| Rube Waddell | ||
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| Pitcher | ||
| Born: October 13, 1876 Bradford, Pennsylvania |
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| Died: April 1, 1914 (aged 37) San Antonio, Texas |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | ||
| September 8, 1897 for the Louisville Colonels |
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| Final game | ||
| August 1, 1910 for the St. Louis Browns |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Pitching Record | 193-143 | |
| Earned run average | 2. In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of Events 54 - Nero ascends to the Roman throne 409 - Vandals and Alans crossed the Pyrenees Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Bradford is a small City located in rural McKean County Pennsylvania, in the United States 78 miles (126 km south of Buffalo New York The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that played in the American Association throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. A win is a Statistic in Major League Baseball credited to the Pitcher for the winning team who was in the game when his team last took the lead In Baseball statistics, earned run average ( ERA) is the Mean of Earned runs given up by a Pitcher per nine Innings pitched 16 | |
| Strikeouts | 2316 | |
| Teams | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
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| Member of the National | ||
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Elected | 1946 | |
| Election Method | Veteran's Committee | |
George Edward Waddell (October 13, 1876 - April 1, 1914) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. The 1905 World Series matched the New York Giants against the Philadelphia Athletics, with the Giants winning 4 games to 1 Champions Major League Baseball World Series: St Louis Cardinals over Boston Red Sox (4-3 All-Star Game Events 54 - Nero ascends to the Roman throne 409 - Vandals and Alans crossed the Pyrenees Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of In his thirteen-year career he played for the Louisville Colonels (1897, 1899), Pittsburgh Pirates (1900-01) and Chicago Orphans (1901) in the National League, and the Philadelphia Athletics (1902-07) and St. Louis Browns (1908-10) in the American League. The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that played in the American Association throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball The Oakland Athletics are a professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League ( AL) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in Waddell earned the nickname "Rube" because he was a big, fresh kid. The term was commonly used to refer to hayseeds or farmboys. He was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Bradford is a small City located in rural McKean County Pennsylvania, in the United States 78 miles (126 km south of Buffalo New York
Waddell was a remarkably dominant strikeout pitcher in an era when batters mostly slapped at the ball to get singles. He had an excellent fastball, a sharp-breaking curve, a screwball and superb control (his strikeout-to-walk ratio was almost 3-to-1). For the American band of the same name see Fastball (band. For the game also known as fast-pitch softball see Softball. The curveball is a breaking pitch in Baseball thrown with a grip and hand movement that imparts down and/or sideways spin to the ball. Waddell led the Major Leagues in strikeouts for six consecutive years.
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Personality issues
Waddell was odd and unpredictable, including a bad habit of leaving the dugout in the middle of games to follow passing fire trucks to fires, and performed as an alligator wrestler in the offseason. He was also easily distracted by opposing team fans who used to hold up puppies and shiny objects which seem to put Waddell in a trance on the mound. He was an alcoholic for much of his adult life, reportedly spending the entirety of his first signing bonus on a drinking binge (Sporting News called him "the sousepaw"). Sporting News (previously The Sporting News, and known colloquially as TSN) is an American -based Sports Waddell's eccentric behavior led to constant battles with his managers and scuffles with bad-tempered teammates; complaints from his teammates forced his trade from Philadelphia to St. Louis in early 1908, despite his importance to the team and his continued success. Recent commentators (such as Bill James) have suggested that Waddell may have suffered from a developmental disability, mental retardation, or autism. George William “Bill” James (born October 5, 1949, in Holton Kansas) is a Baseball writer historian and statistician whose work has been Though eccentric and childlike, Rube Waddell was not illiterate (as some sources have claimed).
