The Major Leagues’ strikeout leader from 1902 through 1907, Rube Waddell was the game’s greatest drawing card at the turn of the century. Leave a comment. Ken Burns' baseball documentary claims Waddell lost track of how many women he'd married.At first because of his immature behaviour, and later because of his alcoholism, Waddell's career wound through a number of teams. 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 back to Philadelphia, where he would lead the Philadelphia Athletics to the 1902 American League crown. He died on April 1, 1914 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. But, in a league game in Detroit, Waddell had his outfielders come in close and sit down on the grass. 1905 American League Triple Crown Award Winner by leading League with 1.48 ERA, 27 Wins and 287 Strikeouts. 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. Pittsburgh retained his rights, however, and he was loaned to 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. SABR. texasescapes.com/MichaelBarr/Rube-Waddel-Oddball-with-Fastball.htm Death Date: 4/1/1914: Debut Year: 1897: Year of Induction: 1946: Teams: Athletics, Browns, Cubs, Pirates Position Pitcher Statistics. In their second meeting, Waddell was removed from a game after being hit by a batted 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. Finally, Waddell's manager Connie Mack showed up and put a stop to it. The next two hitters patted flies that fell behind the mound. One-time friend Ossee Schreckengost, who regularly fetched alcohol and fishing poles with Rube, squabbled with both Waddell and Mack as Schreckengost was treated differently for the same problems. Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1899 season Full Name: George Edward Waddell Nicknames: Rube. However, a loaded pistol dropped out of his pocket and fired. Rube Walker died from lung cancer on December 12, 1992, in Morganton, North Carolina at age 66.
In 1907, the two men pitched a scoreless 13-inning tie.On August 19, 1900, Waddell pitched the first game of a doubleheader for Milwaukee, winning in the 17th inning on his own triple. Recent commentators (such as Bill James) have suggested that Waddell may have suffered from a developmental disability, mental retardation, autism, or attention deficit disorder (ADD). Pitched for the Louisville Colonels (1897 and 1899), Pittsburgh Pirates (1900-1901), Chicago Cubs (1901), Philadelphia A's (1902-1907) and St. Louis Browns (1908-1910). When Waddell displayed his prowess for Milwaukee, Pittsburgh management asked for Rube's return. Popular culture. Because of Waddell's notoriously-short attention span, some think he may have suffered from Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (an unknown condition at the turn of the 20th century).
In same season also led League in winning percentage (73%), Hits allowed per 9 innings pitched (6.33), strikeouts per 9 innings pitched (7.86) and games (46). He showed Mack his signing bonus - a $2,000 check - to prove it. Pronunciation: \wa-DELL\ View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject. In that game, Austin batted with runners on first and second and bunted.
As it turned out, the opposing player's con did no good: Waddell went on that game to throw a complete-game shutout. However, Rube could throw every pitch, including slow curves, screwballs, "fadeaways", and a flutterball on demand. (In 1946, it was initially believed that Bob Feller's 348 strikeouts had broken Waddell's single-season mark. The term was commonly used to refer to hayseeds or farmboys. The other team's third base coach started up with his normal banter of "You bum! However, further issues with drinking and marital strife with third wife, Madge Maguire, led to his being released in 1910. Oct 13 1876 - Bradford, McKean County, Pennsylvania, USA Apr 1 1914 - San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA 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). Get off the mound!" He performed as an alligator wrestler in the offseason. With two out in the ninth, Powers dropped a third strike, allowing the batter to reach first.
Other players complained about Rube's lack of dependable behavior, and following a season where Rube was the goat of a series that cost the team the 1907 pennant to the Detroit Tigers, Mack finally lost patience with him and sold Waddell to the St. Louis Browns for $5000.Waddell enjoyed one successful season, helping the Browns compete in the greatest AL pennant race ever. Geni requires JavaScript! In addition to pitching for the Millers, he pitched for the Minneapolis Rough Riders and with Virginia (MN) in the Northern League in 1913.
While in Minneapolis in 1913, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and eventually sent to live with his sister in Texas.