Pinch Thomas
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1912-1921)
Pinch Thomas was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1921 for the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 10 seasons. In 481 career games, he hit .237 with 245 hits, 2 home runs, and 102 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 173 lb
- Died
- 12/24/1953 in Modesto, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1912-04-24
- Last Game
- 1921-06-19
Full name: Chester David Thomas
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 481 | 1,035 | 88 | 245 | 27 | 8 | 2 | 102 | 12 | 118 | 85 | .237 | .318 | .284 | .602 | -844 |
Career AVG .237 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 9.2% below league average.
Career OBP .318 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .284 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — 18.0% below league average.
Career OPS .602 vs. league average .671 across their career seasons — 10.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | BOS | AL | 13 | 30 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1913 | BOS | AL | 38 | 91 | 6 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 11 | .286 | .259 (+10%) | .325 (-5%) | .345 (+8%) | .670 (+2%) | -5.1 |
| 1914 | BOS | AL | 66 | 130 | 9 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 17 | .192 | .255 (-25%) | .322 (-10%) | .339 (-41%) | .661 (-26%) | -439.3 |
| 1915 | BOS | AL | 86 | 203 | 21 | 48 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 13 | 20 | .236 | .250 (-6%) | .318 (-10%) | .332 (-11%) | .651 (-11%) | -344.3 |
| 1916 | BOS | AL | 99 | 216 | 21 | 57 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 4 | 33 | 13 | .264 | .248 (+6%) | .314 (+16%) | .326 (+2%) | .640 (+9%) | 467.1 |
| 1917 | BOS | AL | 83 | 202 | 24 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 27 | 9 | .238 | .248 (-4%) | .312 (+7%) | .323 (-16%) | .635 (-5%) | -33.7 |
| 1918 | CLE | AL | 32 | 73 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 6 | .247 | .255 (-3%) | .318 (-5%) | .326 (-16%) | .645 (-10%) | -104.1 |
| 1919 | CLE | AL | 34 | 46 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | .109 | — | — | — | — | -384.8 |
| 1920 | CLE | AL | 9 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1921 | CLE | AL | 21 | 35 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 2 | .257 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 481 | 1,035 | 88 | 245 | 27 | 8 | 2 | 102 | 12 | 118 | 85 | .237 | — | — | — | — | -844 | ||
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
View full game log (487 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 246 | 483 | 43 | 117 | 0 | 52 | .242 |
| Away | 241 | 555 | 44 | 127 | 2 | 54 | .229 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921-06-19 | CLE | DET | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-06-18 | CLE | PHA | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1921-06-15 | CLE | PHA | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-06-14 | CLE | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-06-13 | CLE | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921-06-10 | CLE | NYY | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-06-06 | CLE | BOS | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-06-04 | CLE | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921-06-03 | CLE | BOS | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1921-06-02 | CLE | BOS | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | 423 | 0 | 1519 | 377 | 52 | 32 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | BOS | C | 8 | 0 | 42 | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 1913 | BOS | C | 31 | 0 | 135 | 41 | 3 | 2 |
| 1914 | BOS | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914 | BOS | C | 64 | 0 | 235 | 47 | 10 | 6 |
| 1915 | BOS | C | 82 | 0 | 325 | 81 | 13 | 7 |
| 1916 | BOS | C | 90 | 0 | 321 | 86 | 8 | 7 |
| 1917 | BOS | C | 77 | 0 | 296 | 69 | 5 | 8 |
| 1918 | CLE | C | 24 | 0 | 85 | 24 | 6 | 1 |
| 1919 | CLE | C | 21 | 0 | 39 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 1920 | CLE | C | 7 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921 | CLE | C | 19 | 0 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 422 |
| First Base | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Pinch Thomas (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Pinch Thomas: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 24, 1912 and the final game on June 19, 1921, Pinch Thomas built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the Boston Red Sox (1912 to 1917) and the Cleveland Indians (1918 through 1921). Thomas, a catcher by primary position, batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 5 feet, 9 inches and 173 pounds. The birth record reads January 24, 1888, in Camp Point, IL, USA. Thomas died on December 24, 1953, in Modesto, CA, USA. The given name on file is Chester David Thomas.
Thomas finished with 245 hits from 1,035 at bats in 481 games, which works out to .237, adding 2 homers and 102 RBI. Thomas got on base at a .318 rate and slugged .284 (.602 OPS). Measured against the leagues Thomas played in, the .237 career average compares with a .261 league average over the same seasons, 9.2% below the league. By OPS the gap is 10.3% below league average (.602 against .671). 1916 produced Thomas's most hits, 57 of them for the Boston Red Sox. Thomas drove in a season-high 24 runs in 1917.
Frequently Asked Questions about Pinch Thomas
- What years did Pinch Thomas play?
- Pinch Thomas played in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1921.
- Was Pinch Thomas a pitcher?
- No. Pinch Thomas was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Pinch Thomas hit?
- Pinch Thomas hit 2 career home runs with 245 hits.
- What was Pinch Thomas's career batting average?
- Pinch Thomas batted .237 over his career, with 245 hits in 1,035 at bats.
- How many RBI did Pinch Thomas have?
- Pinch Thomas drove in 102 runs in his career.
- Is Pinch Thomas in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Pinch Thomas has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.