1912–1933 · P

Eppa Rixey

6' 5", 210 lbs·Lived to 72·Bats R / Throws L

Hall of Fame · 1963

The Almanac's Take

The southpaw who quietly accumulated the most wins by any left-hander in National League history until Warren Spahn came along pitched through dead-ball and live-ball eras with remarkable consistency. Rixey's 266 victories came the hard way — he lost 251 games too, playing for mostly mediocre Phillies and Reds clubs that rarely gave him run support.

His 3.15 ERA across 22 seasons tells the real story of his excellence. That 120 ERA+ means he was 20 percent better than league average over more than 4,400 innings, with his peak 158 ERA+ showing he could dominate when he had his best stuff. The Virginia gentleman threw strikes and ate innings, averaging nearly 250 frames per season during his prime.

Rixey's durability was legendary — he started 289 games after age 35 and won 20 games at age 38. The Veterans Committee recognized what his contemporaries knew: few pitchers combined longevity and effectiveness like the lanky lefty from Culpeper.

Career Highs

1.85

Best ERA · 1916

Most W · 1922

134

Most K · 1916

1.091

Best WHIP · 1916

Career Arc · ERA

21 seasons

Statistical Comps

Mel Stottlemyre

99%

1964 season

K/9 4.6 · BB/9 3.3 · HR/9 0.28 · SP

Larry Jackson

98%

1964 season

K/9 4.5 · BB/9 1.8 · HR/9 0.51 · SP

Career · Hitting

21 seasons

Year	Team	G	AB	HR	RBI	AVG	OPS	OPS+
1912	PHI	23	53	0	1	.170	—	—
1913	PHI	35	47	0	4	.191	—	—
1914	PHI	24	26	0	0	.038	—	—
1915	PHI	29	55	0	2	.164	—	—
1916	PHI	38	97	0	9	.155	—	—
1917	PHI	39	94	0	6	.191	—	—
1919	PHI	23	47	0	2	.149	—	—
1920	PHI	43	101	1	8	.248	—	—
1921	CIN	40	101	0	4	.129	—	—
1922	CIN	40	109	0	9	.193	—	—
1923	CIN	42	107	0	7	.159	—	—
1924	CIN	35	84	1	7	.214	—	—
1925	CIN	39	103	0	11	.214	—	—
1926	CIN	37	84	0	8	.226	—	—
1927	CIN	34	81	0	9	.247	—	—
1928	CIN	43	104	1	8	.173	—	—
1929	CIN	35	65	0	1	.231	—	—
1930	CIN	32	55	0	5	.200	—	—
1931	CIN	22	40	0	3	.150	—	—
1932	CIN	25	34	0	1	.265	—	—
1933	CIN	16	35	0	6	.257	—	—
Career		694	1522	3	111	.191	—	—

Career · Pitching

21 seasons

Year	Team	G	IP	W	L	ERA	ERA+	SO	WHIP
1912	PHI	23	162.0	10	10	2.50	134	59	1.241
1913	PHI	35	155.7	9	5	3.12	98	75	1.310
1914	PHI	24	103.0	2	11	4.37	67	41	1.641
1915	PHI	29	176.7	11	12	2.39	121	88	1.285
1916	PHI	38	287.0	22	10	1.85	150	134	1.091
1917	PHI	39	281.3	16	21	2.27	119	121	1.123
1919	PHI	23	154.0	6	12	3.97	78	63	1.364
1920	PHI	41	284.3	11	22	3.48	99	109	1.256
1921	CIN	40	301.0	19	18	2.78	145	76	1.296
1922	CIN	40	313.3	25	13	3.53	118	80	1.219
1923	CIN	42	309.0	20	15	2.80	144	97	1.291
1924	CIN	35	238.3	15	14	2.76	150	57	1.116
1925	CIN	39	287.3	21	11	2.88	158	69	1.215
1926	CIN	37	233.0	14	8	3.40	121	61	1.240
1927	CIN	34	219.7	12	10	3.48	118	42	1.288
1928	CIN	43	291.3	19	18	3.43	121	58	1.318
1929	CIN	35	201.0	10	13	4.16	111	37	1.468
1930	CIN	32	164.0	9	13	5.10	94	37	1.549
1931	CIN	22	126.7	4	7	3.91	105	22	1.366
1932	CIN	25	111.7	5	5	2.66	155	14	1.110
1933	CIN	16	94.3	6	3	3.15	123	10	1.378
Career		692	4494.6	266	251	—	—	1350	—

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