1918–1937 · P

Jesse Haines

6' 0", 190 lbs·Lived to 85·Bats R / Throws R

Hall of Fame · 1970

The Almanac's Take

The knuckleball carried Haines to Cooperstown, but his durability made him invaluable to the Cardinals' championship runs of the 1920s and '30s. His 210 wins came almost entirely in a St. Louis uniform, where he anchored rotations that captured four pennants and three World Series titles.

That 3.64 ERA tells only part of the story — his 119 ERA+ shows he was consistently above average in an era when run scoring fluctuated wildly. Haines peaked with a 157 ERA+ in 1927, demonstrating the knuckleball's capacity to dominate when perfectly calibrated.

The Veterans Committee recognized what contemporary observers knew: Haines was the steady hand who kept Cardinal dynasties intact. While teammates like Dizzy Dean grabbed headlines, Haines delivered 3,209 innings of reliable production across two decades.

Career Highs

2.50

Best ERA · 1933

Most W · 1927

120

Most K · 1920

1.164

Best WHIP · 1927

Career Arc · ERA

19 seasons

Statistical Comps

Reggie Cleveland

99%

1980 season

K/9 3.1 · BB/9 2.9 · HR/9 0.52 · RP

Ed Lynch

99%

1982 season

K/9 3.3 · BB/9 2.6 · HR/9 0.39 · RP

Bob Stanley

99%

1980 season

K/9 3.6 · BB/9 2.7 · HR/9 0.57 · RP

Career · Hitting

19 seasons

Year	Team	G	AB	HR	RBI	AVG	OPS	OPS+
1918	CIN	1	1	0	0	1.000	—	—
1920	STL	48	108	1	2	.176	—	—
1921	STL	39	94	0	6	.181	—	—
1922	STL	30	72	0	3	.167	—	—
1923	STL	37	99	0	8	.202	—	—
1924	STL	35	74	0	7	.189	—	—
1925	STL	29	74	0	5	.176	—	—
1926	STL	33	61	0	1	.213	—	—
1927	STL	38	114	0	8	.202	—	—
1928	STL	33	87	0	10	.184	—	—
1929	STL	28	69	1	3	.159	—	—
1930	STL	29	65	0	12	.246	—	—
1931	STL	19	45	0	4	.133	—	—
1932	STL	20	27	1	3	.185	—	—
1933	STL	33	30	0	1	.067	—	—
1934	STL	37	19	0	0	.158	—	—
1935	STL	30	33	0	1	.273	—	—
1936	STL	25	30	0	4	.167	—	—
1937	STL	16	22	0	1	.182	—	—
Career		560	1124	3	79	.186	—	—

Career · Pitching

19 seasons

Year	Team	G	IP	W	L	ERA	ERA+	SO	WHIP
1918	CIN	1	5.0	0	0	1.80	157	2	1.200
1920	STL	47	301.7	13	20	2.98	116	120	1.270
1921	STL	37	244.3	18	12	3.50	115	84	1.297
1922	STL	29	183.0	11	9	3.84	109	62	1.377
1923	STL	37	266.0	20	13	3.11	130	73	1.346
1924	STL	35	222.7	8	19	4.41	94	69	1.531
1925	STL	29	207.0	13	14	4.57	100	63	1.382
1926	STL	33	183.0	13	4	3.25	126	46	1.279
1927	STL	38	300.7	24	10	2.72	150	89	1.164
1928	STL	33	240.3	20	8	3.18	130	77	1.290
1929	STL	28	179.7	13	10	5.71	81	59	1.686
1930	STL	29	182.0	13	8	4.30	112	68	1.478
1931	STL	19	122.3	12	3	3.02	136	27	1.324
1932	STL	20	85.3	3	5	4.75	87	27	1.547
1933	STL	32	115.3	9	6	2.50	154	37	1.301
1934	STL	37	90.0	4	4	3.50	123	17	1.167
1935	STL	30	115.3	6	5	3.59	121	24	1.197
1936	STL	25	99.3	7	5	3.90	118	19	1.319
1937	STL	16	65.7	3	3	4.52	96	18	1.584
Career		555	3208.6	210	158	—	—	981	—

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