Nap Rucker was born on Tuesday, September 30, 1884, in Crabapple, Georgia. Rucker was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 15, 1907, with the Brooklyn Superbas. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Nap Rucker baseball stats page.
"Nap Rucker of the Brooklyn National League club is easily the best southpaw in the game today. Speed always had been the boast of his village admirers and his spit-fire control, which is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World for a southpaw." - Peet, William. Washington Herald Sports Writer. Nap Rucker Voted Best Southpaw. 14 October 1914.
Nap Rucker |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nap RuckerNap Rucker Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
1907 | 23 | Superbas | 37 | 30 | 7 | 15 | 13 | .536 | 2.06 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 275.1 | 1,122 | 242 | 63 | 94 | 3 | 80 | - | 131 | 10 | 8 | 0 | - |
1908 | 24 | Superbas | 42 | 37 | 6 | 17 | 19 | .472 | 2.08 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 333.1 | 1,346 | 265 | 77 | 107 | 1 | 125 | - | 199 | 5 | 19 | 0 | - |
1909 | 25 | Superbas | 38 | 33 | 5 | 13 | 19 | .406 | 2.24 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 309.1 | 1,227 | 245 | 77 | 95 | 6 | 101 | - | 201 | 5 | 14 | 0 | - |
1910 | 26 | Superbas | 41 | 39 | 2 | 17 | 18 | .486 | 2.58 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 320.1 | 1,291 | 293 | 92 | 112 | 5 | 84 | - | 147 | 5 | 9 | 0 | - |
1911 | 27 | Superbas | 48 | 33 | 14 | 22 | 18 | .550 | 2.71 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 315.2 | 1,273 | 255 | 95 | 102 | 12 | 110 | - | 190 | 5 | 8 | 0 | - |
1912 | 28 | Superbas | 45 | 34 | 11 | 18 | 21 | .462 | 2.21 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 297.2 | 1,201 | 272 | 73 | 101 | 6 | 72 | 1 | 151 | 6 | 3 | 1 | - |
1913 | 29 | Superbas | 41 | 33 | 7 | 14 | 15 | .483 | 2.87 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 260.0 | 1,046 | 236 | 83 | 99 | 3 | 67 | 3 | 111 | 3 | 7 | 1 | - |
1914 | 30 | Robins | 16 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 6 | .538 | 3.39 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 103.2 | 449 | 113 | 39 | 57 | 2 | 27 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
1915 | 31 | Robins | 19 | 15 | 4 | 9 | 4 | .692 | 2.42 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 122.2 | 521 | 134 | 33 | 42 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 38 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - |
1916 | 32 | Robins | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1.69 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37.1 | 149 | 34 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
10 Years | 336 | 273 | 60 | 134 | 134 | .500 | 2.42 | 186 | 38 | 14 | 2,375.1 | 9,625 | 2,089 | 639 | 823 | 41 | 701 | 4 | 1,217 | 43 | 73 | 2 | 0 |
Nap RuckerNap Rucker Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1907 | 23 | Superbas | 37 | 97 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | .155 | .180 | .186 |
1908 | 24 | Superbas | 42 | 117 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | .179 | .186 | .197 |
1909 | 25 | Superbas | 38 | 101 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | - | .119 | .136 | .129 |
1910 | 26 | Superbas | 41 | 110 | 6 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | .209 | .223 | .218 |
1911 | 27 | Superbas | 48 | 104 | 6 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | - | .202 | .224 | .288 |
1912 | 28 | Superbas | 45 | 102 | 8 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | .245 | .267 | .284 |
1913 | 29 | Superbas | 41 | 87 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | .241 | .275 | .253 |
1914 | 30 | Robins | 16 | 34 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .265 | .286 | .353 |
1915 | 31 | Robins | 19 | 42 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .214 | .267 | .238 |
1916 | 32 | Robins | 9 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .091 | .091 | .091 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
10 Years | 336 | 805 | 44 | 157 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 22 | 0 | 117 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .195 | .216 | .226 |
Nap RuckerNap Rucker Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1907 Superbas | P | 37 | 30 | 826 | 85 | 2.3 | 78 | 5 | 73 | 7 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .918 | 2.55 |
1908 Superbas | P | 42 | 35 | 1,000 | 124 | 3.0 | 120 | 13 | 107 | 4 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .968 | 3.24 |
1909 Superbas | P | 38 | 33 | 928 | 74 | 1.9 | 70 | 3 | 67 | 4 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .946 | 2.04 |
1910 Superbas | P | 41 | 39 | 961 | 88 | 2.1 | 86 | 6 | 80 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .977 | 2.42 |
1911 Superbas | P | 48 | 33 | 947 | 98 | 2.0 | 95 | 7 | 88 | 3 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .969 | 2.71 |
1912 Superbas | P | 45 | 34 | 893 | 88 | 2.0 | 87 | 5 | 82 | 1 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 2.63 |
1913 Superbas | P | 41 | 33 | 780 | 57 | 1.4 | 55 | 5 | 50 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .965 | 1.90 |
