Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-09

and flashed his biggest year. He won
twenty-four out OF thirty-one games
for an average of .774, practically
pitched the Giants into Il pennunt, and
WAS worshiped by the fans Of New
York. In 1912. Marquard started of
1T Il whirlwind clip, and. to the amaze
mcnt OF baseball, won nineteen straight
games. tying the modern record for
consecutive wins His praises woro
sung from one end Of the land TO tho
other; lie was called II world beater:
the. most remarkable pitcher of the
age. Ellis face pccrcd out from every
sporting page in the land; his name
cluttcred up the columns. He was
buScbulrs lonized performer.
And from these dizzy heights Mar
GUARD has falleh--and the descent was
fast and sheer. Jimmy Lavender. OF
win his twentieth straight game, and
that defeat seemed to take the heart
out of Rubc. He immediately began
to skid, and the skiddnS WAS an aw-
tul sight TO see. His pitching from that
time on until the end of the season was
weird. Aidcd by start Of nineteen
straight victories. he WIS able to fin
ish the season with "A showing of only
iwcntN-siN games won and eleven lost
for an average of 1903. After Laven-
der ended ms string, Marquard won
only seven out of eighteen games, and
MANY of these seven victories were of
the Huxley variety.
In 1913 the Rube continued to pitch.
n Ia star. lie won twenty three, out
age OF sac lie finished strong, and
il looked like ~ great year for him in
l"li. 1t was figured that the greater
experience he had with the backing
Of a powerful team. would enable him
in 1914.
Iut the eccentric Rubc pitched the
most putrid game Of his career in 1914
1t was his failure. and his alone. that
lost the 1911 pcnnaut for the Giants
Had Rube delivered even half of his
games TO the winning side OF the ledE-
cr. the Giants, without Il doubt, would
have beaten the Braves to the October
wire. But Lcfthander. upon whom Nc
Graw and the other Giant players had
placed so much dependence, was bat
ted from the box so often that it would
require an adding machine to locate
Marquards 1914 record shows twelve
victories and Twenty-Five defeats,
.S72. With ono exception this was the
worst showing OF his diamond ca
rccr. Coming "A, time when It boat
the Giants out of a pennant, it lower
ed RUDE so much in the estimation OF
cussed from one end Of the island to
the other. Every newspaper "panned"
him without mercy
In 1918. Rube announced that he
was coming back. He alibicd his 1914
showing by claiming that his arm had
l,cen ailng. Eut itubc. as IA 1915
Mant HEAVIER. looked no better than in
1914 His speed seemed gone; his
curves no longer hatfied. Ever and
anon lie was dcrricked Finally Nc
Graw lost confidence in him and turn
ed the ISL 900 lemon" over to the
Dodgers for something like 81. 500 Nc
Graw still thinks that in SO doing he
sort of cheated the owners of the
Rrooklyn club.
Wilbert Robinson. while coaching
for the Giants. had developed Rube
ne didn't lose Faith in Mar:quard. He
back in a Dodser uniform and under
the careful nursing of his old tutor
hul Alarpuard finished the season as
Il DodScr as he had begun it with the
Giants. His work was unsatisractorv.
some days lie would he hammered on
o. the box without ceremony. Rubc's
~" record showed eleven victories
against ten defeats.
Md now we are in 1916. and Mar
a ,,i % S is mG3yins along in his
some OF the clubs hammered him out
OF IN" b"N. only tn md themselves
helpie*S before his pitching III his next
start. Tic Giants took particular dc
light a brief spell back in driving
their old mate TO tho cooler under a
homhardment of hits. The next time
they, faced him they figured Ruba
Rubc turned right around and beat
them in a twclve-inning pitchers bat
tie. during which he allowed only
few scattered safeties.
Rube'S showing to date, with a
championship club behind HIM has
not been impressive. Whenever Rubc
enters the box these days. no one
even attempts to hazard Il guess as
To what vii! happen to him. fic may
pitch shutout bail, or he may he ham
hcrcd out OF the box. He may hold
the enemy hitless for seven or eight
rounds, only to yield half-doZcu
swats In tho ensuing stanZas. Or he
may permit tho enemy 10 accumulate
y !ive-run lead in the first inning aud
then hold them hitlcss the rest Of
the way.
No one ever knows just what Ruhc
will do--leaSt OF all himself. Hes
the mystery OF baseball: the twirler
who never runs true to form, because
he is formless The pitcher who has
bad more ups ana downs than amy
other in the game; the ,noundSmau
who never will be forgotten because
OF his pitching lccccntricities.