The Daily Monitor Leader

As a gangling kid hanging around Engine House 20 on Cleveland's west side and pitching for sandlot teams, Richard W. Marquard was called Richie. This nickname fitted Marquard much better than Rube. There was nothing of the plowboy in Marquard but the tag, Rube, was fastened on him because he was big and left-handed and coming in as the immortal Waddell was passing out.

Tall, slender, dark complexioned, handsome Rube Marquard was one of the 10 best dressed men. He was a young man of the world and Broadway, wooed and won Blossom Seeley of musical comedy fame.

Marquard was only 19 in the fall of 1908 when the Giants gave the Indianapolis club the then record price of $11,000 for the winner of 23 games.

Against the advice of John McGraw, Owner John T. Brush ordered that Marquard pitch late that season, the one in which the Cubs, Giants and Pirates had their memorable three-cornered fight for the pennant.

McGraw claimed that start set Marquard back two years. Anyway, the $11,000 Beauty became the $11,000 Lemon as the Rube, dubbed through the following two campaigns.

SETS RECORD—19 STRAIGHT

Marquard also might have been thrown off stride as the result of Manager McGraw and his coach, Wilbert Robinson, working on his pitching faults in the spring of '09. Anyway, it wasn't until '11, when he was 22, stood six feet three and weighed 180 pounds, that the Rube made his critics change their tune.

Marquard helped the Polo Grounders to pennants in '11, '12, and '13, with 24 victories against 7 defeats, 26 and 11 and 23 and 10, and earned-run marks of 2.25, 2.57 and 2.50.

Starting on opening day, '12, he established the modern major league record for consecutive victories at 19. He wasn't beaten until July 7. The record would have been 20 under the present method of determining credit.

Marquard was an iron man in the American Association. An A.A. record which still stands was his pitching in six straight games. During that stretch he turned in four shutouts. Three of the games were two-hitters, two three-hitters and the other a four-hitter.

He hung up the league mark for low-hit games with 18 contests under five hits, one being a no-hitter.

Off in 1914, Marquard turned in a no-hit game against Brooklyn on opening day of 1915.

HELPS ROBBY TO TWO FLAGS

Waived to the Dodgers, he helped Uncle Wilbert Robinson, his old mentor, bag the flag in '16. He won 19 games for the Dodgers in '17. He broke his leg sliding into second in June '19, but came back to help Uncle Robby with 10 victories and to another gonfalon in '20. He had enough left to win 17 for the Reds in '21.

Marquard was in five World Series, and the best he did was win two of the three victories scored by the Giants in the hard-fought eight game set with the Red Sox in '12.

Marquard obtained tremendous speed with a three-quarter motion and easy pitching grace and had a very good curve. He was a smart, keen and dead game pitcher without a squawk or alibi.

His most pronounced physical characteristic was a wry neck. His head inclined toward his right shoulder.

Rube Marquard was still pitching for Atlanta in '32 at the age of 43, but he will always be remembered as the $11,000 Beauty of John McGraw's favorite team of Giants.