Elmer Riddle

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1939-1949)

Elmer Riddle was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1949 for the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 11 seasons. Across 190 career appearances, he went 65-52 with a 3.40 ERA and 342 strikeouts. He also batted .204 with 1 home runs. Elmer Riddle was an All-Star.

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 65–52
ERA 3.40
WHIP 1.40
SO 342
Pitcher PIV -9502.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 170 lb
Born
7/31/1914 in Columbus, GA, USA
Died
5/14/1984 in Columbus, GA, USA
MLB Debut
1939-10-01
Last Game
1949-08-03
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Elmer Ray Riddle

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Career Pitching Statistics

Elmer Riddle — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
65 52 190 124 57 13 8 1023.0 974 387 59 458 342 3.40 -9502.5

Career ERA 3.40 vs. league average 3.89 across their career seasons — 12.4% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Elmer Riddle Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1939 CIN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 0 0 0 0.00 — 0.0
1940 CIN NL 1 2 15 1 1 0 2 33.2 30 7 17 9 1.87 4.21 (+56%) 194.7
1941 CIN NL 19 4 33 22 15 4 1 216.2 180 54 59 80 2.24 3.94 (+43%) 2856.7
1942 CIN NL 7 11 29 19 7 1 0 158.1 157 65 79 78 3.69 3.57 (-4%) -675.3
1943 CIN NL 21 11 36 33 19 5 3 260.1 235 76 107 69 2.63 3.50 (+25%) -1133.4
1944 CIN NL 2 2 4 4 2 0 0 26.2 25 12 12 6 4.05 3.57 (-13%) -2.4
1945 CIN NL 1 4 12 3 0 0 0 29.2 39 27 27 5 8.19 3.67 (-123%) -2370.6
1947 CIN NL 1 0 16 3 0 0 0 30.1 42 28 31 8 8.31 3.97 (-109%) -2657.7
1948 PIT NL 12 10 28 27 12 3 1 191.0 184 74 81 63 3.49 4.10 (+15%) -3300.7
1949 PIT NL 1 8 16 12 1 0 1 74.1 81 44 45 24 5.33 4.12 (-29%) -2413.8
Career · 10 seasons 65 52 190 124 57 13 8 1,023.0 974 387 458 342 3.40 — -9,503

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 Riddle — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
191 339 30 69 10 0 1 28 1 19 69 .204 .246 .242 .488 -1,209

Career AVG .204 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 22.4% below league average.

Career OBP .246 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 26.2% below league average.

Career SLG .242 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — 34.6% below league average.

Career OPS .488 vs. league average .703 across their career seasons — 30.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Elmer Riddle Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1939 CIN NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1940 CIN NL 15 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 .143 — — — — 0.0
1941 CIN NL 33 71 10 16 4 0 0 9 0 3 11 .225 .262 (-14%) .332 (-23%) .373 (-24%) .705 (-24%) -274.9
1942 CIN NL 29 58 4 15 1 0 0 5 0 2 12 .259 .253 (+2%) .323 (-12%) .349 (-21%) .672 (-17%) -150.6
1943 CIN NL 36 93 6 18 3 0 0 7 0 5 11 .194 .255 (-24%) .324 (-28%) .346 (-35%) .671 (-31%) -445.1
1944 CIN NL 4 8 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .125 — — — — 0.0
1945 CIN NL 12 11 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .273 — — — — 0.0
1947 CIN NL 16 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1948 PIT NL 29 64 6 12 1 0 1 5 1 4 16 .188 .263 (-29%) .340 (-31%) .379 (-34%) .719 (-33%) -338.6
1949 PIT NL 16 22 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 10 .136 — — — — 0.0
Career · 10 seasons 191 339 30 69 10 0 1 28 1 19 69 .204 — — — — -1,209

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Elmer Riddle — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Elmer Riddle — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1940 WS CIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Elmer Riddle — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 2 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Elmer Riddle — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1940 WS CIN 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 2 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (381 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Elmer Riddle — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home981651028117.170
Away931742041011.236

Pitching — Home / Away

Elmer Riddle — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home97541.14811802171782.99
Away93481.24932062461743.85

