Ira Townsend
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1920-1921)
Ira Townsend was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1920 to 1921 for the Boston Braves, a span of 2 seasons. Across 8 career appearances, he went 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA and 1 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
- 6'1" / 180 lb
- Died
- 7/21/1965 in Schulenburg, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1920-08-25
- Last Game
- 1921-09-28
Full name: Ira Dance Townsend
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | BSN | NL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1.35 | — | 0.0 |
| 1921 | BSN | NL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 6.14 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3.86 | — | 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.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
Career AVG .000 vs. league average .279 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career OBP .000 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career SLG .000 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career OPS .000 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — 100.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | BSN | NL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1921 | BSN | NL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 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 (16 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 4 | 8.1 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5.40 |
| Away | 4 | 6.2 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1.35 |
Last 8 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921-09-28 | BSN | BRO | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1921-06-05 | BSN | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-04-30 | BSN | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-04-20 | BSN | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-09-25 | BSN | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1920-09-17 | BSN | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-09-08 | BSN | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-08-25 | BSN | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 8 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921-09-28 | BSN | BRO | — | 3.2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1921-06-05 | BSN | CIN | — | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-04-30 | BSN | NY1 | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-04-20 | BSN | NY1 | — | 1.2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-09-25 | BSN | PHI | — | 2.2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1920-09-17 | BSN | STL | — | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1920-09-08 | BSN | NY1 | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-08-25 | BSN | CHC | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 8 |
Ira Townsend: the record in brief
Ira Townsend's major league career runs from a debut on August 25, 1920 to a final game on September 28, 1921. The team column never changes: it is the Boston Braves from 1920 to 1921. Townsend played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on January 9, 1894, in Weimar, TX, USA, Townsend was listed at 6'1" and 180 pounds. Townsend's death is recorded on July 21, 1965, in Schulenburg, TX, USA. Ira Townsend was the playing name; the full given name is Ira Dance.
Townsend pitched in 8 games, starting 1, and finished with a 0-0 record and 3.86 ERA. The totals include 1 strikeouts. Townsend's 3.86 ERA was close to the 3.74 league figure for those seasons.
The game-log section draws on 16 games of Retrosheet box scores for Townsend.
Townsend appears at one position only: pitcher, in 8 games.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ira Townsend
- What years did Ira Townsend play?
- Ira Townsend played in Major League Baseball from 1920 to 1921.
- Was Ira Townsend a pitcher?
- Yes. Ira Townsend pitched in the major leagues, recording 0 wins and 1 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Ira Townsend hit?
- Ira Townsend hit 0 career home runs.
- What teams did Ira Townsend play for?
- Ira Townsend played for one team, the Boston Braves (1920–1921).
- What were Ira Townsend's career stats?
- In 8 games, Ira Townsend went 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA, 1 strikeouts, and 14.0 innings pitched.
- What position did Ira Townsend play?
- Ira Townsend played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ira Townsend and how much did he weigh?
- Ira Townsend was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 180 pounds.
- What was Ira Townsend's career ERA?
- Ira Townsend finished with a 3.86 career ERA, going 0-0 with 1 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Ira Townsend have?
- Ira Townsend recorded 1 career strikeouts.
- Is Ira Townsend in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ira Townsend has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.