1914 Robins | P | 16 | 16 | 311 | 33 | 2.1 | 33 | 4 | 29 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.86 |
1915 Robins | P | 19 | 15 | 368 | 47 | 2.5 | 46 | 6 | 40 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .979 | 3.38 |
1916 Robins | P | 9 | 4 | 112 | 10 | 1.1 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.41 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
P Totals | 336 | 272 | 7,126 | 704 | 2.1 | 680 | 55 | 625 | 24 | 18 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .966 | 2.58 | |
10 Years | 336 | 272 | 7,126 | 704 | 2.1 | 680 | 55 | 625 | 24 | 18 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .966 | 2.58 |
Nap RuckerNap Rucker Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1907 Superbas | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.2 | 12.1 | 1.64 | 4.28 | 2.62 |
1908 Superbas | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 8.4 | 19.5 | 1.59 | 5.37 | 3.38 |
1909 Superbas | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 6.3 | 0.0 | 1.99 | 5.85 | 2.94 |
1910 Superbas | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 7.3 | 36.7 | 1.75 | 4.13 | 2.36 |
1911 Superbas | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 104.0 | 6.9 | 11.6 | 1.73 | 5.42 | 3.14 |
1912 Superbas | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 2.10 | 4.57 | 2.18 |
1913 Superbas | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 8.7 | 0.0 | 1.66 | 3.84 | 2.32 |
1914 Robins | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 8.5 | 34.0 | 1.30 | 3.04 | 2.34 |
1915 Robins | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 7.0 | 14.0 | 1.36 | 2.79 | 2.05 |
1916 Robins | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 2.00 | 3.38 | 1.69 |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
10 Years | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 805.0 | 6.9 | 18.3 | 1.74 | 4.61 | 2.66 |
Nap RuckerNap Rucker Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1907 Brooklyn Superbas | n/a | $1,900.00 | n/a | - |
1908 Brooklyn Superbas | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
1909 Brooklyn Superbas | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
1910 Brooklyn Superbas | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
1911 Brooklyn Superbas | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
1912 Brooklyn Superbas | n/a | $3,500.00 | n/a | - |
1913 Brooklyn Superbas | n/a | $4,000.00 | n/a | - |
1914 Brooklyn Robins | n/a | $4,500.00 | n/a | - |
1915 Brooklyn Robins | n/a | $4,500.00 | n/a | - |
1916 Brooklyn Robins | n/a | $4,500.00 | n/a | Stats |
Nap Rucker Stats by Baseball Almanac |
George Napoleon Rucker was a Major League Baseball player who pitched ten years (1907-1916) for the Dodgers franchise; Brooklyn Superbas (1907-1913) and Brooklyn Robins (1914-1916). Nap, his nickname, was a powerfully built workhorse who was one of the best lefties in the game during that era. Charles Ebbets, co-owner of the Dodgers said, "I will always regard him as one of the greatest men the game has produced. Greatest in every way." Author Dennis Purdy (The Team by Team Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball, Workman Publishing Company, 15 July 2006), said, "Rucker was probably the best ledt-hander in the Dodgers organization until the arrival of Sandy Koufax" and shared this story about Nap and Ty Cobb:
Nap Rucker Bio | The Team by Team Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball | Page 589Baseball Almanac Research Library
Ty Cobb disagreed with the story, saying, "No, I didn't once attack Nap Rucker, the pitcher, in the bathroom and try to throw him out of the tub in which he was relaxing.
"That phony fable has dogged me for more than half a century and I doubt there are enough fans to fill a broom closet who don't believe it happened - which it never did. I don't know who first concocted that particular piece of Limburger, but it has an odor I seem to associate with certain New York writers - never exactly simpatico to me - who've made certain it appeared in every language but the Sanskrit.
"Naturally, they have a moral wrapped up in their tidy little tale. The 'Rucker Incident' is supposed to delineate with journalistic punch my 'savage' will-to-win, to let no man nor beast stand against my 'terrible' competitive urge. In due time, I will deal at length with the many false accounts built around me to this purpose. A Chinese sage wrote that exaggeration is to paint a snake and add legs. With me, they attached fangs, claws, file-sharpened spikes, and fire snorting out of each nostril."
Source: My Life in Baseball: The True Record. Ty Cobb, Al Stump. Bison Books. January 1,1993. Batting: The Lost Science. Page 143.
Nap Rucker led the National League in complete games (27), innings pitched (320.1), and shutouts (6) in 1910, but had a losing record (17-18). A year later, Nap won 22 games, lost 18, and did not lead the league in any pitching statistics. Nap is not really known for either of those seasons, but rather his no-hitter against the Boston Doves, on September 5, 1908, the first by a lefty twirler in Dodger history.
Nap Rucker No-Hitter | The Brooklyn Daily Eagle | September 6, 1908 | Page 5Baseball Almanac Research Library
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