Mule Watson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1918-1924)

Mule Watson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1918 to 1924 for 4 teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 7 seasons. Across 178 career appearances, he went 50-53 with a 4.03 ERA and 208 strikeouts. He also batted .165 with 2 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 50–53
ERA 4.03
WHIP 1.40
SO 208
Pitcher PIV -4562.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 185 lb
Born
10/15/1896 in Arizona, LA, USA
Died
8/25/1949 in Shreveport, LA, USA
MLB Debut
1918-07-04
Last Game
1924-09-18

Full name: John Reaves Watson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Mule Watson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
50 53 178 126 53 8 4 941.2 1,062 422 44 256 208 4.03 -4562.7

Career ERA 4.03 vs. league average 3.74 across their career seasons — 7.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Mule Watson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1918 PHA AL 7 10 21 19 11 3 0 141.2 139 53 44 30 3.37 2.83 (-19%) 24.4
1919 PHA AL 0 1 4 2 0 0 0 14.1 17 11 7 6 6.91 3.09 (-124%) -667.4
1920 BSN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3.0 0 0 0 0 0.00 — 0.0
1920 PIT NL 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 11.1 15 11 7 1 8.74 3.45 (-154%) -940.3
1920 BSN NL 5 4 12 10 4 2 0 71.2 79 30 17 16 3.77 3.45 (-9%) 0.0
1921 BSN NL 14 13 44 31 15 1 2 259.1 269 111 57 48 3.85 4.02 (+4%) -435.9
1922 BSN NL 8 14 41 29 8 1 1 201.0 262 105 59 53 4.70 4.18 (-12%) -128.5
1923 BSN NL 1 2 11 4 1 0 1 31.1 42 18 20 10 5.17 4.03 (-28%) -867.5
1923 NY1 NL 8 5 17 15 8 0 0 108.1 117 41 21 26 3.41 4.03 (+15%) -1219.7
1924 NY1 NL 7 4 22 16 6 1 0 99.2 122 42 24 18 3.79 4.13 (+8%) -955.2
Career · 10 seasons 50 53 178 126 53 8 4 941.2 1,062 422 256 208 4.03 — -5,190

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

Mule Watson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
178 322 23 53 7 4 2 21 0 6 108 .165 .182 .230 .412 -1,210

Career AVG .165 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — 40.6% below league average.

Career OBP .182 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 46.0% below league average.

Career SLG .230 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 39.0% below league average.

Career OPS .412 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — 42.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Mule Watson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1918 PHA AL 21 47 0 6 1 0 0 3 0 1 17 .128 — — — — 0.0
1919 PHA AL 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1920 BSN NL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1920 PIT NL 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1920 BSN NL 12 23 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 9 .130 — — — — 0.0
1921 BSN NL 44 87 9 12 2 1 0 1 0 1 36 .138 .286 (-52%) .344 (-57%) .395 (-53%) .739 (-55%) -795.1
1922 BSN NL 41 66 4 13 1 1 0 1 0 1 17 .197 .285 (-31%) .345 (-36%) .397 (-39%) .743 (-38%) -414.7
1923 BSN NL 11 8 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .250 — — — — 0.0
1923 NY1 NL 17 46 3 8 3 0 0 4 0 0 13 .174 — — — — 0.0
1924 NY1 NL 22 35 4 9 0 2 2 11 0 2 11 .257 — — — — 0.0
Career · 10 seasons 178 322 23 53 7 4 2 21 0 6 108 .165 — — — — -1,210

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

Mule Watson — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Mule Watson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1924 WS NY1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1923 WS NY1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Mule Watson — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 2 1 1 2.2 4 3 1 1 10.12

Playoff Pitching by Year

Mule Watson — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1924 WS NY1 0 0 1 0 1 0.2 0 0 0 0 0.00
1923 WS NY1 0 0 1 1 0 2.0 4 3 1 1 13.50

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (356 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Mule Watson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home811481127212.182
Away97173122609.150

Pitching — Home / Away

Mule Watson — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home81476.04801571151132.97
Away97463.1582255142994.95

