1. Overview
Richard William "Rube" Marquard (October 9, 1886 - June 1, 1980) was an American left-handed pitcher who rose to prominence in Major League Baseball during the 1910s and early 1920s. Primarily known for his time with the New York Giants and later the Brooklyn Robins, Marquard achieved notable success, including a record-setting 19-game winning streak in 1912. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971, though his selection later drew critical evaluation. This document will detail his life and career, from his early days to his post-playing activities and his enduring, albeit debated, legacy in baseball history.
2. Early Life and Amateur Career
Rube Marquard was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 9, 1886. His parents were German immigrants, Fred Marquard and Lena Heiser Marquard. Following his mother Lena's death from an abdominal infection in 1899, Marquard was raised by his grandmother. He ended his formal education after the fifth grade, reportedly due to his refusal to attend school any longer.
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Marquard's talent for baseball began to gain recognition in 1905, when he played for an amateur team in Cleveland. Despite the team's poor performance, including a 1-15 win-loss record at one point, Marquard stood out as a top pitcher. He set a new City League record by recording 16 strikeouts in a single game against a team known as Brittons Printing. After the City League season concluded in September, he signed with the semi-professional Telling Strollers, an independent team sponsored by an ice cream company.
3. Professional Baseball Career
Rube Marquard's professional baseball journey began in the minor leagues before he became a major league sensation, primarily with the New York Giants, and continued through his tenure with other teams until his retirement.
3.1. Minor League Debut and Nickname
Marquard began his minor league baseball career in 1906. Despite his future nickname suggesting a rural background, he was, in fact, a "city kid." The nickname "Rube," meaning 'country bumpkin' or 'yokel,' originated during his minor league days when a sportswriter favorably compared him to the then-prominent left-handed pitcher, Rube Waddell. The comparison stuck, and Marquard soon became widely known as "Rube." This anecdote was later recounted by Marquard himself in the 1966 baseball book, The Glory of Their Times.
In 1907, Marquard recorded a 23-13 win-loss record with a 2.01 ERA, leading the Central League in wins. The following year, 1908, he went 28-19 with a 1.69 ERA, leading the American Association in wins.
3.2. New York Giants (1908-1915)
The New York Giants acquired Marquard for 11.00 K USD, an unprecedented sum at the time for a baseball player's contract. His initial struggles in the major leagues led to him being sarcastically dubbed "the 11.00 K USD lemon" by the press (with some reports mistakenly citing the figure as 13.00 K USD). In his second year, 1909, he appeared in 29 games, posting a 2.60 ERA but only a 5-13 record. His third year, 1910, saw a slight improvement to a 4-4 record in 13 games.
However, Marquard's performance dramatically improved in 1911 after he reportedly developed a new breaking ball with a vertical drop, which some baseball historians speculate may have been an early form of a split-fingered fastball. In 1911, he secured 24 wins and led the league with 237 strikeouts, playing a crucial role in leading the Giants to the National League pennant.
His most remarkable season came in 1912, when he made baseball history by winning 19 consecutive decisions from the start of the season, a streak that lasted from April 11 to July 3, encompassing a double-header. This achievement tied the then-existing major league record set by Tim Keefe for consecutive wins in a single season and stands as an MLB record for a winning streak from the start of a season. Marquard finished the 1912 season with a league-leading 26 wins. It is noteworthy that while this streak included one relief win, it distinguishes his record from later, all-starter streaks like Masahiro Tanaka's 24 consecutive wins in 2013, which were all as a starter.
Legend has it that Marquard celebrated his winning streak by purchasing an opal stickpin. When a friend warned him that opals were considered a jinx, he allegedly threw the pin into a river, but the "curse" was said to have already taken effect, as he lost his very next decision.
Marquard continued his stellar performance in 1913, winning 23 games against 10 losses. Over these three seasons (1911-1913), he consistently won at least 23 games annually, significantly contributing to the Giants' three consecutive National League pennants.
3.3. Brooklyn Robins and Other Teams (1915-1925)
In 1914, Marquard's performance dipped, as he posted a 12-22 record. In 1915, despite pitching a no-hitter on April 15, he was in poor form and was traded to the Brooklyn Robins mid-season. He remained with the Robins for five seasons, helping the team win National League pennants in 1916 and 1920. During his time with the Robins, he appeared in two World Series.
After his tenure with Brooklyn, Marquard played for the Cincinnati Reds in 1921 and then for the Boston Braves from 1922 to 1925. He retired from professional baseball in 1925 at the age of 38.
3.4. Career Highlights and Statistics
Rube Marquard's major league career spanned 18 seasons and 536 games, concluding with a record of 201 wins and 177 losses, a 3.08 ERA, 197 complete games, and 30 shutouts. At the time of his retirement, his 1,593 career strikeouts ranked third in major league history among left-handed pitchers, trailing only Rube Waddell and Eddie Plank. This stood as the National League record for southpaws until it was surpassed by another Giants pitcher, Carl Hubbell, in 1942.
- Titles and Records:**
- Most Wins:** 1 time (1912)
- Most Strikeouts:** 1 time (1911)
- World Series Appearances:** 5 times (1911, 1912, 1913, 1916, 1920)
- Season Winning Streak Record:** 19 (1912: Tied with Tim Keefe for the major league record for consecutive wins in a season; also an MLB record for a winning streak from the start of the season).
