Pythias Russ
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Pythias Russ was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for the Memphis Red Sox, the Birmingham Black Barons, and the Chicago American Giants. In 310 career games, he hit .326 with 373 hits, 14 home runs, and 209 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,521.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Died
- 8/9/1930 in Cynthiana, KY, USA
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 310 | 1,144 | 214 | 373 | 66 | 26 | 14 | 209 | 51 | 69 | 2 | .326 | .372 | .466 | .838 | 2,521 |
Career AVG .326 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — +14.8% above league average.
Career OBP .372 vs. league average .347 across their career seasons — +7.0% above league average.
Career SLG .466 vs. league average .400 across their career seasons — +16.4% above league average.
Career OPS .838 vs. league average .747 across their career seasons — +12.1% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | MRS | NNL | 39 | 127 | 23 | 40 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .315 | .288 (+9%) | .349 (avg) | .407 (+3%) | .756 (+1%) | 23.6 |
| 1925 | BBB | NNL | 3 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 23.6 |
| 1926 | CAG | NNL | 49 | 178 | 33 | 49 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 33 | 4 | 15 | 1 | .275 | .279 (-2%) | .345 (-1%) | .390 (+17%) | .735 (+8%) | 205.5 |
| 1927 | CAG | NNL | 85 | 319 | 51 | 103 | 30 | 3 | 4 | 51 | 20 | 25 | 0 | .323 | .282 (+14%) | .344 (+9%) | .392 (+21%) | .736 (+15%) | 868.7 |
| 1928 | CAG | NNL | 70 | 274 | 54 | 93 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 48 | 9 | 9 | 1 | .339 | .280 (+21%) | .342 (+8%) | .395 (+9%) | .737 (+9%) | 425.6 |
| 1929 | CAG | NNL | 64 | 235 | 53 | 86 | 11 | 11 | 3 | 55 | 15 | 13 | 0 | .366 | .289 (+26%) | .353 (+16%) | .415 (+31%) | .769 (+24%) | 997.2 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 310 | 1,144 | 214 | 373 | 66 | 26 | 14 | 209 | 51 | 69 | 2 | .326 | — | — | — | — | 2,544 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 5 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| Away | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .500 |
Last 6 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-06-29 | CAG | KCM | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-06-09 | CAG | SSN | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-08-14 | CAG | MEM | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-07-30 | CAG | SSN | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926-07-13 | CAG | DAY | W | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-08-29 | MEM | BIR | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 15 | 3 | 52 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | 140 | 109 | 607 | 92 | 17 | 7 |
| OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 157 | 152 | 335 | 540 | 56 | 43 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | MRS | 1B | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | MRS | C | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | MRS | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | MRS | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | BBB | 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926 | CAG | C | 48 | 47 | 294 | 38 | 6 | 5 |
| 1927 | CAG | 1B | 5 | 3 | 51 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 1927 | CAG | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927 | CAG | C | 32 | 30 | 166 | 30 | 4 | 1 |
| 1927 | CAG | SS | 53 | 52 | 86 | 169 | 14 | 13 |
| 1928 | CAG | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928 | CAG | C | 9 | 7 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1928 | CAG | SS | 62 | 61 | 147 | 210 | 24 | 20 |
| 1929 | CAG | C | 25 | 25 | 110 | 22 | 6 | 1 |
| 1929 | CAG | SS | 41 | 39 | 102 | 161 | 18 | 10 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 140 |
| First Base | 15 |
| Second Base | 1 |
| Shortstop | 157 |
| Left Field | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Pythias Russ: the record in brief
Pythias Russ's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1925 to 1929. Russ played for the Memphis Red Sox (1925), the Birmingham Black Barons (1925), and the Chicago American Giants (1926 to 1929). Russ, born on April 7, 1904, in Cynthiana, KY, USA, is listed as a shortstop and threw and hit right-handed. Russ died on August 9, 1930, in Cynthiana, KY, USA.
Russ's career batting table shows 310 games, 1,144 at bats and 373 hits, a .326 average, adding 14 homers, 209 RBI, and 51 stolen bases. Russ got on base at a .372 rate and slugged .466 (.838 OPS). Set against a .284 league average for the same years, Russ's .326 average sits 14.8% above it. The hits column peaks at 103, in 1927. Russ drove in a season-high 55 runs in 1929. On the bases, the high point was 20 steals in 1927.
Frequently Asked Questions about Pythias Russ
- Was Pythias Russ a pitcher?
- No. Pythias Russ was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Pythias Russ hit?
- Pythias Russ hit 14 career home runs with 373 hits.
- What teams did Pythias Russ play for?
- Pythias Russ played for 3 teams: the Memphis Red Sox (1925), the Birmingham Black Barons (1925), and the Chicago American Giants (1926–1929).
- What were Pythias Russ's career stats?
- In 310 games, Pythias Russ had 373 hits, 14 home runs, 209 RBI, 214 runs, and 51 stolen bases, with a .326 batting average.
- What position did Pythias Russ play?
- Pythias Russ played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How many home runs did Pythias Russ hit each season?
- Pythias Russ's home runs by season: 2 in 1925, 3 in 1926, 4 in 1927, 2 in 1928, and 3 in 1929. His most in one season was 4, in 1927.
- What was Pythias Russ's career batting average?
- Pythias Russ batted .326 over his career, with 373 hits in 1,144 at bats.
- How many RBI did Pythias Russ have?
- Pythias Russ drove in 209 runs in his career.
- Is Pythias Russ in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Pythias Russ has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.