James made a rather harsh appraisal of Waddell, saying he could not "fit into the commercial mold of the modern ballplayer," and that a modern Waddell would not be allowed to compete anywhere save for "heaving a rubber-tipped javelin in the Special Olympics. Special Olympics is an international organization created to help people with Intellectual disabilities develop self-confidence social skills and a sense of personal accomplishment "
Walter Johnson said of Waddell:
- "In my opinion, and I suppose if there is any subject that I am qualified to discuss it is pitching, Rube Waddell had more sheer pitching ability than any man I ever saw. Walter Perry Johnson ( November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946) nicknamed "The Big Train" was an American right-handed That doesn't say he was the greatest pitcher, by a good deal. Rube had defects of character that prevented him from using his talents to the best effect. He is dead and gone, so there is no need for me to enlarge on his weaknesses. They were well enough known. I would prefer to dwell on his strong points. And he had plenty. "
Alan Howard Levy, in his book Rube Waddell: The Zany, Brilliant Life of a Strikeout Artist, wrote:
- "He was among the game's first real drawing cards, among its first honest-to-goodness celebrities, and the first player to have teams of newspaper reporters following him, and the first to have a mass following of idol-worshiping kids yelling out his nickname like he was their buddy. "
Cooperstown historian Lee Allen encapsulated Waddell's erratic behavior:
- "He began that year (1903) sleeping in a firehouse in Camden, New Jersey, and ended it tending bar in a saloon in Wheeling, West Virginia. The City of Camden is the County seat of Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. Wheeling is a city in West Virginia, in the United States. Most of the city is in Ohio County, with a small In between those events he won 22 games for the Philadelphia Athletics, played left end for the Business Men's Rugby Football Club of Grand Rapids, Michigan, toured the nation in a melodrama called The Stain of Guilt, courted, married and became separated from May Wynne Skinner of Lynn, Massachusetts, saved a woman from drowning, accidentally shot a friend through the hand, and was bitten by a lion. Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. "
Pitching career
Because of his troubles with alcohol and erratic nature, Waddell's career was checkered. His first pro contract was with Louisville (for $500), though he only pitched two games with the team at the end of the 1897 season. When the season was over, he was loaned to the Detroit Wolverines of the Western League to gain professional seasoning.
Waddell left his next team, Detroit of the Western League, to pitch in Canada before eventually returning to Homestead, PA to pitch semi-pro baseball there. He pitched for Columbus of the Western League in 1899, continued with the team when the franchise moved mid-season to Grand Rapids, and finished with a record of 26-8. He rejoined Louisville in the final month of the 1899 season and won seven of nine decisions. When the National League contracted to eight teams for the 1900 season, Louisville ownership bought the Pittsburgh franchise and the Louisville franchise was allowed to be terminated. Louisville's top players, including Waddell, Honus Wagner, Fred Clarke, and others, were transferred to Pittsburgh. Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (ˈhɑnəs ˈwæɡnɚ February 24 1874 &ndash December 6 1955) nicknamed " The Flying Dutchman Fred Clifford Clarke ( October 3, 1872 &ndash August 14, 1960) was a Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player
Waddell debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1900, leading the National League in ERA. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball But his erratic behavior led manager Fred Clarke to suspend him. After pitching semi-pro ball in small towns such as Punxsutawney, Connie Mack learned of Waddell's availability, and with Pittsburgh's approval, convinced Waddell to pitch for Milwaukee for several weeks in the summer of 1900. Milwaukee was in the newly-named American League (formerly the Western League), which was not yet directly competing with the National League. When Waddell displayed his prowess for Milwaukee, Pittsburgh asked for Rube to be returned to the club. By 1901, Waddell had worn out his welcome and his contract was sold to the Cubs, who ended up suspending him for the last month of the season-- which Waddell promptly spent pitching for a semi-pro team in Wisconsin. Waddell then joined a barnstorming team that travelled to California. Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s in which Stunt pilots would perform tricks with airplanes, either individually or in groups called While there, Waddell was convinced to stay and joined the Los Angeles Loo Loos in a league that one year later would become the Pacific Coast League. Connie Mack, now in Philadelphia, was desperate for pitching, and when he learned Rube was pitching in California, he dispatched two Pinkerton agents to sneak Waddell to Philadelphia, where he would lead the Philadelphia Athletics to the 1902 American League crown. The Oakland Athletics are a professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. Mack later described his star lefthander as, ". . . the atom bomb of baseball long before the atom bomb was discovered. "
