Rube Marquard
The southpaw who earned his nickname by throwing so hard he'd "rube" opposing batters went on one of the most dominant stretches in baseball history. Marquard's 1911-1912 seasons were otherworldly — he won 43 games over those two campaigns while posting a microscopic ERA that made him nearly unhittable.
His 19-game winning streak to start the 1912 season remains one of baseball's most remarkable feats, a record that stood as the modern era benchmark until matched decades later. That peak ERA+ of 176 tells the story of a pitcher who was 76% better than league average at his absolute best.
The Giants' ace threw over 3,300 innings across 18 seasons, striking out 1,593 batters in an era when whiffs were far less common. His 201 wins and 3.08 career ERA reflect consistent excellence beyond those legendary peak years, earning him a well-deserved Veterans Committee induction in 1971.
Career · Hitting
18 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | NY1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — |
| 1909 | NY1 | 29 | 54 | 0 | 2 | .148 | — | — |
| 1910 | NY1 | 13 | 27 | 0 | 0 | .111 | — | — |
| 1911 | NY1 | 45 | 104 | 1 | 10 | .163 | — | — |
| 1912 | NY1 | 43 | 96 | 0 | 8 | .219 | — | — |
| 1913 | NY1 | 42 | 105 | 0 | 6 | .219 | — | — |
| 1914 | NY1 | 39 | 84 | 0 | 0 | .179 | — | — |
| 1915 | NY1 | 33 | 63 | 0 | 3 | .111 | — | — |
| 1916 | BRO | 36 | 63 | 0 | 5 | .143 | — | — |
| 1917 | BRO | 37 | 75 | 0 | 4 | .200 | — | — |
| 1918 | BRO | 34 | 76 | 0 | 3 | .171 | — | — |
| 1919 | BRO | 8 | 23 | 0 | 3 | .261 | — | — |
| 1920 | BRO | 28 | 59 | 0 | 0 | .169 | — | — |
| 1921 | CIN | 39 | 95 | 0 | 10 | .200 | — | — |
| 1922 | BSN | 39 | 63 | 0 | 4 | .222 | — | — |
| 1923 | BSN | 38 | 86 | 0 | 3 | .140 | — | — |
| 1924 | BSN | 6 | 11 | 0 | 1 | .273 | — | — |
| 1925 | BSN | 26 | 22 | 0 | 2 | .136 | — | — |
| Career | 536 | 1107 | 1 | 64 | .179 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
18 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | NY1 | 1 | 5.0 | 0 | 1 | 3.60 | 67 | 2 | 1.600 |
| 1909 | NY1 | 29 | 173.0 | 5 | 13 | 2.60 | 98 | 109 | 1.318 |
| 1910 | NY1 | 13 | 70.7 | 4 | 4 | 4.46 | 63 | 52 | 1.486 |
| 1911 | NY1 | 45 | 277.7 | 24 | 7 | 2.50 | 135 | 237 | 1.178 |
| 1912 | NY1 | 43 | 294.7 | 26 | 11 | 2.57 | 131 | 175 | 1.242 |
| 1913 | NY1 | 42 | 288.0 | 23 | 10 | 2.50 | 122 | 151 | 1.031 |
| 1914 | NY1 | 39 | 268.0 | 12 | 22 | 3.06 | 96 | 92 | 1.149 |
| 1915 | NY1 | 33 | 193.7 | 11 | 10 | 4.04 | 72 | 92 | 1.265 |
| 1916 | BRO | 36 | 205.0 | 13 | 6 | 1.58 | 176 | 107 | 1.010 |
| 1917 | BRO | 37 | 232.7 | 19 | 12 | 2.55 | 105 | 117 | 1.117 |
| 1918 | BRO | 34 | 239.0 | 9 | 18 | 2.64 | 107 | 89 | 1.213 |
| 1919 | BRO | 8 | 59.0 | 3 | 3 | 2.29 | 135 | 29 | 1.085 |
| 1920 | BRO | 28 | 189.7 | 10 | 7 | 3.23 | 107 | 89 | 1.139 |
| 1921 | CIN | 39 | 265.7 | 17 | 14 | 3.39 | 119 | 88 | 1.284 |
| 1922 | BSN | 39 | 198.0 | 11 | 15 | 5.09 | 82 | 57 | 1.621 |
| 1923 | BSN | 38 | 239.0 | 11 | 14 | 3.73 | 108 | 78 | 1.381 |
| 1924 | BSN | 6 | 36.0 | 1 | 2 | 3.00 | 138 | 10 | 1.278 |
| 1925 | BSN | 26 | 72.0 | 2 | 8 | 5.75 | 79 | 19 | 1.833 |
| Career | 536 | 3306.9 | 201 | 177 | — | — | 1593 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.