Ed Wells
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1923-1934)
Ed Wells was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1934 for the Detroit Tigers, the New York Yankees, and the St. Louis Browns, a span of 12 seasons. Across 291 career appearances, he went 68-69 with a 4.65 ERA and 403 strikeouts. He also batted .215 with 0 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 183 lb
- Died
- 5/1/1986 in Montgomery, AL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1923-06-16
- Last Game
- 1934-09-17
Full name: Edwin Lee Wells
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5.40 | 4.03 (-34%) | 99.9 |
| 1924 | DET | AL | 6 | 8 | 29 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 102.0 | 117 | 46 | 42 | 33 | 4.06 | 4.13 (+2%) | 126.3 |
| 1925 | DET | AL | 6 | 9 | 35 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 134.1 | 190 | 93 | 62 | 45 | 6.23 | 4.55 (-37%) | -1960.5 |
| 1926 | DET | AL | 12 | 10 | 36 | 26 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 178.0 | 201 | 82 | 76 | 58 | 4.15 | 4.11 (-1%) | -607.5 |
| 1927 | DET | AL | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20.0 | 28 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 6.75 | 4.08 (-65%) | -603.8 |
| 1929 | NYA | AL | 13 | 9 | 31 | 23 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 193.1 | 179 | 93 | 81 | 78 | 4.33 | 4.60 (+6%) | -2353.8 |
| 1930 | NYA | AL | 12 | 3 | 27 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 150.2 | 185 | 87 | 49 | 46 | 5.20 | 4.80 (-8%) | -757.7 |
| 1931 | NYA | AL | 9 | 5 | 27 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 116.2 | 130 | 56 | 37 | 34 | 4.32 | 4.10 (-5%) | -622.5 |
| 1932 | NYA | AL | 3 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 31.2 | 38 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 4.26 | 4.13 (-3%) | 217.8 |
| 1933 | SLA | AL | 6 | 14 | 36 | 22 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 203.2 | 230 | 95 | 63 | 58 | 4.20 | 3.86 (-9%) | -1313.7 |
| 1934 | SLA | AL | 1 | 7 | 33 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 92.0 | 108 | 49 | 35 | 27 | 4.79 | 4.29 (-12%) | -1087.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 68 | 69 | 291 | 140 | 54 | 7 | 13 | 1,232.1 | 1,417 | 637 | 468 | 403 | 4.65 | — | -8,862 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 298 | 433 | 50 | 93 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 1 | 17 | 74 | .215 | .246 | .259 | .505 | -1,481 |
Career AVG .215 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — 23.9% below league average.
Career OBP .246 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 28.5% below league average.
Career SLG .259 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — 34.9% below league average.
Career OPS .505 vs. league average .741 across their career seasons — 31.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | DET | AL | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1924 | DET | AL | 29 | 33 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .212 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1925 | DET | AL | 35 | 43 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 9 | .279 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1926 | DET | AL | 36 | 73 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 12 | .205 | .279 (-27%) | .345 (-37%) | .390 (-30%) | .735 (-33%) | -415.8 |
| 1927 | DET | AL | 8 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1929 | NYA | AL | 31 | 74 | 8 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 8 | .230 | .289 (-21%) | .353 (-16%) | .415 (-45%) | .769 (-32%) | -372.4 |
| 1930 | NYA | AL | 29 | 58 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .259 | .293 (-12%) | .354 (-20%) | .429 (-40%) | .784 (-31%) | -296.3 |
| 1931 | NYA | AL | 28 | 45 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1932 | NYA | AL | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1933 | SLA | AL | 38 | 71 | 5 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 11 | .197 | .270 (-27%) | .329 (-30%) | .377 (-40%) | .707 (-36%) | -396.0 |
| 1934 | SLA | AL | 33 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .045 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 298 | 433 | 50 | 93 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 1 | 17 | 74 | .215 | — | — | — | — | -1,481 | ||
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 (591 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 138 | 199 | 25 | 39 | 0 | 20 | .196 |
| Away | 161 | 233 | 25 | 54 | 0 | 18 | .232 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 134 | 616.1 | 703 | 312 | 196 | 206 | 4.56 |
| Away | 158 | 616.2 | 719 | 326 | 272 | 196 | 4.76 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934-09-17 | SLA | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-03 | SLA | CLE | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1934-08-21 | SLA | NYY | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-08-18 | SLA | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1934-08-08 | SLA | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1934-07-29 | SLA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-07-28 | SLA | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-07-25 | SLA | NYY | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934-07-19 | SLA | MIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-07-08 | SLA | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934-09-17 | SLA | BOS | — | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1934-09-03 | SLA | CLE | L | 5.1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-08-21 | SLA | NYY | — | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934-08-18 | SLA | NYY | — | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1934-08-08 | SLA | DET | L | 9.0 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 1934-07-29 | SLA | CLE | — | 2.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-07-28 | SLA | CLE | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-07-25 | SLA | NYY | L | 9.0 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| 1934-07-19 | SLA | MIN | — | 0.1 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-07-08 | SLA | DET | — | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | DET | P | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924 | DET | P | 29 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 1 |
| 1925 | DET | P | 35 | 0 | 8 | 34 | 1 | 1 |
| 1926 | DET | P | 36 | 0 | 9 | 30 | 3 | 3 |
| 1927 | DET | P | 8 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 1929 | NYA | P | 31 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 2 | 2 |
| 1930 | NYA | P | 27 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 1 | 1 |
| 1931 | NYA | P | 27 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 2 | 1 |
| 1932 | NYA | P | 22 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933 | SLA | P | 36 | 0 | 11 | 31 | 2 | 0 |
| 1934 | SLA | P | 33 | 0 | 5 | 23 | 0 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 292 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany College | Bethany | WV | 1921, 1922, 1923 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ed Wells (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Ed Wells: the record in brief
Ed Wells's major league career runs from a debut on June 16, 1923 to a final game on September 17, 1934. Club by club, the record runs the Detroit Tigers (1923 through 1927), the New York Yankees (1929 through 1932), and the St. Louis Browns (1933 to 1934). At 6'1" and 183 pounds, Wells is listed as a pitcher. Wells threw and hit left-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is June 7, 1900, in Ashland, OH, USA. Wells's death is recorded on May 1, 1986, in Montgomery, AL, USA. Wells's full given name, per the bio, is Edwin Lee Wells.
Wells's career pitching line is 68 wins, 69 losses and a 4.65 ERA over 291 appearances. The totals include 403 strikeouts, 54 complete games, 7 shutouts, and 13 saves. The league ERA over Wells's seasons was 4.25, so the 4.65 figure ran 9.5% worse than average. The best win total was 13, in 1929. 1926 was Wells's sharpest full season, a 4.15 ERA against the league's 4.11.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ed Wells
- What years did Ed Wells play?
- Ed Wells played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1934.
- Was Ed Wells a pitcher?
- Yes. Ed Wells pitched in the major leagues, recording 68 wins and 403 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Ed Wells hit?
- Ed Wells hit 0 career home runs with 93 hits.
- What was Ed Wells's career batting average?
- Ed Wells batted .215 over his career, with 93 hits in 433 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ed Wells have?
- Ed Wells drove in 38 runs in his career.
- What was Ed Wells's career ERA?
- Ed Wells finished with a 4.65 career ERA, going 68-69 with 403 strikeouts.