Bob Rush

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1948-1960)

Bob Rush was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1960 for the Chicago Cubs, the Milwaukee Braves, and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 13 seasons. Across 417 career appearances, he went 127-152 with a 3.65 ERA and 1,244 strikeouts. He also batted .173 with 4 home runs. Bob Rush was a 2-time All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 35738.9.

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 127–152
ERA 3.65
WHIP 1.29
SO 1,244
Pitcher PIV 35738.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 205 lb
Born
12/21/1925 in Battle Creek, MI, USA
Died
3/19/2011 in Mesa, AZ, USA
MLB Debut
1948-04-22
Last Game
1960-08-07
Awards
2× All-Star

Full name: Robert Ransom Rush

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bob Rush — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
127 152 417 321 118 16 8 2410.2 2,327 977 177 789 1,244 3.65 35738.9

Career ERA 3.65 vs. league average 3.98 across their career seasons — 8.4% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Rush Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1948 CHN NL 5 11 36 16 4 0 0 133.1 153 58 37 72 3.91 4.10 (+5%) 2656.8
1949 CHN NL 10 18 35 27 9 1 4 201.0 197 91 79 80 4.07 4.12 (+1%) 3025.8
1950 CHN NL 13 20 39 34 19 1 1 254.2 261 105 93 93 3.71 4.36 (+15%) 5221.8
1951 CHN NL 11 12 37 29 12 2 2 211.1 212 90 68 129 3.83 4.04 (+5%) 4360.9
1952 CHN NL 17 13 34 32 17 4 0 250.1 205 75 81 157 2.70 3.70 (+27%) 5256.3
1953 CHN NL 9 14 29 28 8 1 0 166.2 177 84 66 84 4.54 4.14 (-10%) -207.7
1954 CHN NL 13 15 33 32 11 0 0 236.1 213 99 103 124 3.77 3.90 (+3%) 3214.4
1955 CHN NL 13 11 33 33 14 3 0 234.0 204 91 73 130 3.50 4.00 (+12%) 4452.6
1956 CHN NL 13 10 32 32 13 1 0 239.2 210 85 59 104 3.19 3.96 (+19%) 455.1
1957 CHN NL 6 16 31 29 5 0 0 205.1 211 100 66 103 4.38 3.83 (-14%) 2001.0
1958 ML1 NL 10 6 28 20 5 2 0 147.1 142 56 31 84 3.42 3.86 (+11%) 2762.3
1959 ML1 NL 5 6 31 9 1 1 0 101.1 102 27 23 64 2.40 3.90 (+39%) 3293.5
1960 ML1 NL 2 0 10 0 0 0 1 15.0 24 7 5 8 4.20 3.82 (-10%) -141.2
1960 CHA AL 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 14.1 16 9 5 12 5.65 3.82 (-48%) -612.7
Career · 14 seasons 127 152 417 321 118 16 8 2,410.2 2,327 977 789 1,244 3.65 — 35,739

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

Bob Rush — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
420 807 50 140 21 3 4 49 1 31 298 .173 .204 .222 .426 -4,582

Career AVG .173 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 33.2% below league average.

Career OBP .204 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 38.7% below league average.

Career SLG .222 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 43.0% below league average.

Career OPS .426 vs. league average .722 across their career seasons — 41.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Rush 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
1948 CHN NL 38 39 1 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 .128 — — — — 0.0
1949 CHN NL 35 63 4 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 19 .032 .262 (-88%) .343 (-86%) .384 (-92%) .727 (-89%) -909.1
1950 CHN NL 40 90 6 15 2 0 1 5 1 3 36 .167 .265 (-37%) .346 (-44%) .401 (-45%) .747 (-44%) -673.9
1951 CHN NL 37 68 5 13 2 0 0 2 0 1 20 .191 .260 (-27%) .336 (-40%) .385 (-43%) .721 (-41%) -458.6
1952 CHN NL 34 96 5 28 5 1 0 15 0 1 35 .292 .252 (+15%) .326 (-8%) .369 (-1%) .696 (-5%) -106.4
1953 CHN NL 29 54 2 6 0 1 0 5 0 3 23 .111 .264 (-58%) .335 (-53%) .397 (-63%) .733 (-58%) -518.5
1954 CHN NL 33 83 6 23 4 1 2 9 0 3 23 .277 .261 (+6%) .333 (-9%) .390 (+8%) .723 (avg) -24.8
1955 CHN NL 33 82 6 9 2 0 1 5 0 6 40 .110 .258 (-58%) .332 (-49%) .393 (-57%) .726 (-53%) -704.7
1956 CHN NL 32 82 6 8 1 0 0 2 0 6 37 .098 .258 (-62%) .331 (-52%) .397 (-72%) .728 (-63%) -830.2
1957 CHN NL 31 69 3 14 3 0 0 3 0 3 26 .203 .257 (-21%) .323 (-27%) .391 (-37%) .715 (-33%) -355.6
1958 ML1 NL 28 45 2 9 1 0 0 1 0 3 14 .200 — — — — 0.0
1959 ML1 NL 31 32 2 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 .188 — — — — 0.0
1960 ML1 NL 10 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .333 — — — — 0.0
1960 CHA AL 9 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 14 seasons 420 807 50 140 21 3 4 49 1 31 298 .173 — — — — -4,582

