Reb Russell

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1913-1923)

Reb Russell was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1923 for the Chicago White Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 11 seasons. Across 242 career appearances, he went 81-59 with a 2.33 ERA and 495 strikeouts. He also batted .268 with 22 home runs. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 896.

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 81–59
ERA 2.33
WHIP 1.08
SO 495
Pitcher PIV 16730.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
5'11" / 185 lb
Born
3/12/1889 in Jackson, MS, USA
Died
9/30/1973 in Indianapolis, IN, USA
MLB Debut
1913-04-18
Last Game
1923-09-30

Full name: Ewell Albert Russell

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Career Pitching Statistics

Reb Russell — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
81 59 242 148 81 24 13 1291.2 1,128 335 7 267 495 2.33 16730.5

Career ERA 2.33 vs. league average 2.90 across their career seasons — 19.4% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Reb Russell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1913 CHA AL 22 16 52 36 26 8 4 316.2 250 67 79 122 1.90 3.07 (+38%) 2892.8
1914 CHA AL 8 12 38 23 8 1 1 167.1 168 54 33 79 2.90 2.93 (+1%) 2314.0
1915 CHA AL 11 10 41 25 10 3 2 229.1 215 66 47 90 2.59 2.90 (+11%) 3451.4
1916 CHA AL 18 11 56 25 16 5 3 264.1 207 71 42 112 2.42 2.78 (+13%) 5026.3
1917 CHA AL 15 5 35 24 11 5 3 189.1 170 41 32 54 1.95 2.69 (+28%) 1917.8
1918 CHA AL 7 5 19 15 10 2 0 124.2 117 36 33 38 2.60 2.83 (+8%) 1128.3
1919 CHA AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 1 0 0.00 — 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 81 59 242 148 81 24 13 1,291.2 1,128 335 267 495 2.33 — 16,730

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

Reb Russell — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
420 976 142 262 48 25 22 172 9 42 130 .268 .309 .436 .745 896

Career AVG .268 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .309 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 5.2% below league average.

Career SLG .436 vs. league average .349 across their career seasons — +25.0% above league average.

Career OPS .745 vs. league average .675 across their career seasons — +10.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Reb Russell 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
1913 CHA AL 52 106 9 20 5 3 1 7 0 1 29 .189 .259 (-27%) .325 (-37%) .345 (-7%) .670 (-22%) -406.1
1914 CHA AL 46 64 6 17 1 1 0 7 0 1 14 .266 .255 (+4%) .322 (-14%) .339 (-8%) .661 (-11%) -122.2
1915 CHA AL 45 86 11 21 2 3 0 7 1 4 14 .244 .250 (-3%) .318 (-8%) .332 (+1%) .651 (-3%) -63.0
1916 CHA AL 56 91 9 13 2 0 0 6 1 0 18 .143 .248 (-43%) .314 (-52%) .326 (-50%) .640 (-51%) -670.2
1917 CHA AL 39 68 5 19 3 3 0 9 0 2 10 .279 .248 (+12%) .312 (-4%) .323 (+27%) .635 (+12%) 74.2
1918 CHA AL 27 50 2 7 3 0 0 3 0 0 6 .140 .255 (-45%) .318 (-51%) .326 (-39%) .645 (-45%) -336.1
1919 CHA AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1922 PIT NL 60 220 51 81 14 8 12 75 4 14 18 .368 .285 (+29%) .345 (+22%) .397 (+68%) .743 (+47%) 1800.3
1923 PIT NL 94 291 49 84 18 7 9 58 3 20 21 .289 .282 (+2%) .344 (-1%) .390 (+26%) .734 (+13%) 618.5
Career · 9 seasons 420 976 142 262 48 25 22 172 9 42 130 .268 — — — — 896

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

Reb Russell — 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

Reb Russell — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1917 WS CHA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Reb Russell — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 1 0 0.0 2 2 1 0 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Reb Russell — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1917 WS CHA 0 0 1 1 0 0.0 2 2 1 0 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (664 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Reb Russell — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home217467521271089.272
Away205507891341282.264

Pitching — Home / Away

Reb Russell — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home132714.16011801362982.27
Away110575.25351641352032.56

