Charlie Sweeney

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1882-1887)

Charlie Sweeney was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1887 for 4 teams, including the Providence Grays, a span of 6 seasons. Across 129 career appearances, he went 64-52 with a 2.87 ERA and 505 strikeouts. He also batted .251 with 2 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 5175.0.

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 64–52
ERA 2.87
WHIP 1.07
SO 505
Pitcher PIV 5175.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 181 lb
Born
4/13/1863 in San Francisco, CA, USA
Died
4/3/1902 in San Francisco, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1882-05-11
Last Game
1887-07-09

Full name: Charles Joseph Sweeney

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Career Pitching Statistics

Charlie Sweeney — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
64 52 129 123 113 8 1 1030.2 928 329 24 172 505 2.87 5175.0

Career ERA 2.87 vs. league average 3.37 across their career seasons — 14.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Charlie Sweeney — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1883 PRO NL 7 7 20 18 14 0 0 146.2 142 51 28 48 3.13 3.22 (+3%) -809.0
1884 PRO NL 17 8 27 24 22 4 1 221.0 153 38 29 145 1.55 3.11 (+50%) 3011.0
1884 SLU UA 24 7 33 32 31 2 0 271.0 207 55 13 192 1.83 3.11 (+41%) 7295.8
1885 SL5 NL 11 21 35 35 32 2 0 275.0 276 120 50 84 3.93 3.03 (-30%) -460.5
1886 SL5 NL 5 6 11 11 11 0 0 93.0 108 43 39 28 4.16 3.37 (-23%) -3824.8
1887 CL3 AA 0 3 3 3 3 0 0 24.0 42 22 13 8 8.25 4.17 (-98%) -37.6
Career · 6 seasons 64 52 129 123 113 8 1 1,030.2 928 329 172 505 2.87 — 5,175

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

Charlie Sweeney — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
233 894 117 224 39 7 2 84 11 59 87 .251 .297 .317 .614 -44

Career AVG .251 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .297 vs. league average .295 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .317 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 6.6% below league average.

Career OPS .614 vs. league average .634 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Charlie Sweeney — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1882 PRO NL 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1883 PRO NL 22 87 9 19 3 0 0 15 0 2 10 .218 .257 (-15%) .285 (-17%) .345 (-27%) .631 (-23%) -263.2
1884 PRO NL 41 168 24 50 9 0 1 19 0 11 17 .298 .243 (+22%) .278 (+22%) .327 (+13%) .606 (+17%) 461.7
1884 SLU UA 45 171 31 54 14 2 1 0 0 10 0 .316 .243 (+30%) .278 (+27%) .327 (+34%) .606 (+31%) 461.7
1885 SL5 NL 71 267 27 55 7 1 0 24 0 12 33 .206 .244 (-16%) .287 (-17%) .325 (-26%) .613 (-22%) -772.2
1886 SL5 NL 17 64 4 16 2 0 0 7 0 3 10 .250 .246 (+1%) .302 (-6%) .331 (-15%) .634 (-11%) -96.9
1887 CL3 AA 36 133 22 30 4 4 0 19 11 21 16 .226 .270 (-17%) .331 (avg) .373 (-16%) .705 (-8%) -137.7
Career · 7 seasons 233 894 117 224 39 7 2 84 11 59 87 .251 — — — — -347

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.

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Charlie Sweeney — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 22 0 180 5 13 4
3B 2 0 3 6 4 0
OF 91 0 127 14 25 1
P 129 0 73 246 32 9
SS 4 0 1 5 4 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Charlie Sweeney — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1882 PRO OF 1 0 0 1 1 0
1883 PRO OF 7 0 22 1 3 0
1883 PRO P 20 0 7 37 7 1
1884 PRO 1B 1 0 11 0 0 0
1884 PRO OF 17 0 15 2 2 0
1884 PRO P 27 0 16 47 4 1
1884 SLU 1B 1 0 12 0 2 0
1884 SLU OF 13 0 15 2 1 0
1884 SLU P 33 0 23 76 6 4
1885 SL5 OF 39 0 62 5 14 1
1885 SL5 P 35 0 19 62 13 2
1886 SL5 OF 4 0 3 2 0 0
1886 SL5 P 11 0 6 20 2 1
1886 SL5 SS 2 0 0 4 3 0
1887 CL3 1B 20 0 157 5 11 4
1887 CL3 3B 2 0 3 6 4 0
1887 CL3 OF 10 0 10 1 4 0
1887 CL3 P 3 0 2 4 0 0
1887 CL3 SS 2 0 1 1 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Charlie Sweeney — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 129
First Base 22
Third Base 2
Shortstop 4
Left Field 30
Center Field 31
Right Field 31

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Charlie Sweeney (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Lady Baldwin
    73-41, 2.85 ERA
  2. 87
    Bill Sweeney
    49-31, 2.67 ERA
  3. 80
    Roy Patterson
    81-72, 2.75 ERA
  4. 80
    Bob Emslie
    44-44, 3.19 ERA
  5. 78
    Charlie Ferguson
    99-64, 2.67 ERA
  6. 70
    Nat Hudson
    48-26, 3.08 ERA

Charlie Sweeney: the record in brief

The profile opens with Charlie Sweeney's first major league game on May 11, 1882; the last one listed came on July 9, 1887. Club by club, the record runs the Providence Grays (1882 through 1884), the St. Louis Maroons (1884 through 1886), and the Cleveland Blues (1887). Sweeney played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on April 13, 1863, in San Francisco, CA, USA and a listed size of 5-foot-10 and 181 pounds. Sweeney's death is recorded on April 3, 1902, in San Francisco, CA, USA. On the record, Charlie Sweeney was born Charles Joseph Sweeney.

Sweeney's career pitching line is 64 wins, 52 losses and a 2.87 ERA over 129 appearances. The same table counts 505 strikeouts, 113 complete games, and 8 shutouts. Against a 3.37 league ERA for the same years, Sweeney was 14.8% better. Sweeney won 24 games in 1884, the most of any season listed.

Frequently Asked Questions about Charlie Sweeney

What years did Charlie Sweeney play?
Charlie Sweeney played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1887.
Was Charlie Sweeney a pitcher?
Yes. Charlie Sweeney pitched in the major leagues, recording 64 wins and 505 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Charlie Sweeney hit?
Charlie Sweeney hit 2 career home runs with 224 hits.
What teams did Charlie Sweeney play for?
Charlie Sweeney played for 3 teams: the Providence Grays (1882–1884), the St. Louis Maroons (1884–1886), and the Cleveland Blues (1887).
What were Charlie Sweeney's career stats?
In 129 games, Charlie Sweeney went 64-52 with a 2.87 ERA, 505 strikeouts, 1,030.2 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 224 hits and 2 home runs.
What position did Charlie Sweeney play?
Charlie Sweeney played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Charlie Sweeney and how much did he weigh?
Charlie Sweeney was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 181 pounds.
What was Charlie Sweeney's career ERA?
Charlie Sweeney finished with a 2.87 career ERA, going 64-52 with 505 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Charlie Sweeney have?
Charlie Sweeney recorded 505 career strikeouts.
Is Charlie Sweeney in the Hall of Fame?
No. Charlie Sweeney has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.