Rube Waddell was born on Friday, October 13, 1876, in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Waddell was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 8, 1897, with the Louisville Colonels. 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 Rube Waddell baseball stats page.
"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." - Hall of Famer Walter Johnson (The National Baseball Hall of Fame, Rube Waddell, Source)
Rube Waddell |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rube WaddellRube Waddell Pitching Stats |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 |
| 1897 | 21 | Colonels | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 3.21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 | 64 | 17 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 6 | - | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - |
| 1899 | 23 | Colonels | 10 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 2 | .778 | 3.08 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 79.0 | 316 | 69 | 27 | 38 | 4 | 14 | - | 44 | 2 | 8 | 0 | - |
| 1900 | 24 | Pirates | 29 | 22 | 7 | 8 | 13 | .381 | 2.37 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 208.2 | 838 | 176 | 55 | 96 | 3 | 55 | - | 130 | 2 | 13 | 0 | - |
| 1901 | 25 | Pirates | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 9.39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 | 42 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 9 | - | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901 | 25 | Orphans | 29 | 28 | 1 | 14 | 14 | .500 | 2.81 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 243.2 | 1,013 | 239 | 76 | 123 | 5 | 66 | - | 168 | 8 | 9 | 0 | - |
| 1902 | 26 | Athletics | 33 | 27 | 5 | 24 | 7 | .774 | 2.05 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 276.1 | 1,081 | 224 | 63 | 90 | 7 | 64 | - | 210 | 10 | 10 | 0 | - |
| 1903 | 27 | Athletics | 39 | 38 | 1 | 21 | 16 | .568 | 2.44 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 324.0 | 1,291 | 274 | 88 | 109 | 3 | 85 | - | 302 | 9 | 8 | 0 | - |
| 1904 | 28 | Athletics | 46 | 46 | 0 | 25 | 19 | .568 | 1.62 | 39 | 8 | 0 | 383.0 | 1,496 | 307 | 69 | 109 | 5 | 91 | - | 349 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 1905 | 29 | Athletics | 46 | 34 | 11 | 27 | 10 | .730 | 1.48 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 328.2 | 1,257 | 231 | 54 | 86 | 5 | 90 | - | 287 | 10 | 10 | 2 | - |
| 1906 | 30 | Athletics | 43 | 34 | 7 | 15 | 17 | .469 | 2.21 | 22 | 8 | 0 | 272.2 | 1,086 | 221 | 67 | 89 | 1 | 92 | - | 196 | 10 | 10 | 1 | - |
| 1907 | 31 | Athletics | 44 | 33 | 4 | 19 | 13 | .594 | 2.15 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 284.2 | 1,121 | 234 | 68 | 115 | 2 | 73 | - | 232 | 4 | 15 | 0 | - |
| 1908 | 32 | Browns | 43 | 36 | 6 | 19 | 14 | .576 | 1.89 | 25 | 5 | 3 | 285.2 | 1,143 | 223 | 60 | 93 | 0 | 90 | - | 232 | 7 | 8 | 0 | - |
| 1909 | 33 | Browns | 31 | 28 | 3 | 11 | 14 | .440 | 2.37 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 220.1 | 829 | 204 | 58 | 78 | 1 | 57 | - | 141 | 3 | 7 | 0 | - |
| 1910 | 34 | Browns | 10 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 3.55 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33.0 | 140 | 31 | 13 | 19 | 1 | 11 | - | 16 | 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 | ||
| 13 Years | 407 | 340 | 53 | 193 | 143 | .574 | 2.16 | 261 | 50 | 5 | 2,961.1 | 11,717 | 2,460 | 711 | 1,063 | 37 | 803 | - | 2,316 | 74 | 115 | 3 | 0 | ||
Rube WaddellRube Waddell Hitting Stats |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1897 | 21 | Colonels | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 1899 | 23 | Colonels | 10 | 34 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | - | 0 | - | .235 | .235 | .294 |
| 1900 | 24 | Pirates | 30 | 81 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | - | 1 | - | .173 | .183 | .272 |
| 1901 | 25 | Pirates | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 1901 | 25 | Orphans | 30 | 98 | 16 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 2 | - | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - | .255 | .270 | .408 |
| 1902 | 26 | Athletics | 34 | 112 | 8 | 32 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 4 | - | 17 | 1 | - | 0 | - | .286 | .310 | .402 |
| 1903 | 27 | Athletics | 39 | 115 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | - | 36 | 5 | - | 1 | - | .122 | .151 | .139 |
| 1904 | 28 | Athletics | 46 | 139 | 6 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | - | 37 | 1 | - | 1 | - | .122 | .164 | .144 |
| 1905 | 29 | Athletics | 46 | 116 | 4 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | - | 34 | 6 | - | 0 | - | .172 | .200 | .216 |
| 1906 | 30 | Athletics | 43 | 86 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | - | 32 | 5 | - | 1 | - | .163 | .242 | .198 |
| 1907 | 31 | Athletics | 44 | 101 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | - | 38 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | .119 | .152 | .139 |
| 1908 | 32 | Browns | 43 | 91 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 8 | - | 35 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | .110 | .190 | .187 |
| 1909 | 33 | Browns | 31 | 75 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | - | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | .067 | .103 | .080 |
| 1910 | 34 | Browns | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | .111 | .200 | .111 |
| Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
| 13 Years | 410 | 1,066 | 61 | 172 | 29 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 83 | 42 | 0 | 300 | 23 | 0 | 6 | - | .161 | .197 | .219 | ||
Rube WaddellRube Waddell Fielding Stats |
||||||||||||||||
| Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1897 Colonels | P | 2 | 1 | 42 | 4 | 2.0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.57 |
| 1899 Colonels | P | 10 | 9 | 237 | 20 | 2.0 | 18 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .900 | 2.05 |
| 1900 Pirates | P | 29 | 22 | 626 | 66 | 2.3 | 61 | 12 | 49 | 5 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .924 | 2.63 |
| 1901 Pirates | P | 2 | 2 | 23 | 5 | 2.5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .800 | 4.70 |
| 1901 Orphans | 1B | 1 | - | - | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| 1901 Orphans | P | 29 | 28 | 731 | 98 | 3.4 | 94 | 32 | 62 | 4 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .959 | 3.47 |
| 1902 Athletics | P | 33 | 27 | 829 | 86 | 2.6 | 79 | 15 | 64 | 7 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .919 | 2.57 |
| 1903 Athletics | P | 39 | 38 | 972 | 101 | 2.6 | 94 | 17 | 77 | 7 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .931 | 2.61 |
| 1904 Athletics | P | 46 | 46 | 1,149 | 141 | 3.1 | 132 | 27 | 105 | 9 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .936 | 3.10 |
| 1905 Athletics | P | 46 | 34 | 986 | 117 | 2.5 | 102 | 13 | 89 | 15 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .872 | 2.79 |
| 1906 Athletics | P | 43 | 34 | 818 | 85 | 2.0 | 79 | 15 | 64 | 6 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .929 | 2.61 |
| 1907 Athletics | P | 44 | 33 | 854 | 96 | 2.2 | 84 | 17 | 67 | 12 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .875 | 2.66 |
| 1908 Browns | P | 43 | 36 | 857 | 94 | 2.2 | 84 | 5 | 79 | 10 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .894 | 2.65 |
| 1909 Browns | P | 31 | 28 | 661 | 80 | 2.6 | 69 | 13 | 56 | 11 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .863 | 2.82 |
| 1910 Browns | P | 10 | 2 | 99 | 8 | 0.8 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .750 | 1.64 |
| Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| P Totals | 407 | 340 | 8,884 | 1,001 | 2.5 | 910 | 170 | 740 | 91 | 16 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .909 | 2.77 | |
| 1B Totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 | |
| 13 Years | 408 | 340 | 8,884 | 1,007 | 2.5 | 916 | 176 | 740 | 91 | 17 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .910 | 2.78 | |
Rube WaddellRube Waddell Miscellaneous Stats |
||||||||||||
| 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 |
| 1897 Colonels | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.83 | 3.21 | 3.86 |
| 1899 Colonels | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.9 | 11.3 | 3.14 | 5.01 | 1.59 |
| 1900 Pirates | 1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 5.4 | 9.0 | 2.36 | 5.61 | 2.37 |
| 1901 Pirates | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.44 | 4.70 | 10.56 |
| 1901 Orphans | 2 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 49.0 | 98.0 | 7.0 | 2.55 | 6.21 | 2.44 |
| 1902 Athletics | 1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 112.0 | 6.6 | 6.2 | 3.28 | 6.84 | 2.08 |
| 1903 Athletics | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 3.2 | 19.2 | 3.55 | 8.39 | 2.36 |
| 1904 Athletics | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 3.8 | 23.2 | 3.84 | 8.20 | 2.14 |
| 1905 Athletics | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 3.4 | 11.6 | 3.19 | 7.86 | 2.46 |
| 1906 Athletics | 2 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.7 | 28.7 | 2.13 | 6.47 | 3.04 |
| 1907 Athletics | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.7 | 33.7 | 3.18 | 7.33 | 2.31 |
| 1908 Browns | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 91.0 | 2.6 | 11.4 | 2.58 | 7.31 | 2.84 |
| 1909 Browns | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 3.3 | 37.5 | 2.47 | 5.76 | 2.33 |
| 1910 Browns | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.5 | 9.0 | 1.45 | 4.36 | 3.00 |
| Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 13 Years | 6 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 266.5 | 3.6 | 12.8 | 2.88 | 7.04 | 2.44 |
Rube WaddellRube Waddell Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
||||
| Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
| 1897 Louisville Colonels | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1899 Louisville Colonels | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1900 Pittsburgh Pirates | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1901 Pittsburgh Pirates | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1901 Chicago Orphans | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1902 Philadelphia Athletics | n/a | $2,700.00 | n/a | n/a |
| 1903 Philadelphia Athletics | n/a | $3,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1904 Philadelphia Athletics | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1905 Philadelphia Athletics | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1906 Philadelphia Athletics | n/a | $1,200.00 | n/a | - |
| 1907 Philadelphia Athletics | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1908 St. Louis Browns | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1909 St. Louis Browns | n/a | $1,200.00 | n/a | - |
| 1910 St. Louis Browns | n/a | $2,800.00 | n/a | - |
| Rube Waddell Stats by Baseball Almanac | ||||

George Edward Waddell was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Louisville Colonels (1897, 1899), Pittsburgh Pirates (1900–1901), Chicago Orphans (1901), Philadelphia Athletics (1902–1907) and St. Louis Browns (1908–1910). Rube, his nickname, led every American League (AL) pitcher in 1910, in games won (27), ERA (1.48), and strikeouts (287) - becoming the first left-handed AL pitcher to earn a Triple Crown. Did you know Cy Young was the first righty in the junior circuit?
