Jim Tobin
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1937-1945)
Jim Tobin was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1945 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Boston Braves, and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 9 seasons. Across 287 career appearances, he went 105-112 with a 3.44 ERA and 498 strikeouts. He also batted .230 with 17 home runs. Jim Tobin was an All-Star.
- 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
- 6'0" / 185 lb
- Died
- 5/19/1969 in Oakland, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1937-04-30
- Last Game
- 1945-09-23
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: James Anthony Tobin
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | PIT | NL | 6 | 3 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 87.0 | 74 | 29 | 28 | 37 | 3.00 | 4.34 (+31%) | 1854.8 |
| 1938 | PIT | NL | 14 | 12 | 40 | 33 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 241.1 | 254 | 93 | 66 | 70 | 3.47 | 4.35 (+20%) | 152.3 |
| 1939 | PIT | NL | 9 | 9 | 25 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 145.1 | 194 | 73 | 33 | 43 | 4.52 | 4.28 (-6%) | 1719.0 |
| 1940 | BSN | NL | 7 | 3 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 96.1 | 102 | 41 | 24 | 29 | 3.83 | 4.21 (+9%) | -36.1 |
| 1941 | BSN | NL | 12 | 12 | 33 | 26 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 238.0 | 229 | 82 | 60 | 61 | 3.10 | 3.94 (+21%) | 1453.3 |
| 1942 | BSN | NL | 12 | 21 | 37 | 33 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 287.2 | 283 | 127 | 96 | 71 | 3.97 | 3.57 (-11%) | -3469.4 |
| 1943 | BSN | NL | 14 | 14 | 33 | 30 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 250.0 | 241 | 74 | 69 | 52 | 2.66 | 3.50 (+24%) | -1303.4 |
| 1944 | BSN | NL | 18 | 19 | 43 | 36 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 299.1 | 271 | 100 | 97 | 83 | 3.01 | 3.57 (+16%) | -2341.8 |
| 1945 | BSN | NL | 9 | 14 | 27 | 25 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 196.2 | 220 | 84 | 56 | 38 | 3.84 | 3.67 (-5%) | -1255.5 |
| 1945 | DET | AL | 4 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 58.1 | 61 | 23 | 28 | 14 | 3.55 | 3.67 (+3%) | -965.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 105 | 112 | 287 | 227 | 156 | 12 | 5 | 1,900.0 | 1,929 | 726 | 557 | 498 | 3.44 | — | -4,192 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 396 | 796 | 81 | 183 | 35 | 3 | 17 | 102 | 1 | 80 | 162 | .230 | .303 | .345 | .648 | -951 |
Career AVG .230 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 13.2% below league average.
Career OBP .303 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 9.1% below league average.
Career SLG .345 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 7.3% below league average.
Career OPS .648 vs. league average .706 across their career seasons — 8.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | PIT | NL | 21 | 34 | 7 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 3 | .441 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1938 | PIT | NL | 56 | 103 | 8 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 12 | .243 | .272 (-11%) | .341 (-9%) | .392 (-18%) | .734 (-14%) | -238.0 |
| 1939 | PIT | NL | 43 | 74 | 9 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 12 | .243 | .274 (-11%) | .342 (-23%) | .393 (avg) | .735 (-11%) | -160.4 |
| 1940 | BSN | NL | 20 | 43 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | .279 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1941 | BSN | NL | 43 | 103 | 6 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 31 | .184 | .262 (-30%) | .332 (-23%) | .373 (-38%) | .705 (-31%) | -491.7 |
| 1942 | BSN | NL | 47 | 114 | 14 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 16 | 23 | .246 | .253 (-3%) | .323 (+6%) | .349 (+20%) | .672 (+14%) | 279.7 |
| 1943 | BSN | NL | 46 | 107 | 8 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 16 | .280 | .255 (+10%) | .324 (-2%) | .346 (+8%) | .671 (+3%) | 34.2 |
| 1944 | BSN | NL | 62 | 116 | 13 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 16 | 28 | .190 | .261 (-27%) | .325 (-12%) | .357 (-16%) | .683 (-14%) | -234.4 |
| 1945 | BSN | NL | 41 | 77 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 22 | .143 | .260 (-45%) | .328 (-12%) | .354 (-16%) | .683 (-14%) | -140.1 |
| 1945 | DET | AL | 17 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .120 | — | — | — | — | -140.1 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 396 | 796 | 81 | 183 | 35 | 3 | 17 | 102 | 1 | 80 | 162 | .230 | — | — | — | — | -1,091 | ||
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 (683 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 208 | 393 | 54 | 98 | 10 | 49 | .249 |
| Away | 188 | 402 | 27 | 85 | 7 | 53 | .211 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 148 | 996.1 | 991 | 372 | 274 | 247 | 3.36 |
