Tully Sparks

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1897-1910)

Tully Sparks was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1910 for 5 teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 14 seasons. Across 314 career appearances, he went 121-137 with a 2.82 ERA and 780 strikeouts. He also batted .115 with 0 home runs.

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 121–137
ERA 2.82
WHIP 1.23
SO 780
Pitcher PIV -2045.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 160 lb
Born
12/12/1874 in Etna, GA, USA
Died
7/15/1937 in Anniston, AL, USA
MLB Debut
1897-09-15
Last Game
1910-06-08

Full name: Thomas Frank Sparks

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Career Pitching Statistics

Tully Sparks — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
121 137 314 270 203 19 8 2343.2 2,250 734 33 630 780 2.82 -2045.2

Career ERA 2.82 vs. league average 2.95 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tully Sparks Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1897 PHI NL 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 8.0 12 9 4 0 10.12 — 0.0
1899 PIT NL 8 6 28 17 8 0 0 170.0 180 73 82 53 3.86 3.85 (avg) -704.4
1901 MLA AL 7 17 29 26 18 0 0 210.0 228 82 93 62 3.51 3.49 (-1%) -3606.8
1902 NY1 NL 4 10 16 14 12 0 1 123.0 142 57 41 42 4.17 3.17 (-31%) -376.7
1902 BOS AL 7 9 17 15 15 1 0 142.2 151 55 40 37 3.47 3.17 (-9%) -1179.2
1903 PHI NL 11 15 28 28 27 0 0 248.0 248 75 56 88 2.72 3.10 (+12%) 867.6
1904 PHI NL 7 16 26 25 19 3 0 200.2 208 59 43 67 2.65 2.66 (avg) 663.5
1905 PHI NL 14 11 34 26 20 3 1 259.2 217 63 73 98 2.18 2.82 (+23%) 11.9
1906 PHI NL 19 16 42 37 29 6 3 316.2 244 76 62 114 2.16 2.68 (+19%) 1477.1
1907 PHI NL 22 8 33 31 24 3 1 265.0 221 59 51 90 2.00 2.50 (+20%) 1722.7
1908 PHI NL 16 15 33 31 24 2 2 263.1 251 76 51 85 2.60 2.40 (-8%) 662.2
1909 PHI NL 6 11 24 16 6 1 0 121.2 126 40 32 40 2.96 2.55 (-16%) -996.8
1910 PHI NL 0 2 3 3 0 0 0 15.0 22 10 2 4 6.00 2.79 (-115%) -586.3
Career · 13 seasons 121 137 314 270 203 19 8 2,343.2 2,250 734 630 780 2.82 — -2,045

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

Tully Sparks — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
314 801 45 92 16 4 0 41 0 52 203 .115 .172 .145 .317 -5,302

Career AVG .115 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 55.2% below league average.

Career OBP .172 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 45.6% below league average.

Career SLG .145 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 56.4% below league average.

Career OPS .317 vs. league average .648 across their career seasons — 51.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tully Sparks 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
1897 PHI NL 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1899 PIT NL 28 62 8 8 2 1 0 5 0 9 20 .129 .282 (-54%) .343 (-30%) .366 (-47%) .710 (-39%) -383.2
1901 MLA AL 29 71 3 12 2 1 0 4 0 5 14 .169 .271 (-38%) .326 (-25%) .359 (-37%) .686 (-32%) -338.5
1902 NY1 NL 16 40 3 6 1 0 0 1 0 5 10 .150 — — — — 0.0
1902 BOS AL 17 52 2 8 2 0 0 5 0 4 7 .154 .266 (-42%) .321 (-33%) .343 (-44%) .665 (-39%) 0.0
1903 PHI NL 28 92 7 10 2 0 0 5 0 5 26 .109 .261 (-58%) .316 (-51%) .345 (-62%) .662 (-57%) -771.5
1904 PHI NL 26 76 6 8 1 0 0 2 0 2 14 .105 .246 (-57%) .300 (-57%) .321 (-63%) .622 (-60%) -638.3
1905 PHI NL 34 94 8 12 2 1 0 5 0 4 21 .128 .248 (-49%) .307 (-47%) .322 (-47%) .629 (-47%) -637.8
1906 PHI NL 42 104 6 16 4 1 0 9 0 7 20 .154 .247 (-38%) .307 (-33%) .315 (-33%) .622 (-33%) -491.1
1907 PHI NL 33 89 1 3 0 0 0 2 0 3 33 .034 .245 (-86%) .304 (-75%) .308 (-89%) .613 (-82%) -1003.8
1908 PHI NL 33 77 1 4 0 0 0 2 0 6 27 .052 .240 (-78%) .298 (-60%) .306 (-83%) .605 (-72%) -738.5
1909 PHI NL 24 36 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 2 9 .139 — — — — 0.0
1910 PHI NL 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 13 seasons 314 801 45 92 16 4 0 41 0 52 203 .115 — — — — -5,003

