Harry Porter "Rube" Vickers (May 17, 1879–December 9, 1958) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

for the Brooklyn Superbas,

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, and

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakl ...

during the early 20th century. He holds numerous

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

single-season records, as well as the modern-era

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

record for most

passed ball In baseball, a catcher is charged with a passed ball when he fails to hold or control a legally pitched ball that, with ordinary effort, should have been maintained under his control, and, as a result of this loss of control, the batter or a ru ...

s in a game as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...

Professional career

Early career

Vickers started his career in organized professional baseball in , when he played for the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played ...

and the New Castle Quakers of the

Interstate League The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. Early leagues Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active: *1896–1901: an unclassifie ...

. Two years later, he appeared as a pitcher for the Rock Island Islanders and the

Terre Haute Hottentots The Terre Haute Hottentots were a Minor League Baseball team from Terre Haute, Indiana, that played in the Northwestern League in 1891, Illinois–Iowa League in 1892, Western Interstate League The Wisconsin State League was a class D baseball ...

of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League.

Cincinnati Reds

Near the end of the season, Vickers started three games for the

, each resulting in a

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pit ...

loss. He struck out six and walked eight, and posted a 6.00

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

(ERA) in 21

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...

. Cincinnati's last game of 1902 was scheduled for October 4 against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

, who had clinched the National League pennant. Although the weather was rainy and the field was muddy and wet, Pirates owner

Barney Dreyfuss Bernhard "Barney" Dreyfuss (February 23, 1865 – February 5, 1932) was an executive in Major League Baseball who owned the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise from 1900 to his death. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. Drey ...

insisted on playing the game, wanting his team to set a record by winning 103 games. In protest, Reds manager

Joe Kelley Joseph James Kelley (December 9, 1871 – August 14, 1943) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who starred in the outfield of the Baltimore Orioles teams of the 1890s. Making up the nucleus of the Orioles along with Joh ...

submitted a

lineup card L lace :To reach base by hitting a ball between infielders. "McCann laced it through the shift on the right side of the infield." Lady Godiva :A pitch delivered with nothing on it. A nod to the legend of Lady Godiva riding naked on horseback. ...

with his players out of position, including Rube Vickers at

. Vickers caught two innings, during which he set the single-game modern-era MLB record for

s with six, a mark which has since been tied but not surpassed. He was replaced after two innings by Heinie Peitz, an actual catcher, but the Pirates had taken a 7–1 lead and went on to win the game.

Brooklyn Superbas

On February 17, , the Reds sold Vickers to the Brooklyn Superbas. He appeared in 5 games for Brooklyn, four as a pitcher and one as a

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

, and had a 10.93 ERA in 14 innings.

Return to the minor leagues

While not playing for the Superbas in 1903, Vickers pitched for the

Holyoke Paperweights The Holyoke Paperweights were a professional minor league baseball team based in Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA, that played in the now defunct Connecticut League from 1903 to 1911. From 1907 to 1911, they were also known as the Papermakers. The team ...

of the

Connecticut League The Connecticut League, also known as the Connecticut State League, was a professional baseball association of teams in the state of Connecticut. The league began as offshoot of the original Connecticut State League, which dates back as far as 1884 ...

, with whom he threw 287 innings and had a 22–10

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

. He pitched for the Paperweights again in , and recorded 17 wins and 10 losses in 239 innings. Vickers began the season with Holyoke as well, and went 11–7 in 171 innings for the Paperweights. However, he also played for a team that represented the independent Northern New York League in Burlington, Vermont, which earned him the nickname "Kangaroo" (for what fans considered "contract jumping"). Midway through the season, he was acquired by the Seattle Siwashes of the

(PCL). In his first year with Seattle, Vickers posted a 12–6 win–loss record and a 1.83 ERA in 157 innings. Vickers played the entire season with the Siwashes, during which he set several Pacific Coast League records. He pitched in a record 64 games, during which he threw over 500 innings, which is both a PCL record and the highest total for any pitcher in organized baseball in the modern era. Vickers' win–loss record was 39–20; his 39 victories led the league and are tied with

Doc Newton Eustace James Newton (October 26, 1877 – May 14, 1931) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for several teams in both the National League and American League. He finished with a 54–72 win–loss record, a 3.22 earned ...

for the PCL record. He struck out over 400 batters, which led the league and set another PCL record. Finally, Vickers led the league with 11

shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

. In , Vickers moved to the

Williamsport Millionaires The Williamsport Millionaires were a minor league baseball team based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania from 1906 to 1910. Many teams in this era never adopted formal nicknames and neither did the Millionaires. The Millionaire name was used in reference ...

of the Tri-State League. In 39 games, he had 25 wins, which led the league. After their season ended, Vickers was signed by the

Philadelphia Athletics

Vickers pitched in 10 games for the Athletics in 1907. On October 5, he achieved the feat of winning two games in one day in a doubleheader against the Washington Senators. Vickers pitched 11 scoreless innings of relief in the first game, which Philadelphia won 4–2, and pitched a perfect five innings in the second game, a 4–0 Philadelphia win that was shortened due to darkness. These were his only two wins for the Athletics that season, which he finished with a 3.40 ERA (below average according to

ERA+ An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Compa ...

) in 50 innings. In , Vickers served as the workhorse of the Athletics pitching staff. He pitched 317 innings over 53 games (34 starts) and led the Athletics in both wins and losses with a 18–19 record. His ERA was 2.21, and he led the American League with 17 games finished. Vickers could not repeat his success in . He appeared in just 18 games for the Athletics, winning two games and losing two. Vickers recorded his second win of the season, and the last of his major league career, on October 2, 1909, the final day of the season, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Washington Senators.

Later career

After the 1909 season, Athletics manager

Connie Mack Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...

sent Vickers to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

of the Eastern League. In , he had 25 wins for the Orioles, but also led the league with 24 losses. In , Vickers led the league with 32 wins and 369 innings pitched. In , he had a 13–14 win–loss record in 43 games. Vickers pitched in five games for the Jersey City Skeeters in . Vickers managed the Kalamazoo Celery Pickers of the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently cons ...

for part of the season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vickers, Rube 1879 births 1958 deaths Baseball players from Michigan People from Hillsdale, Michigan Baltimore Orioles (IL) players Brooklyn Superbas players Cincinnati Reds players Major League Baseball pitchers Philadelphia Athletics players Minor league baseball managers New Castle Quakers players Toledo Mud Hens players Rock Island Islanders players Terre Haute Hottentots players Holyoke Paperweights players Seattle Siwashes players Williamsport Millionaires players Jersey City Skeeters players