John Thornton
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1889-1892)
John Thornton was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1889 to 1892 for the Washington Nationals, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 4 seasons. Across 41 career appearances, he went 15-19 with a 4.10 ERA and 57 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
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 175 lb
- Died
- 4/26/1935 in Washington, DC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1889-08-14
- Last Game
- 1892-09-15
Full name: John James Thornton
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1889 | WS8 | NL | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 5.00 | 3.93 (-27%) | 0.0 |
| 1891 | PHI | NL | 15 | 16 | 37 | 32 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 269.0 | 268 | 110 | 115 | 52 | 3.68 | 3.52 (-5%) | -1040.7 |
| 1892 | PHI | NL | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 2 | 12.75 | 3.28 (-288%) | -1245.2 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 15 | 19 | 41 | 35 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 290.0 | 292 | 132 | 139 | 57 | 4.10 | — | -2,286 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 143 | 8 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 13 | .154 | .166 | .175 | .340 | -1,013 |
Career AVG .154 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 39.6% below league average.
Career OBP .166 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 49.6% below league average.
Career SLG .175 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 49.1% below league average.
Career OPS .340 vs. league average .672 across their career seasons — 49.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1889 | WS8 | NL | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1891 | PHI | NL | 39 | 123 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 10 | .138 | .254 (-46%) | .331 (-54%) | .343 (-53%) | .675 (-53%) | -1013.0 |
| 1892 | PHI | NL | 5 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .385 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1892 | SLN | NL | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 46 | 143 | 8 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 13 | .154 | — | — | — | — | -1,013 | ||
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 Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 41 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Center Field | 4 |
| Right Field | 1 |
John Thornton: the record in brief
August 14, 1889 and September 15, 1892 bracket John Thornton's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Thornton played for the Washington Nationals (1889), the Philadelphia Phillies (1891 through 1892), and the St. Louis Browns (1892). Thornton played primarily as a pitcher and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on May 22, 1869, in Washington, DC, USA and a listed size of 175 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. The bio records the death on April 26, 1935, in Washington, DC, USA. Thornton's full given name, per the bio, is John James Thornton.
Thornton's career pitching line is 15 wins, 19 losses and a 4.10 ERA over 41 appearances. Also on Thornton's record: 57 strikeouts and 25 complete games. The league ERA over Thornton's seasons was 3.59, so the 4.10 figure ran 14.0% worse than average. Thornton won 15 games in 1891, the most of any season listed.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Thornton
- What years did John Thornton play?
- John Thornton played in Major League Baseball from 1889 to 1892.
- Was John Thornton a pitcher?
- Yes. John Thornton pitched in the major leagues, recording 15 wins and 57 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did John Thornton hit?
- John Thornton hit 0 career home runs with 22 hits.
- What was John Thornton's career batting average?
- John Thornton batted .154 over his career, with 22 hits in 143 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Thornton have?
- John Thornton drove in 9 runs in his career.
- What was John Thornton's career ERA?
- John Thornton finished with a 4.10 career ERA, going 15-19 with 57 strikeouts.