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

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

Playoff Batting by Year

Bob Rush — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1958 WS ML1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Bob Rush — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 1 1 0 6.0 3 2 5 2 3.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Bob Rush — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1958 WS ML1 0 1 1 1 0 6.0 3 2 5 2 3.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (835 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bob Rush — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2033732463128.169
Away2164342678323.180

Pitching — Home / Away

Bob Rush — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home2021176.011524854006573.71
Away2141233.211834943875933.60

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bob Rush — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1960-08-07 CHWMINW 000000000
1960-08-02 CHWBALL 000000000
1960-07-29 CHWMINL 000000000
1960-07-24 CHWNYYL 000000000
1960-07-04 CHWDETL 000000000
1960-07-01 CHWBALL 000000000
1960-06-25 CHWBOSW 000000000
1960-06-19 CHWNYYL 000000000
1960-06-18 CHWNYYL 111000000
1960-06-10 ATLSFGL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bob Rush — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1960-08-07 CHWMIN — 0.2110101
1960-08-02 CHWBAL — 2.0000140
1960-07-29 CHWMIN — 1.0211120
1960-07-24 CHWNYY — 2.0311030
1960-07-04 CHWDET — 2.0111101
1960-07-01 CHWBAL — 1.0322100
1960-06-25 CHWBOS — 1.0100000
1960-06-19 CHWNYY — 2.0000030
1960-06-18 CHWNYY — 2.2544002
1960-06-10 ATLSFG — 2.0211110

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bob Rush — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 417 155 171 428 28 24

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bob Rush — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1948 CHN P 36 0 3 31 3 0
1949 CHN P 35 0 17 37 2 1
1950 CHN P 39 0 24 51 1 4
1951 CHN P 37 0 18 39 5 2
1952 CHN P 34 0 13 54 4 4
1953 CHN P 29 0 13 28 0 3
1954 CHN P 33 32 15 54 3 4
1955 CHN P 33 33 16 43 1 1
1956 CHN P 32 32 14 34 2 2
1957 CHN P 31 29 15 25 3 1
1958 ML1 P 28 20 12 14 1 1
1959 ML1 P 31 9 9 13 3 0
1960 ML1 P 10 0 2 1 0 1
1960 CHA P 9 0 0 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bob Rush Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 417

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bob Rush (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Mike McCormick
    134-128, 3.73 ERA
  2. 96
    Ed Whitson
    126-123, 3.79 ERA
  3. 93
    Joaquin Andujar
    127-118, 3.58 ERA
  4. 87
    Don Cardwell
    102-138, 3.92 ERA
  5. 84
    Dick Ellsworth
    115-137, 3.72 ERA
  6. 83
    Jim Lonborg
    157-137, 3.86 ERA

Compare Bob Rush

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Rush's closest peers by position and era.

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vs Robin Roberts
vs Bob Feller
vs Whitey Ford
vs Bob Friend
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Bob Rush: the record in brief

Bob Rush's major league career runs from a debut on April 22, 1948 to a final game on August 7, 1960. The season rows list, in order, the Chicago Cubs (1948 through 1957), the Milwaukee Braves (1958 to 1960), and the Chicago White Sox (1960). Rush is listed as a pitcher at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds. Rush threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is December 21, 1925, in Battle Creek, MI, USA. Rush died on March 19, 2011, in Mesa, AZ, USA. On the record, Bob Rush was born Robert Ransom Rush.

Across 417 games (321 starts), Rush recorded 127 wins against 152 losses with a 3.65 ERA. The same table counts 1,244 strikeouts, 118 complete games, and 16 shutouts. Against a 3.98 league ERA for the same years, Rush was 8.4% better. 1952 brought Rush a season-high 17 wins. 1952 was Rush's sharpest full season, a 2.70 ERA against the league's 3.70.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bob Rush

What years did Bob Rush play?
Bob Rush played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1960.
Was Bob Rush a pitcher?
Yes. Bob Rush pitched in the major leagues, recording 127 wins and 1244 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bob Rush hit?
Bob Rush hit 4 career home runs with 140 hits.
What was Bob Rush's career batting average?
Bob Rush batted .173 over his career, with 140 hits in 807 at bats.
How many RBI did Bob Rush have?
Bob Rush drove in 49 runs in his career.
What was Bob Rush's career ERA?
Bob Rush finished with a 3.65 career ERA, going 127-152 with 1,244 strikeouts.