Waddell's pitching repertoire consisted mainly of only two pitches: One of the fastest fastballs in the league and a hard curve. For the American band of the same name see Fastball (band. For the game also known as fast-pitch softball see Softball. The curveball is a breaking pitch in Baseball thrown with a grip and hand movement that imparts down and/or sideways spin to the ball. Mack once said that Waddell's curve was, "even better than his speed. . . [He] had the fastest and deepest curve I've ever seen. " [1]
In his career, Waddell had a record of 193-143, 2,316 strikeouts, and a 2. In Baseball or Softball, a strikeout or strike out (denoted by SO or K) occurs when a batter receives three strikes 16 earned run average, with 50 shutouts and 261 complete games in 2961 innings pitched. In Baseball statistics, earned run average ( ERA) is the Mean of Earned runs given up by a Pitcher per nine Innings pitched In team sports in American English a shutout (a clean sheet in Soccer) refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring
In his prime, Rube Waddell was the game's premiere power pitcher. In Baseball, a power pitcher is a Pitcher who relies on the Velocity of his pitches, sometimes at the expense of accuracy In 1903, Waddell had 302 strikeouts, 115 more than the runner-up (Bill Donovan), and followed that up with 349 strikeouts in 1904, 110 more than the runner-up (Jack Chesbro). Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Willard Earl Donovan ( July 6, 1916 - September 25, 1997) was a Pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1942 through Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on John Dwight Chesbro ( June 5, 1874 &ndash November 6, 1931) was a Major League Baseball Pitcher at the turn of the No other pitcher would amass two consecutive 300-strikeout seasons until Sandy Koufax in 1965 & 1966. Sanford Koufax (ˈkoʊfæks (born Sanford Braun, on December 30, 1935) is an American Left-handed former Pitcher in
Waddell's 349 strikeouts was the modern-era record for more than 60 years, and remains sixth on the modern list. (In 1946, it was initially believed that Bob Feller's 348 strikeouts had broken Waddell's single-season mark. Robert William Andrew "Bob" Feller (born November 3, 1918 in Van Meter Iowa) nicknamed the "Heater from Van Meter" and However, research into Waddell's 1904 season revealed uncounted strikeout numbers, lifting him back above Feller. ) Waddell still holds the American League single season strikeout record by a left-handed pitcher.
Final years
After his major league career was over, Waddell pitched for parts of three more years in the minor leagues, including a 20-win season for Minneapolis in 1911.
Rube Waddell died in 1914 on April 1, "April Fool's Day", in San Antonio, Texas at the age of 37, apparently from the lingering effects of having stood in icy waters doing extensive flood relief work. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne This article is about the informal holiday For other uses see April Fool.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. The 1946 elections to select inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame marked a dramatic revision of the methods used one year earlier
In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Lawrence S Ritter ( May 23 1922 - February 15 2004) was an American Writer whose specialties were Baseball and Donald Honig is a Novelist that mostly writes about Baseball. Under what they called "the Smokey Joe Wood Syndrome," they argued in favor of a player of truly exceptional talent whose career was curtailed by injury (or, in Waddell's case, substance abuse), despite not having had career statistics that would quantitatively rank him with the all-time greats.
Highlights
- Won Triple Crown for pitchers (1905: 27-10, 287, 1. For other uses of this term see Triple crown In Baseball, the Triple Crown refers to A batter who (at season's end leads 48)
- 4-time 20-game winner (24, 21, 25, 27: 1902-05)
- Two ERA titles (1900, 1905), along with two second-place finishes in the category
- Six consecutive strikeout titles (1902-07)
- Led his league eight times in strikeouts per nine innings (1900, 1902-1908; he finished second in 1901)
- Set league record for strikeouts in a game (16, 1908)
- Set record for strikeouts in a season (349, 1904)
- On July 1, 1902, Waddell became the second pitcher to strike out three batters on nine pitches, in the third inning of a 2-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles. In Baseball statistics, earned run average ( ERA) is the Mean of Earned runs given up by a Pitcher per nine Innings pitched "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting In Major League Baseball, 38 pitchers have thrown a nine-pitch three-strikeout half-inning literally throwing nothing but strikes a total of 41 times The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Collected 50 shutouts. In team sports in American English a shutout (a clean sheet in Soccer) refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring
Trivia
- Waddell was the opposing pitcher for Cy Young's perfect game on May 5, 1904, and hit a flyball for the final out. Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29 1867 – November 4 1955 was an American Baseball player who pitched for five different major league A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a Pitcher (or combination of pitchers pitches a victory that lasts a minimum In 1905, Waddell beat Young in a 20-inning game. In 1907, the two men pitched a scoreless 13-inning tie.