Did you know Rube Waddell, on July 1, 1902, struck out the side (Billy Gilbert, Harry Howell, Jim Cronin), in the third inning, and recorded the first Immaculate Inning (Exactly 9 Pitches Thrown - ALL 9 Were Strikes) in American League history?
Did you know Rube Waddell, who once performed as an alligator wrestler, was a bit strange? How strange? The back of his 1984 Sporting News baseball card (#56) shared a couple items of interest:
"Waddell ranks as one of the greatest and wackiest pitchers ever. He won 191 games in a shortened career caused by his eccentricities. All other causes take second place. Rube was an eternal sophomore, leaving the mound at the sound of fire engines and jumping the club if he saw a river or pond that looked like it had fish in it.
A great swimmer, he once nearly drowned. A gal was unfaithful to him and, in grief, he ran to the end of a dock and jumped in. Unknown to Rube at the time, the tide was out and he landed headfirst in oozy mud. Teammates had to get him dragged out before he suffocated.
Rube liked booze, too. One day he came into the lobby of the club hotel in custody of a sheriff. Connie Mack, his long-suffering manager, asked what was going on. Rube, who was supposed to pitch that day, said he was arrested for his remarks to pretty gals passing by and he needed $10 to get bailed out. Connie gave the sheriff a ten spot and they left. Connie, suspicious for a good reason, took a saunter down the sidewalk and looked into the nearest bar. There was Rube and his phoney sheriff drinking up Mack's money."

Rube Waddell | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 1946 (HOF)
In 1883, Francis Richter founded The Sporting Life, a weekly magazine devoted to coverage of all sports, with an emphasis on baseball. In 1887, Richter, and other baseball journalists, formed the Base Ball Reporters Association of America, also referred to as the National Base Ball Reporters' Association. And in 1914, Richter wrote the History and Records of Baseball: the American Nation's Chief Sport (Philadelphia: Sporting Life Publishing Co., 1914). In that historic book, Richter selected the greatest players in each position in each decade:
Rube Waddell died at age 37 in 1914 (on April Fool's Day) from a severe cold he contracted after standing for hours in icy waters up to his armpits, placing sandbags in advance of rising waters from a broken dam. On Thursday, April 2, 1914, the Milwaukee Sentinel ran the following R.B. Pixley poem:
They tell me Rube Waddell is dead—
Well—he was a game old scout—
The kind that fights till the last ball's pitched
And the umpire says: "You're out!"
The man on the first wire says the news
Just came in from San Antone—
Well—the game has lost a big league star,
And as good as league could own.
You see, I followed the Rube for years
And gloried in his skill
The way a fellow who just falls short
Of athletic prowess will;
I watched the box scores day by day
And looked for the bottom line—
The names of the sluggers topped each list,
But I picked the Rube's for mine,
And I counted the number of times at bat
And the number of strikeouts there
I wasn't afraid to reckon up,
For I knew that the Rube was there.
I followed the Rube in his palmy days,
When he mowed them down like wheat,
And I clung to those memories when the ways
Of the swift pace had him beat;
And when the big leagues turned him loose,
And now that he's answered the final call,
I never could think, and I can't think now
Of Rube Waddell in minor ball.
So do me a favor, you men who write
Of the stars who rule this age;
When you write the story of Rube Waddell,
Let charity turn the page
Which tells of the times when the Rube went bad
And lost to John Barleycorn.
For if ever man's life was a written book
Many pages of each would be torn;
Just recall the days when he stood out there
And battled a howling mob—
Just tell of the days when the Rube was right
And you'll say he was on the job;
The Rube was a man in his build and strength,
But at heart he was only a child,
And the best of the children of men are weak
And the best may grow reckless and wild.
Well—the man on the first wire says the news
Just came that the Rube was out;
Let it go as it lays, for the game is fair...
But...the Rube was a game old Scout!