Last 10 Games — Batting

Mule Watson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1924-09-18 NY1CINL 000000000
1924-09-12 NY1STLL 000000000
1924-09-06 NY1PHIW 111000100
1924-09-04 NY1PHIL 301000101
1924-08-11 NY1CINW 300000001
1924-07-31 NY1PITL 000000000
1924-07-26 NY1STLW 301000010
1924-07-21 NY1CINL 000000000
1924-07-19 NY1PITW 201010201
1924-07-16 NY1PITW 100000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Mule Watson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1924-09-18 NY1CIN — 0.2100010
1924-09-12 NY1STL L 0.1211100
1924-09-06 NY1PHI — 1.0431120
1924-09-04 NY1PHI — 5.1843301
1924-08-11 NY1CIN W 9.0821110
1924-07-31 NY1PIT L 1.1444100
1924-07-26 NY1STL W 9.01043022
1924-07-21 NY1CIN — 0.1533000
1924-07-19 NY1PIT W 4.2522100
1924-07-16 NY1PIT — 1.1533000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Mule Watson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
P 178 0 22 235 15 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Mule Watson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1918 PHA 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1918 PHA P 21 0 5 30 3 3
1919 PHA P 4 0 0 9 0 0
1920 BSN P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1920 PIT P 5 0 0 3 0 1
1920 BSN P 12 0 0 22 1 0
1921 BSN P 44 0 7 72 6 1
1922 BSN P 41 0 4 47 3 1
1923 BSN P 11 0 2 7 0 0
1923 NY1 P 17 0 3 22 1 0
1924 NY1 P 22 0 1 22 1 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Mule Watson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 178
First Base 1

College History

Mule Watson — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Baylor University Waco TX 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Mule Watson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Heinie Meine
    66-50, 3.95 ERA
  2. 79
    Nick Strincevich
    46-49, 4.05 ERA
  3. 67
    Lum Harris
    35-63, 4.16 ERA
  4. 64
    Dickey Kerr
    53-34, 3.84 ERA
  5. 61
    Stubby Overmire
    58-67, 3.96 ERA
  6. 61
    George Smith
    41-81, 3.89 ERA

Mule Watson: the record in brief

July 4, 1918 and September 18, 1924 bracket Mule Watson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Philadelphia Athletics (1918 to 1919), the Boston Braves (1920 through 1923), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1920), and the New York Giants (1923 to 1924). Listed as a pitcher, Watson both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 185 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Watson was born on October 15, 1896, in Arizona, LA, USA. Watson's death is recorded on August 25, 1949, in Shreveport, LA, USA. The given name on file is John Reaves Watson.

Watson's career pitching line is 50 wins, 53 losses and a 4.03 ERA over 178 appearances. The totals include 208 strikeouts, 53 complete games, and 8 shutouts. The league ERA over Watson's seasons was 3.74, so the 4.03 figure ran 7.8% worse than average. No season topped the 14 wins of 1921. 1922 produced Watson's most strikeouts, 53.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mule Watson

What years did Mule Watson play?
Mule Watson played in Major League Baseball from 1918 to 1924.
Was Mule Watson a pitcher?
Yes. Mule Watson pitched in the major leagues, recording 50 wins and 208 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Mule Watson hit?
Mule Watson hit 2 career home runs with 53 hits.
What teams did Mule Watson play for?
Mule Watson played for 4 teams: the Philadelphia Athletics (1918–1919), the Boston Braves (1920–1923), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1920), and the New York Giants (1923–1924).
What were Mule Watson's career stats?
In 178 games, Mule Watson went 50-53 with a 4.03 ERA, 208 strikeouts, 941.2 innings pitched, and 4 saves. At the plate he had 53 hits and 2 home runs.
What position did Mule Watson play?
Mule Watson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Mule Watson and how much did he weigh?
Mule Watson was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds.
What was Mule Watson's career ERA?
Mule Watson finished with a 4.03 career ERA, going 50-53 with 208 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Mule Watson have?
Mule Watson recorded 208 career strikeouts.
Is Mule Watson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Mule Watson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.