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 (626 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Tully Sparks — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1684082155021.135
Away1453882437015.095

Pitching — Home / Away

Tully Sparks — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1681277.211371393174750.98
Away1451055.211001533153201.30

Last 10 Games — Batting

Tully Sparks — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1910-06-08 PHICHCL 200000000
1910-05-25 PHICHCL 100000001
1910-05-20 PHISTLW 200000000
1909-10-07 PHIBSNL 301000001
1909-09-25 PHIPITL 100000010
1909-09-02 PHICINL 100000000
1909-09-01 PHICINL 000000000
1909-08-28 PHISTLW 101000000
1909-08-25 PHICHCW 300000001
1909-08-21 PHIPITW 200000001

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Tully Sparks — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1910-06-08 PHICHC L 5.0843031
1910-05-25 PHICHC L 3.2853001
1910-05-20 PHISTL — 6.0633220
1909-10-07 PHIBSN L 9.0930160
1909-09-25 PHIPIT L 7.0850211
1909-09-02 PHICIN — 3.0560200
1909-09-01 PHICIN L 2.1960020
1909-08-28 PHISTL W 1.0000000
1909-08-25 PHICHC W 9.0721110
1909-08-21 PHIPIT W 5.0000120

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Tully Sparks — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 314 169 107 544 46 20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tully Sparks — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1897 PHI P 1 0 0 3 0 0
1899 PIT P 28 0 5 41 8 1
1901 MLA P 29 0 6 60 8 1
1902 NY1 P 16 0 6 42 3 3
1902 BOS P 17 0 7 42 2 1
1903 PHI P 28 0 14 59 8 0
1904 PHI P 26 25 11 35 4 3
1905 PHI P 34 26 9 45 0 3
1906 PHI P 42 37 20 66 3 4
1907 PHI P 33 31 10 50 4 1
1908 PHI P 33 31 15 65 6 3
1909 PHI P 24 16 4 31 0 0
1910 PHI P 3 3 0 5 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tully Sparks Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 314

College History

Tully Sparks — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Georgia Athens GA 1897

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Tully Sparks (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Harry Howell
    131-146, 2.74 ERA
  2. 82
    Jeff Pfeffer
    158-112, 2.77 ERA
  3. 79
    Fred Toney
    139-102, 2.69 ERA
  4. 72
    Luther Taylor
    116-106, 2.75 ERA
  5. 70
    Bob Ewing
    124-118, 2.49 ERA
  6. 67
    Cy Falkenberg
    130-123, 2.68 ERA

Tully Sparks: the record in brief

Tully Sparks played a first major league game on September 15, 1897 and a last one on June 8, 1910. By club, Sparks's seasons break down as the Philadelphia Phillies (1897 to 1910), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1899), the Milwaukee Brewers (1901), the New York Giants (1902), and the Boston Americans (1902). At 5 feet, 10 inches and 160 pounds, Sparks is listed as a pitcher. The bio says Sparks both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is December 12, 1874, in Etna, GA, USA. Sparks's death is recorded on July 15, 1937, in Anniston, AL, USA. The given name on file is Thomas Frank Sparks.

The pitching table credits Sparks with a 121-137 record and a 2.82 ERA in 314 games. The totals include 780 strikeouts, 203 complete games, and 19 shutouts. Sparks's 2.82 ERA was close to the 2.95 league figure for those seasons. 1907 brought Sparks a season-high 22 wins. The strikeout high was 114 in 1906.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tully Sparks

What years did Tully Sparks play?
Tully Sparks played in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1910.
Was Tully Sparks a pitcher?
Yes. Tully Sparks pitched in the major leagues, recording 121 wins and 780 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Tully Sparks hit?
Tully Sparks hit 0 career home runs with 92 hits.
What teams did Tully Sparks play for?
Tully Sparks played for 5 teams: the Philadelphia Phillies (1897, 1903–1910), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1899), the Milwaukee Brewers (1901), the New York Giants (1902), and the Boston Americans (1902).
What were Tully Sparks's career stats?
In 314 games, Tully Sparks went 121-137 with a 2.82 ERA, 780 strikeouts, 2,343.2 innings pitched, and 8 saves. At the plate he had 92 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Tully Sparks play?
Tully Sparks played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Tully Sparks and how much did he weigh?
Tully Sparks was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 160 pounds.
What was Tully Sparks's career ERA?
Tully Sparks finished with a 2.82 career ERA, going 121-137 with 780 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Tully Sparks have?
Tully Sparks recorded 780 career strikeouts.
Is Tully Sparks in the Hall of Fame?
No. Tully Sparks has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.