Last 10 Games — Batting

Elmer Riddle — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1949-08-03 PITBROL 200000001
1949-07-20 PITBROW 200000001
1949-07-06 PITSTLW 000000000
1949-06-26 PITBROL 000000000
1949-06-23 PITPHIL 100000100
1949-06-18 PITNY1L 200000001
1949-06-11 PITNY1L 201000111
1949-06-05 PITBROW 300000002
1949-05-29 PITSTLW 402000000
1949-05-25 PITBROL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Elmer Riddle — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1949-08-03 PITBRO L 7.0777521
1949-07-20 PITBRO — 4.2333531
1949-07-06 PITSTL — 1.0100300
1949-06-26 PITBRO — 0.1333000
1949-06-23 PITPHI L 5.2855312
1949-06-18 PITNY1 L 7.0522300
1949-06-11 PITNY1 L 8.0944321
1949-06-05 PITBRO — 7.0844542
1949-05-29 PITSTL W 8.21022640
1949-05-25 PITBRO — 3.0200020

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Elmer Riddle — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 190 0 49 184 3 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Elmer Riddle — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1939 CIN P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1940 CIN P 15 0 0 7 0 2
1941 CIN P 33 0 7 43 0 2
1942 CIN P 29 0 7 28 0 3
1943 CIN P 36 0 16 48 1 4
1944 CIN P 4 0 2 8 0 0
1945 CIN P 12 0 1 7 0 1
1947 CIN P 16 0 1 2 0 0
1948 PIT P 28 0 9 37 2 3
1949 PIT P 16 0 6 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Elmer Riddle Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 190

Awards & Honors

Elmer Riddle — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1941 Baseball Magazine All-Star P5
1941 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2

Award Voting History

Elmer Riddle — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1943 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 68.0 336 0
1941 Most Valuable Player NL 5th 98.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Bill James
    65-71, 3.20 ERA
  2. 97
    Vern Bickford
    66-57, 3.71 ERA
  3. 95
    Al Schulz
    47-62, 3.32 ERA
  4. 95
    Bill McGee
    46-41, 3.74 ERA
  5. 95
    Vic Lombardi
    50-51, 3.68 ERA
  6. 95
    Cliff Curtis
    28-61, 3.31 ERA

Elmer Riddle: the record in brief

According to the bio, Elmer Riddle debuted on October 1, 1939 and played a final game on August 3, 1949. By club, Riddle's seasons break down as the Cincinnati Reds (1939 to 1947) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1948 to 1949). At 5 feet, 11 inches and 170 pounds, Riddle is listed as a pitcher. The bio says Riddle both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is July 31, 1914, in Columbus, GA, USA. Riddle's death is recorded on May 14, 1984, in Columbus, GA, USA. The given name on file is Elmer Ray Riddle.

Riddle's career pitching line is 65 wins, 52 losses and a 3.40 ERA over 190 appearances. The same table counts 342 strikeouts, 57 complete games, and 13 shutouts. Against a 3.89 league ERA for the same years, Riddle was 12.4% better. 1943 brought Riddle a season-high 21 wins. The strikeout high was 80 in 1941. 1941 was Riddle's sharpest full season, a 2.24 ERA against the league's 3.94.

Frequently Asked Questions about Elmer Riddle

What years did Elmer Riddle play?
Elmer Riddle played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1949.
Was Elmer Riddle a pitcher?
Yes. Elmer Riddle pitched in the major leagues, recording 65 wins and 342 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Elmer Riddle hit?
Elmer Riddle hit 1 career home run with 69 hits.
What teams did Elmer Riddle play for?
Elmer Riddle played for 2 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1939–1945, 1947) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1948–1949).
What awards did Elmer Riddle win?
Elmer Riddle was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Elmer Riddle's career stats?
In 190 games, Elmer Riddle went 65-52 with a 3.40 ERA, 342 strikeouts, 1,023.0 innings pitched, and 8 saves. At the plate he had 69 hits and 1 home runs.
What position did Elmer Riddle play?
Elmer Riddle played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Elmer Riddle and how much did he weigh?
Elmer Riddle was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 170 pounds.
What was Elmer Riddle's career ERA?
Elmer Riddle finished with a 3.40 career ERA, going 65-52 with 342 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Elmer Riddle have?
Elmer Riddle recorded 342 career strikeouts.
Is Elmer Riddle in the Hall of Fame?
No. Elmer Riddle has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Elmer Riddle make?
Elmer Riddle was selected to 1 All-Star Game.