Mule Shirley
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1924-1925)
Mule Shirley was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1924 to 1925 for the Washington Senators, a span of 2 seasons. In 44 career games, he hit .210 with 21 hits and 18 RBI.
- 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 180 lb
- Died
- 8/3/1955 in Goldsboro, NC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1924-05-06
- Last Game
- 1925-07-12
Full name: Ernest Raeford Shirley
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 100 | 14 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 14 | .210 | .240 | .280 | .520 | -293 |
Career AVG .210 vs. league average .286 across their career seasons — 26.6% below league average.
Career OBP .240 vs. league average .348 across their career seasons — 30.8% below league average.
Career SLG .280 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — 29.7% below league average.
Career OPS .520 vs. league average .746 across their career seasons — 30.2% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | WS1 | AL | 30 | 77 | 12 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 7 | .234 | .283 (-18%) | .345 (-24%) | .389 (-20%) | .734 (-22%) | -293.4 |
| 1925 | WS1 | AL | 14 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .130 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 44 | 100 | 14 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 14 | .210 | — | — | — | — | -293 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (44 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 13 | 25 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 2 | .280 |
| Away | 31 | 75 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 15 | .187 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925-07-12 | MIN | SLA | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-07-11 | MIN | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1925-05-28 | MIN | PHA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1925-05-23 | MIN | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-05-18 | MIN | CLE | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1925-05-17 | MIN | CLE | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1925-05-16 | MIN | CLE | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-05-12 | MIN | SLA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-05-08 | MIN | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-05-05 | MIN | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 34 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | NC | 1921, 1922, 1923 |
Mule Shirley: the record in brief
According to the bio, Mule Shirley debuted on May 6, 1924 and played a final game on July 12, 1925. All of the seasons listed were played for the Washington Senators. Shirley played primarily as a first baseman and batted and threw left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on May 24, 1901, in Snow Hill, NC, USA and a listed size of 5 feet, 11 inches and 180 pounds. The bio records the death on August 3, 1955, in Goldsboro, NC, USA. The given name on file is Ernest Raeford Shirley.
The batting record for Shirley: 44 games, 21 hits in 100 at bats, and a .210 average; the totals also include 18 runs batted in. Shirley's career OPS of .520 combines a .240 on-base mark with .280 slugging. Set against a .286 league average for the same years, Shirley's .210 average sits 26.6% below it. The highest hit total in a season was 18, in 1924. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .234 in 1924, did not top the league's .283.
In the postseason, Shirley batted .500 over 3 games, collecting 1 hits, with 1 RBI. Those games came in 1924, in the World Series.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mule Shirley
- What years did Mule Shirley play?
- Mule Shirley played in Major League Baseball from 1924 to 1925.
- Was Mule Shirley a pitcher?
- No. Mule Shirley was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Mule Shirley hit?
- Mule Shirley hit 0 career home runs with 21 hits.
- What teams did Mule Shirley play for?
- Mule Shirley played for one team, the Washington Senators (1924–1925).
- What were Mule Shirley's career stats?
- In 44 games, Mule Shirley had 21 hits, 18 RBI, and 14 runs, with a .210 batting average.
- What position did Mule Shirley play?
- Mule Shirley played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Mule Shirley and how much did he weigh?
- Mule Shirley was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 180 pounds.
- What was Mule Shirley's career batting average?
- Mule Shirley batted .210 over his career, with 21 hits in 100 at bats.
- How many RBI did Mule Shirley have?
- Mule Shirley drove in 18 runs in his career.
- Is Mule Shirley in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Mule Shirley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.