Gus Thompson
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1903-1906)
Gus Thompson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1903 to 1906 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 4 seasons. Across 22 career appearances, he went 4-13 with a 4.07 ERA and 58 strikeouts.
- 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 185 lb
- Died
- 3/28/1958 in Kalispell, MT, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1903-08-31
- Last Game
- 1906-09-21
Full name: John Gustav Thompson
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | PIT | NL | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 43.0 | 52 | 17 | 16 | 22 | 3.56 | 3.10 (-15%) | -119.5 |
| 1906 | SLN | NL | 2 | 11 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 103.0 | 111 | 49 | 25 | 36 | 4.28 | 2.68 (-60%) | -328.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 4 | 13 | 22 | 16 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 146.0 | 163 | 66 | 41 | 58 | 4.07 | — | -448 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 50 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .200 | .231 | .200 | .431 | 0 |
Career AVG .200 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 21.3% below league average.
Career OBP .231 vs. league average .312 across their career seasons — 26.0% below league average.
Career SLG .200 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 39.3% below league average.
Career OPS .431 vs. league average .641 across their career seasons — 32.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | PIT | NL | 5 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1906 | SLN | NL | 17 | 34 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .176 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 22 | 50 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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 | 12 | 28 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | .179 |
| Away | 10 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .227 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 12 | 88.2 | 107 | 0 | 25 | 35 | 0.00 |
| Away | 10 | 56.2 | 54 | 0 | 16 | 23 | 0.00 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906-09-21 | STL | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1906-09-16 | STL | CIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1906-09-04 | STL | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1906-09-01 | STL | CHC | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1906-08-27 | STL | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906-08-16 | STL | NY1 | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906-08-11 | STL | BSN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906-08-07 | STL | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906-08-03 | STL | NY1 | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1906-07-20 | STL | BRO | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906-09-21 | STL | BRO | — | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1906-09-16 | STL | CIN | — | 4.1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 1906-09-04 | STL | PIT | L | 8.0 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1906-09-01 | STL | CHC | L | 8.0 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 1906-08-27 | STL | BRO | — | 3.0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906-08-16 | STL | NY1 | L | 6.1 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1906-08-11 | STL | BSN | L | 2.1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1906-08-07 | STL | PHI | — | 2.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1906-08-03 | STL | NY1 | L | 8.1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1906-07-20 | STL | BRO | L | 9.0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 22 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grinnell College | Grinnell | IA | 1900, 1901 |
Gus Thompson: the record in brief
August 31, 1903 and September 21, 1906 bracket Gus Thompson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Thompson's seasons break down as the Pittsburgh Pirates (1903) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1906). Thompson, a pitcher by primary position, threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 185 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. Thompson was born on June 22, 1877, in Humboldt, IA, USA. Thompson's death is recorded on March 28, 1958, in Kalispell, MT, USA. The given name on file is John Gustav Thompson.
Across 22 games (16 starts), Thompson recorded 4 wins against 13 losses with a 4.07 ERA. The same table counts 58 strikeouts and 11 complete games. The league ERA over Thompson's seasons was 2.87, so the 4.07 figure ran 41.6% worse than average. In 1906, one of the busiest seasons, Thompson posted a 4.28 ERA; the league figure that year was 2.68.
The playoff pitching line reads 0-0, 4.50 ERA, across 1 appearances. Those appearances came in 1903.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gus Thompson
- What years did Gus Thompson play?
- Gus Thompson played in Major League Baseball from 1903 to 1906.
- Was Gus Thompson a pitcher?
- Yes. Gus Thompson pitched in the major leagues, recording 4 wins and 58 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Gus Thompson hit?
- Gus Thompson hit 0 career home runs with 10 hits.
- What was Gus Thompson's career batting average?
- Gus Thompson batted .200 over his career, with 10 hits in 50 at bats.
- How many RBI did Gus Thompson have?
- Gus Thompson drove in 5 runs in his career.
- What was Gus Thompson's career ERA?
- Gus Thompson finished with a 4.07 career ERA, going 4-13 with 58 strikeouts.