| Away | 139 | 902.2 | 940 | 358 | 282 | 255 | 3.57 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945-09-23 | DET | SLA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-09-13 | DET | PHA | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1945-09-12 | DET | PHA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1945-09-09 | DET | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-09-06 | DET | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945-09-05 | DET | NYY | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-09-03 | DET | CHW | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-09-02 | DET | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-09-01 | DET | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-08-26 | DET | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945-09-23 | DET | SLA | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945-09-13 | DET | PHA | L | 8.2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 1945-09-09 | DET | BOS | — | 3.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-09-06 | DET | NYY | L | 3.0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1945-09-05 | DET | NYY | SV | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-09-03 | DET | CHW | W | 8.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| 1945-09-02 | DET | CLE | — | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945-09-01 | DET | CLE | W | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945-08-26 | DET | CLE | L | 2.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945-08-23 | DET | PHA | W | 9.0 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| P | 287 | 0 | 96 | 479 | 21 | 27 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | PIT | P | 20 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938 | PIT | P | 40 | 0 | 11 | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 1939 | PIT | P | 25 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 2 |
| 1940 | BSN | P | 15 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 1941 | BSN | P | 33 | 0 | 15 | 71 | 3 | 4 |
| 1942 | BSN | P | 37 | 0 | 14 | 93 | 6 | 6 |
| 1943 | BSN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1943 | BSN | P | 33 | 0 | 10 | 66 | 6 | 3 |
| 1944 | BSN | P | 43 | 0 | 13 | 93 | 3 | 4 |
| 1945 | BSN | P | 27 | 0 | 17 | 47 | 0 | 5 |
| 1945 | DET | P | 14 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 287 |
| First Base | 1 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 13.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1943 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 24th | 5.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1941 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 21th | 10.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jim Tobin (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jim Tobin: the record in brief
Jim Tobin's major league career runs from a debut on April 30, 1937 to a final game on September 23, 1945. Tobin played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1937 through 1939), the Boston Bees (1940), the Boston Braves (1941 to 1945), and the Detroit Tigers (1945). Tobin played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on December 27, 1912, in Oakland, CA, USA, Tobin was listed at 6-foot-0 and 185 pounds. Tobin died on May 19, 1969, in Oakland, CA, USA. On the record, Jim Tobin was born James Anthony Tobin.
Tobin pitched in 287 games, starting 227, and finished with a 105-112 record and 3.44 ERA. Also on Tobin's record: 498 strikeouts, 156 complete games, and 12 shutouts. That 3.44 ERA compares with a 3.93 league average across the same seasons, 12.6% better. No season topped the 18 wins of 1944. In 1943, one of the busiest seasons, Tobin posted a 2.66 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.50.
The bio's awards line reads All-Star.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Tobin
- What years did Jim Tobin play?
- Jim Tobin played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1945.
- Was Jim Tobin a pitcher?
- Yes. Jim Tobin pitched in the major leagues, recording 105 wins and 498 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jim Tobin hit?
- Jim Tobin hit 17 career home runs with 183 hits.
- What teams did Jim Tobin play for?
- Jim Tobin played for 3 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1937–1939), the Boston Braves (1940–1945), and the Detroit Tigers (1945).
- What awards did Jim Tobin win?
- Jim Tobin was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Jim Tobin's career stats?
- In 287 games, Jim Tobin went 105-112 with a 3.44 ERA, 498 strikeouts, 1,900.0 innings pitched, and 5 saves. At the plate he had 183 hits and 17 home runs.
- What position did Jim Tobin play?
- Jim Tobin played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jim Tobin and how much did he weigh?
- Jim Tobin was listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds.
- What was Jim Tobin's career ERA?
- Jim Tobin finished with a 3.44 career ERA, going 105-112 with 498 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Jim Tobin have?
- Jim Tobin recorded 498 career strikeouts.
- Is Jim Tobin in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jim Tobin has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Jim Tobin make?
- Jim Tobin was selected to 1 All-Star Game.