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No. 90: Greatest seasons in Dodgers history: Jeff Pfeffer, 1914

Over 100 years ago

By Blake Harris
Bettmann Archive

Jeff Pfeffer, 1914

Stats: 23-12, 1.97 ERA, 27 CG, 315 IP, 135 SO, 144 ERA+, 2.88 FIP, 1.13 WHIP

Baseball Reference WAR: 7.6

FanGraphs WAR: 3.8

Combined WAR: 5.7

Jeff Pfeffer pitched nine seasons in Brooklyn, and is one of the best pitchers in franchise history before the live-ball era. I’m sure in our Top 100 players countdown we’ll be getting to him later on.

To no surprise, he was an absolute work-horse in 1914. He threw over 300 innings, had an earned run average below two, and had 27 complete games. Pfeffer was top 10 in nearly every pitching category in the National League, including ERA (3rd), wins (6th), WHIP (5th), innings (6th), strikeouts (8th) and complete games (5th).

Looking at his splits, Pfeffer was much better at home. At Ebbets Field, he went 16-4 with a 1.60 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and 17 complete games.

After a rough start to the season, Pfeffer settled down and dominated the remainder of the way. From May 2 through September 2, 21 of his 25 starts were complete games and he owned a 1.77 ERA. He threw six complete games in his final six starts, posting a 1.33 ERA during that stretch.

Here’s where Pfeffer’s season ranks in Dodgers history among pitchers who have made 34 starts in a season since 1914:

  • 27 complete games (6th)
  • 23 wins (8th)
  • 315 innings (11th)
  • 1.97 ERA (4th)
  • 2.88 FIP (25th)
  • 144 ERA+ (11th)

Get caught up on the rest of the “All-Time Dodgers” lists!

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