1871 Season Leaders
Top performers from the 1871 baseball season. Click column headers to sort.
These are the 1871 Major League Baseball season leaders in batting and pitching. George Zettlein had the lowest ERA at 2.73. Batting leaders require at least 200 at bats and pitching leaders at least 50 innings pitched, which is why a part-season line does not appear here.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
Data updated
Pitching Leaders
Minimum 50 innings pitched required
Complete Statistics
| Player | Team | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Zettlein | CH1 | 18 | 9 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 240.6 | 298 | 73 | 25 | 22 | 2.73 | 1.34 |
| Al Spalding | BS1 | 19 | 10 | 31 | 31 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 257.3 | 333 | 96 | 38 | 23 | 3.36 | 1.44 |
| Rynie Wolters | NY2 | 16 | 16 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 283.0 | 345 | 108 | 39 | 22 | 3.43 | 1.36 |
| Al Pratt | CL1 | 10 | 17 | 28 | 28 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 224.6 | 296 | 94 | 47 | 34 | 3.77 | 1.53 |
| Cherokee Fisher | RC1 | 4 | 16 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 213.0 | 295 | 103 | 31 | 15 | 4.35 | 1.53 |
| Asa Brainard | WS3 | 12 | 15 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 264.0 | 361 | 132 | 37 | 13 | 4.50 | 1.51 |
| Dick McBride | PH1 | 18 | 5 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 222.0 | 285 | 113 | 40 | 15 | 4.58 | 1.46 |
| Bobby Mathews | FW1 | 6 | 11 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 169.0 | 261 | 97 | 21 | 17 | 5.17 | 1.67 |
| John McMullin | TRO | 12 | 15 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 249.0 | 430 | 153 | 75 | 12 | 5.53 | 2.03 |
Showing 1-50 of 9 qualified pitchers
1871 Season Leaders: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who led MLB in wins in 1871?
- Al Spalding led with 19 wins in 1871.
- Who led MLB in strikeouts in 1871?
- Al Pratt led with 34 strikeouts in 1871.
- Who had the lowest ERA in 1871?
- George Zettlein at 2.73, among pitchers with at least 50 innings.