Gene Thompson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1939-1947)

Gene Thompson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1947 for the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Giants, a span of 9 seasons. Across 185 career appearances, he went 47-35 with a 3.26 ERA and 315 strikeouts. He also batted .225 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 47–35
ERA 3.26
WHIP 1.35
SO 315
Pitcher PIV -1135.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 185 lb
Born
6/7/1917 in Latham, IL, USA
Died
8/24/2006 in Scottsdale, AZ, USA
MLB Debut
1939-04-26
Last Game
1947-07-04

Full name: Eugene Earl Thompson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Gene Thompson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
47 35 185 68 27 6 7 686.2 602 249 35 328 315 3.26 -1135.5

Career ERA 3.26 vs. league average 3.93 across their career seasons — 16.9% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Gene Thompson — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1939 CIN NL 13 5 42 11 5 3 2 152.1 130 43 55 87 2.54 4.28 (+41%) 2767.7
1940 CIN NL 16 9 33 31 17 3 0 225.1 197 83 96 103 3.32 4.21 (+21%) 1432.4
1941 CIN NL 6 6 27 15 4 0 1 109.0 117 59 57 46 4.87 3.94 (-24%) -1066.8
1942 CIN NL 4 7 29 10 1 0 0 101.2 86 38 53 35 3.36 3.57 (+6%) -1479.9
1946 NY1 NL 4 6 39 1 0 0 4 62.2 36 9 40 31 1.29 3.59 (+64%) -1501.2
1947 NY1 NL 4 2 15 0 0 0 0 35.2 36 17 27 13 4.29 3.97 (-8%) -1287.6
Career · 6 seasons 47 35 185 68 27 6 7 686.2 602 249 328 315 3.26 — -1,135

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

Gene Thompson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
185 200 13 45 8 1 0 18 0 6 52 .225 .248 .275 .523 -322

Career AVG .225 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 14.3% below league average.

Career OBP .248 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 25.7% below league average.

Career SLG .275 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 26.3% below league average.

Career OPS .523 vs. league average .706 across their career seasons — 26.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Gene Thompson — 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
1939 CIN NL 42 48 3 11 1 0 0 1 0 0 11 .229 — — — — 0.0
1940 CIN NL 33 79 5 18 4 1 0 11 0 2 26 .228 .267 (-15%) .335 (-26%) .387 (-22%) .722 (-24%) -322.3
1941 CIN NL 27 30 2 7 3 0 0 2 0 0 6 .233 — — — — 0.0
1942 CIN NL 29 30 3 8 0 0 0 4 0 2 4 .267 — — — — 0.0
1946 NY1 NL 39 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 .143 — — — — 0.0
1947 NY1 NL 15 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 185 200 13 45 8 1 0 18 0 6 52 .225 — — — — -322

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

Gene Thompson — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500

Playoff Batting by Year

Gene Thompson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1940 WS CIN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1939 WS CIN 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Gene Thompson — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 2 2 2 0 8.0 13 13 8 5 14.62

Playoff Pitching by Year

Gene Thompson — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1940 WS CIN 0 1 1 1 0 3.1 8 6 4 2 16.20
1939 WS CIN 0 1 1 1 0 4.2 5 7 4 3 13.50

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (370 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Gene Thompson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home929872509.255
Away9310262009.196

Pitching — Home / Away

Gene Thompson — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home92353.23031161641652.95
Away93332.22991331651503.60

Last 10 Games — Batting

Gene Thompson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1947-07-04 NY1BROL 000000000
1947-06-21 NY1STLL 000000000
1947-06-19 NY1PITL 000000000
1947-06-10 NY1PITW 000000000
1947-06-09 NY1PITW 000000000
1947-06-06 NY1STLW 000000000
1947-06-04 NY1CHCL 000000000
1947-06-01 NY1CINW 200000001
1947-05-31 NY1PITW 000000000
1947-05-27 NY1BROL 100000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Gene Thompson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1947-07-04 NY1BRO — 2.0263601
1947-06-21 NY1STL L 0.0211000
1947-06-19 NY1PIT — 2.0311210
1947-06-10 NY1PIT W 2.0400210
1947-06-09 NY1PIT — 2.0100100
1947-06-06 NY1STL W 1.0100010
1947-06-04 NY1CHC — 3.0211011
1947-06-01 NY1CIN W 6.2754321
1947-05-31 NY1PIT — 1.0100100
1947-05-27 NY1BRO — 4.0422220

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Gene Thompson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 185 0 40 163 13 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Gene Thompson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1939 CIN P 42 0 3 25 3 0
1940 CIN P 33 0 12 40 4 1
1941 CIN P 27 0 6 32 2 0
1942 CIN P 29 0 9 39 4 4
1946 NY1 P 39 0 5 18 0 1
1947 NY1 P 15 0 5 9 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Gene Thompson — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 185

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Gene Thompson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Blix Donnelly
    27-36, 3.49 ERA
  2. 94
    Ledell Titcomb
    30-29, 3.47 ERA
  3. 84
    Ed Poole
    33-35, 3.04 ERA
  4. 84
    Bob Grim
    61-41, 3.61 ERA
  5. 83
    Mickey Hughes
    39-28, 3.22 ERA
  6. 81
    Marv Grissom
    47-45, 3.41 ERA

Gene Thompson: the record in brief

April 26, 1939 and July 4, 1947 bracket Gene Thompson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Cincinnati Reds (1939 through 1942) and the New York Giants (1946 through 1947). Born on June 7, 1917, in Latham, IL, USA, Thompson is listed as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Thompson's listed size is 185 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The bio records the death on August 24, 2006, in Scottsdale, AZ, USA. Thompson's full given name, per the bio, is Eugene Earl Thompson.

Across 185 games (68 starts), Thompson recorded 47 wins against 35 losses with a 3.26 ERA. Also on Thompson's record: 315 strikeouts, 27 complete games, and 6 shutouts. Against a 3.93 league ERA for the same years, Thompson was 16.9% better. Thompson won 16 games in 1940, the most of any season listed. 1939 was Thompson's sharpest full season, a 2.54 ERA against the league's 4.28.

Frequently Asked Questions about Gene Thompson

What years did Gene Thompson play?
Gene Thompson played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1947.
Was Gene Thompson a pitcher?
Yes. Gene Thompson pitched in the major leagues, recording 47 wins and 315 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Gene Thompson hit?
Gene Thompson hit 0 career home runs with 45 hits.
What was Gene Thompson's career batting average?
Gene Thompson batted .225 over his career, with 45 hits in 200 at bats.
How many RBI did Gene Thompson have?
Gene Thompson drove in 18 runs in his career.
What was Gene Thompson's career ERA?
Gene Thompson finished with a 3.26 career ERA, going 47-35 with 315 strikeouts.