Rube Waddell

George Edward Waddell (October 13, 1876 - April 1, 1914) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. 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. Waddell earned the nickname "Rube" because he was a big, fresh kid. The term was commonly used to refer to hayseeds or farmboys. He was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania.

Highlights

• Won Triple Crown (1905: 27-10, 287, 1.48)
• 4-time 20-game winner (24, 21, 25, 27: 1902-05)
• Six consecutive strikeout titles (1902-07)
• Set league record for strikeouts in a game (16, 1908)
• Set record for strikeouts in a season (349, 1904)
• First pitcher to strike out the side on just nine pitched balls (July 2, 1902)