- No-hitter:** April 15, 1915.
- Career Pitching Statistics:**
Year Team G GS CG SHO W L SV WPct BF IP H HR BB IBB HBP SO BK WP R ER ERA WHIP 1908 NYG 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 .000 22 5.0 6 0 2 -- 1 2 1 0 5 2 3.60 1.60 1909 NYG 29 22 8 0 5 13 1 .278 707 173.0 155 2 73 -- 9 109 8 0 81 50 2.60 1.32 1910 NYG 13 8 2 0 4 4 0 .500 300 70.2 65 2 40 -- 4 52 4 0 35 35 4.46 1.49 1911 NYG 45 33 22 5 24 7 3 .774 1117 277.2 221 9 106 -- 4 237 10 1 98 77 2.50 1.18 1912 NYG 43 38 22 1 26 11 1 .703 1230 294.2 286 9 80 -- 3 175 8 0 112 84 2.57 1.24 1913 NYG 42 33 20 4 23 10 3 .697 1122 288.0 248 10 49 -- 3 151 3 1 100 80 2.50 1.03 1914 NYG 39 33 15 4 12 22 2 .353 1086 268.0 261 9 47 -- 2 92 12 0 117 91 3.06 1.15 1915 NYG 27 21 10 2 9 8 2 .529 701 169.0 178 8 33 -- 1 79 3 0 85 70 3.73 1.25 1915 BRO 6 3 0 0 2 2 1 .500 112 24.2 29 0 5 -- 0 13 3 0 17 17 6.20 1.38 1915 Total 33 24 10 2 11 10 3 .524 813 193.2 207 8 38 -- 1 92 6 0 102 87 4.04 1.27 1916 BRO 36 21 15 2 13 6 5 .684 793 205.0 169 2 38 -- 0 107 3 1 54 36 1.58 1.01 1917 BRO 37 29 14 2 19 12 0 .613 942 232.2 200 5 60 -- 0 117 4 0 84 66 2.55 1.12 1918 BRO 34 29 19 4 9 18 0 .333 980 239.0 231 7 59 -- 1 89 3 0 97 70 2.64 1.21 1919 BRO 8 7 3 0 3 3 0 .500 238 59.0 54 1 10 -- 0 29 3 0 17 15 2.29 1.09 1920 BRO 28 26 10 1 10 7 0 .588 779 189.2 181 5 35 -- 1 89 5 0 83 68 3.23 1.14 1921 CIN 39 36 18 2 17 14 0 .548 1116 265.2 291 8 50 -- 7 88 5 1 123 100 3.39 1.28 1922 BSN 39 25 7 0 11 15 1 .423 884 198.0 255 12 66 -- 0 57 3 1 131 112 5.09 1.62 1923 BSN 38 29 11 3 11 14 1 .440 1015 239.0 265 10 65 -- 2 78 1 0 127 99 3.73 1.38 1924 BSN 6 6 1 0 1 2 0 .333 150 36.0 33 3 13 -- 1 10 1 0 17 12 3.00 1.28 1925 BSN 26 8 0 0 2 8 0 .200 347 72.0 105 5 27 -- 0 19 1 0 60 46 5.75 1.83 Career Total 536 408 197 30 201 177 20 .532 13641 3306.2 3233 107 858 -- 39 1593 81 5 1443 1130 3.08 1.24 - Career Batting Statistics:**
3.5. Post-Playing Activities and Controversies
After retiring from Major League Baseball in 1925, Rube Marquard continued to be involved in baseball, pitching and managing in the minor leagues until 1933. Following his full retirement from professional baseball, he worked as a betting window teller at Narragansett Park.
Marquard was also involved in a notable controversy during his career. During the 1920 World Series in Cleveland, he was arrested for ticket scalping. He was accused of selling eight box seats for 350 USD, significantly higher than their original price of 52.8 USD. Marquard was found guilty and received a fine of 1 USD plus 3.5 USD in court costs, which he claimed was a joke.
4. Personal Life
Outside of his baseball career, Rube Marquard was also a performer in vaudeville. He appeared on stage with Blossom Seeley, a popular singer and entertainer of the era. Marquard and Seeley later married, and Seeley gave birth to their son, Richard William Marquard II.
5. Legacy and Evaluation
Rube Marquard's legacy in baseball is complex, marked by both significant achievements and later critical re-evaluation of his historical standing.
5.1. Hall of Fame Induction
Rube Marquard was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. His induction was decided by the Veterans Committee, a special committee that considers players, managers, umpires, and executives who may have been overlooked by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
5.2. Critical Reception and Historical Evaluation
Marquard's selection to the Hall of Fame has often drawn criticism from the sabermetrics community. Analysts point out that his career adjusted ERA+ was only slightly better than the league average, leading some to question his statistical dominance compared to other Hall of Famers. Renowned baseball historian Bill James famously described Marquard as "probably the worst starting pitcher in the Hall of Fame."
One of the primary reasons believed to have influenced his Hall of Fame election was his chapter in the popular 1966 baseball book, The Glory of Their Times, which featured interviews with various early baseball figures. However, many of the stories and recollections Marquard shared in the book were later found to be largely inaccurate or embellished, casting a shadow on the historical reliability of his personal accounts.
6. Death
Richard "Rube" Marquard died in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 1, 1980, at the age of 93. He is interred in the Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery in Baltimore.