Last 10 Games — Batting

Reb Russell — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1923-09-30 PITCHCL 412101200
1923-09-29 PITCHCL 401000000
1923-09-28 PITCHCL 101000000
1923-09-27 PITCHCL 100000000
1923-09-24 PITPHIL 100000000
1923-09-21 PITNY1L 100000000
1923-09-19 PITBSNL 513001100
1923-09-18 PITBSNW 501000200
1923-09-15 PITBROL 401000100
1923-09-09 PITCINL 100000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Reb Russell — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1919-06-13 CHWBOS — 0.0100100
1918-08-31 CHWCLE L 9.0522320
1918-08-25 CHWMIN L 8.0966270
1918-08-14 CHWBOS L 8.01254330
1918-08-11 CHWCLE — 0.1100000
1918-08-06 CHWNYY — 8.1844420
1918-08-01 CHWMIN W 9.0511110
1918-07-28 CHWBOS W 9.0600160
1918-07-25 CHWBOS W 9.0822130
1918-07-19 CHWMIN — 4.2422420

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Reb Russell — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 138 0 276 9 9 2
P 242 0 41 325 12 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Reb Russell — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1913 CHA P 52 0 10 69 4 3
1914 CHA P 38 0 3 50 3 0
1915 CHA P 41 0 11 56 2 1
1916 CHA P 56 0 4 71 2 2
1917 CHA OF 1 0 3 0 0 0
1917 CHA P 35 0 11 51 1 2
1918 CHA OF 1 0 2 0 0 0
1918 CHA P 19 0 2 28 0 1
1919 CHA P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1922 PIT OF 60 0 115 5 4 2
1923 PIT OF 76 0 156 4 5 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Reb Russell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 242
Left Field 6
Right Field 132

Award Voting History

Reb Russell — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1913 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 5.0 64 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Reb Russell (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    George McQuillan
    85-89, 2.38 ERA
  2. 97
    Ray Collins
    84-62, 2.51 ERA
  3. 92
    Nick Altrock
    83-75, 2.65 ERA
  4. 90
    Joe Benz
    76-75, 2.43 ERA
  5. 90
    Frank Owen
    82-67, 2.55 ERA
  6. 88
    Russ Ford
    99-71, 2.59 ERA

Reb Russell: the record in brief

According to the bio, Reb Russell debuted on April 18, 1913 and played a final game on September 30, 1923. Russell played for the Chicago White Sox (1913 to 1919) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1922 to 1923). Russell played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw left-handed. Born on March 12, 1889, in Jackson, MS, USA, Russell was listed at 185 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Russell's death is recorded on September 30, 1973, in Indianapolis, IN, USA. Reb Russell was the playing name; the full given name is Ewell Albert.

Russell's career pitching line is 81 wins, 59 losses and a 2.33 ERA over 242 appearances. The same table counts 495 strikeouts, 81 complete games, 24 shutouts, and 13 saves. The leagues Russell pitched in allowed 2.90 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 19.4% better than average. 1913 brought Russell a season-high 22 wins. 1913 was Russell's sharpest full season, a 1.90 ERA against the league's 3.07.

Frequently Asked Questions about Reb Russell

What years did Reb Russell play?
Reb Russell played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1923.
Was Reb Russell a pitcher?
Yes. Reb Russell pitched in the major leagues, recording 81 wins and 495 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Reb Russell hit?
Reb Russell hit 22 career home runs with 262 hits.
What teams did Reb Russell play for?
Reb Russell played for 2 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1913–1919) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1922–1923).
What were Reb Russell's career stats?
In 242 games, Reb Russell went 81-59 with a 2.33 ERA, 495 strikeouts, 1,291.2 innings pitched, and 13 saves. At the plate he had 262 hits and 22 home runs.
What position did Reb Russell play?
Reb Russell played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Reb Russell and how much did he weigh?
Reb Russell was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 185 pounds.
What was Reb Russell's career ERA?
Reb Russell finished with a 2.33 career ERA, going 81-59 with 495 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Reb Russell have?
Reb Russell recorded 495 career strikeouts.
Is Reb Russell in the Hall of Fame?
No. Reb Russell has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.