-25%) .373 (-23%) .705 (-24%) -568.2
1888 KC2 AA 55 195 12 28 3 0 0 10 1 8 39 .144 .238 (-40%) .290 (-39%) .319 (-50%) .610 (-45%) -1185.0
1889 KC2 AA 4 10 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 .100 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 212 770 79 142 13 8 1 52 10 28 63 .184 — — — — -3,343

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.

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Henry Porter — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 8 0 0 2
OF 7 0 1 0 0 0
P 207 0 50 375 52 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Henry Porter — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1884 MLU 1B 1 0 8 0 0 2
1884 MLU OF 4 0 1 0 0 0
1884 MLU P 6 0 1 10 0 0
1885 BR3 P 54 0 13 93 7 0
1886 BR3 P 48 0 17 70 15 0
1887 BR3 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1887 BR3 P 40 0 8 63 12 1
1888 KC2 OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1888 KC2 P 55 0 11 133 16 3
1889 KC2 P 4 0 0 6 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Henry Porter — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 207
First Base 1
Left Field 1
Center Field 4
Right 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

Henry Porter (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Scott Stratton
    97-114, 3.87 ERA
  2. 91
    Billy Rhines
    113-103, 3.48 ERA
  3. 87
    Jersey Bakley
    76-125, 3.66 ERA
  4. 84
    Hank O'Day HOF
    73-110, 3.74 ERA
  5. 83
    Hardie Henderson
    81-121, 3.50 ERA
  6. 81
    Willie Sudhoff
    102-135, 3.60 ERA

Henry Porter: the record in brief

The profile opens with Henry Porter's first major league game on September 27, 1884; the last one listed came on May 23, 1889. The team column moves through the Milwaukee Brewers (1884), the Brooklyn Grays (1885 to 1887), and the Kansas City Cowboys (1888 through 1889). Listed as a pitcher, Porter threw and hit right-handed. The birth record reads in 1858, in Vergennes, VT, USA. Porter's death is recorded on December 30, 1906, in Brockton, MA, USA. Henry Porter was the playing name; the full given name is Walter Henry.

Porter pitched in 207 games, starting 206, and finished with a 96-107 record and 3.70 ERA. The same table counts 659 strikeouts, 201 complete games, and 9 shutouts. The league ERA over Porter's seasons was 3.41, so the 3.70 figure ran 8.4% worse than average. The best win total was 33, in 1885. 1885 was Porter's sharpest full season, a 2.78 ERA against the league's 3.03.

Frequently Asked Questions about Henry Porter

What years did Henry Porter play?
Henry Porter played in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1889.
Was Henry Porter a pitcher?
Yes. Henry Porter pitched in the major leagues, recording 96 wins and 659 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Henry Porter hit?
Henry Porter hit 1 career home run with 142 hits.
What teams did Henry Porter play for?
Henry Porter played for 3 teams: the Milwaukee Brewers (1884), the Brooklyn Grays (1885–1887), and the Kansas City Cowboys (1888–1889).
What were Henry Porter's career stats?
In 207 games, Henry Porter went 96-107 with a 3.70 ERA, 659 strikeouts, and 1,793.1 innings pitched. At the plate he had 142 hits and 1 home runs.
What position did Henry Porter play?
Henry Porter played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How much did Henry Porter weigh?
Henry Porter was listed at 142 pounds.
What was Henry Porter's career ERA?
Henry Porter finished with a 3.70 career ERA, going 96-107 with 659 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Henry Porter have?
Henry Porter recorded 659 career strikeouts.
Is Henry Porter in the Hall of Fame?
No. Henry Porter has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.