- Negro Leagues star pitcher Rube Foster is said to have acquired his nickname after besting Waddell in a 1904 postseason exhibition game, though some historians dispute that an actual Waddell-Foster matchup ever took place. Part of the History of baseball in the United States series The Negro leagues were American professional Baseball leagues Andrew Rube Foster ( September 17 1879 - December 9 1930) was an American Baseball
- Rube Marquard, according to his own story, acquired his nickname when a writer compared him favorably to Waddell. Richard William "Rube" Marquard (October 9 1886 - June 1 1980 was an American left-handed Pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1910s
- Waddell was part of a 15-player trade in December 1899 that also included fellow Hall of Famers Honus Wagner and Jack Chesbro. Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (ˈhɑnəs ˈwæɡnɚ February 24 1874 &ndash December 6 1955) nicknamed " The Flying Dutchman John Dwight Chesbro ( June 5, 1874 &ndash November 6, 1931) was a Major League Baseball Pitcher at the turn of the In truth, it wasn't so much a trade as it was a realignment of talent following a change of ownership. The owners of Louisville purchased the Pittsburgh club and moved all of their best players to Pittsburgh.
- On August 19, 1900, Waddell pitched the first game of a doubleheader for Milwaukee, winning in the 17th inning on his own triple. His manager, Connie Mack offered Waddell a three-day fishing vacation if he agreed to pitch the second game (which had been shortened to 5 innings). Cornelius Alexander Mack ( December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956) born Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy, was an American Waddell threw 5 scoreless innings, allowing one single. Waddell also won both halves of a 1902 doubleheader (relieving in the second game).
- Waddell was so bad at holding onto money that the A's once paid him in dollar bills, in the hopes that he would spend it more slowly. Half of his contract was given directly to his wife, while the rest was doled out as Rube needed it. According to "Just a Big Kid: The Life and Times of Rube Waddell" (Paul Proia, PublishAmerica 2007), the practice of paying Rube in small amounts dated to his time in Pittsburgh where Barney Dreyfuss paid Rube in smaller amounts and Rube would "touch" his owners for cash as he needed it.
- A provision in Waddell's contract-- inserted at his catcher's insistence-- prohibited Waddell from eating crackers in bed. (Players shared beds on road trips. )
- On July 29, 1908, Waddell set the AL strikeout record with 16 in a game. This took place against his former Philadelphia A's team, which had traded him away five months earlier as a disruptive influence.
- Jimmy Austin has claimed that, in 1909, he hit a home run off of a tipsy Waddell who then glared angrily at him during his entire trot around the bases. James Phillip "Jimmy" Austin ( December 8, 1879 - March 6, 1965) was a professional Baseball player and coach However, maintaining the 360-degree pivot made Waddell dizzy, and he passed out on the mound. Evidence indicates, however, that this story could not have happened as Jimmy Austin described it[2]. Austin likely merged three different games against Waddell into one memory. In their first meeting, Austin banged out a triple to the deepest part of center field in the first inning, but was stranded by Waddell, who retired the rest of the batters in order. In their second meeting, Waddell was removed from a game after being hit by a batted ball. In their third meeting, Austin likely faced a Waddell who had been bored by playing for a poor Browns club. In that game, Austin batted with runners on first and second and bunted. Rube twisted as he threw to third - and got the force out. However, he feigned injury and appeared less than cooperative to manager Jimmy McAleer, so McAleer pulled Waddell from the game. James Robert "Loafer" McAleer (July 10 1864 &ndash April 29 1931 was an American Center fielder, manager, and stockholder in Major Oddly, Austin was removed from the bases when he tried to advance an extra base on a single to left field.
- Waddell led his league in strikeouts in every season from 1902 through 1907. During this six-year stretch, he had 1,576 strikeouts, while the aggregate total of all six runners-up was 1,180.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
- Triple Crown
- List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- MLB All-Time Hit Batsmen List
- Pitchers who have struck out three batters on nine pitches
- Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
References
- ^ Allen, Lee & Meany, Tom. Major League Baseball recognizes Earned run average champions in the American League and National League each season For other uses of this term see Triple crown In Baseball, the Triple Crown refers to A batter who (at season's end leads Major League Baseball recognizes Strikeout champions in the American League and National League each season The following is a list of Major League Baseball wins champions. In Major League Baseball, 38 pitchers have thrown a nine-pitch three-strikeout half-inning literally throwing nothing but strikes a total of 41 times In Baseball, a Strikeout occurs when the batter receives three strikes during his time At bat. At the end of each Major League Baseball season the league leaders of various statistical categories are announced Kings of the Diamond, 1965.
- ^ rubewaddell.net
External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Page at Baseball Library
- Ron Schuler's Parlour Tricks: Rube Waddell
- Bio, mythology, and other information about Rube Waddell
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