Rube Marquard

Infobox MLB retired
name=Rube Marquard
position=Pitcher


bgcolor1=#fd5a1e
bgcolor2=black
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
bats=Both
throws=Left
birthdate=October 9, 1886
city-state|Cleveland|Ohio
deathdate=death date and age|1980|6|1|1886|10|9
city-state|Baltimore|Maryland
debutdate= September 25
debutyear= 1908
debutteam= New York Giants
finaldate=September 18
finalyear=1925
finalteam=Boston Braves
stat1label=Pitching record
stat1value=201-177
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=3.08
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=1593
teams=
* New York Giants (1908-1915)
* Brooklyn Robins (1915-1920)
* Cincinnati Reds (1921)
* Boston Braves (1922-1925)
highlights=
*National League pennant: 1911, 1912, 1913, 1916, 1920
*National League wins champion: 1912
*National League strikeout champion: 1911
*3 20-win seasons
* Pitched a no-hitter on April 15, 1915.
hofdate=by|1971
hofmethod=Veteran's Committee

Richard William "Rube" Marquard (October 9, 1886 - June 1, 1980) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1910s and early 1920s. He achieved his greatest success with the New York Giants.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, his playing rights were acquired for $13,000 - a then unheard-of sum to pay for a baseball player's contract - and his lack of success early on led to his being tagged "the $13,000 lemon". According to both Marquard himself in "The Glory of Their Times" and the Baseball Hall of Fame's entry on him, the price paid for his contract was actually $11,000, not $13,000. Later, however, he was to make baseball history by winning nineteen decisions in a row. He allegedly celebrated by buying an opal stickpin to reward himself. Upon being told by a friend that opals were a jinx, he threw the pin into a river; but apparently the curse had already done its work, as he lost his next decision.

Despite his nickname, he was a city kid. As he told it in "The Glory of the Their Times", a writer in his minor league days compared him favorably with Rube Waddell, and very soon Marquard was being called "Rube" also. He retired in 1925 with a record of 201-177 and a 3.08 ERA; his 1593 strikeouts, at the time, ranked 3rd in major league history among left-handers (behind Rube Waddell and Eddie Plank), and stood as the NL record for southpaws until his total was surpassed by Carl Hubbell in 1942.

Marquard was a performer in vaudeville, appearing with Blossom Seeley and later marrying her. He died in Baltimore, Maryland at age 93. Marquard is interred in Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. His selection has often been criticized by the sabermetrics community, since Marquard's career adjusted ERA+ was only slightly better than league average. Bill James described Marquard as "probably the worst starting pitcher in the Hall of Fame." cite book
author = James, Bill
title = Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame? Baseball, Cooperstown, and the Politics of Glory
year = 1994
publisher = Fireside
location = New York, NY
isbn = 0-684-80088-8
pages = 170 ]

References

ee also

* List of MLB individual streaks
* List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
* List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
* List of Major League Baseball wins champions
* List of Major League Baseball no-hitters

External links

*bbhof|118295
*baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=m/marquru01 |fangraphs=1008125 |cube=M/rube-marquard
* [http://www.thediamondangle.com/archive/sep01/marquard.html Marquard's Glide - Rube's 1912 Winning Streak]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Rube_Marquard_1889 Bio at BaseballLibrary.com]