Rube Benton

Born: 6/27/1890 in Clinton, NC, USA

Died: 12/12/1937 in Dothan, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1910-06-28 | Final Game: 1925-09-21

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: John Cleave Benton

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Biography

Rube Benton was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1910 to 1925. Born in 1890, Benton made a name for himself in the early decades of the 20th century, a time when the game was evolving and the role of pitchers was becoming increasingly significant. Over his 15-year career, he compiled a record of 150 wins and 144 losses, with an impressive earned run average of 3.09. His ability to strike out batters was notable, as he tallied a total of 950 strikeouts, complemented by 21 saves, a testament to his effectiveness both as a starter and a reliever. Benton played during a transformative period in baseball, where the sport was transitioning from the deadball era into a more offensively charged environment. His pitching style was characterized by a combination of finesse and strategic gameplay, allowing him to navigate challenging lineups and contribute to his teams' successes. Throughout his career, Benton left an indelible mark on the game, earning respect from peers and fans alike for his skill on the mound and his contributions to the teams he played for. His legacy endures as a reflection of a pivotal time in baseball history, showcasing the artistry and athleticism that defined the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
150	144	437	305	145	24	21	2517.3	2472	863	52	712	950	3.09	0

Career ERA 3.09 vs. league average 3.37 across their career seasons — 8.3% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1910	CIN	NL	0	1	12	2	0	0	0	38.0	44	20	23	15	4.74	2.79 (-70%)	-969.0
1911	CIN	NL	3	3	6	6	5	0	0	44.7	44	10	23	28	2.01	3.37 (+40%)	90.1
1912	CIN	NL	18	20	50	39	22	2	2	302.0	316	104	118	162	3.10	3.36 (+8%)	1053.2
1913	CIN	NL	11	7	23	22	9	1	0	144.3	140	56	60	68	3.49	3.07 (-14%)	-1405.7
1914	CIN	NL	16	18	41	31	16	5	2	271.0	223	89	95	121	2.96	2.93 (-1%)	301.9
1915	CIN	NL	6	13	35	21	6	2	4	176.3	165	65	67	83	3.32	2.90 (-15%)	-481.7
1915	NY1	NL	3	5	10	7	3	0	1	60.7	57	19	9	26	2.82	2.90 (+3%)	991.0
1916	NY1	NL	16	8	38	30	15	3	2	238.7	210	76	58	115	2.87	2.78 (-3%)	1525.6
1917	NY1	NL	15	9	35	25	14	3	3	215.0	190	65	41	70	2.72	2.69 (-1%)	496.6
1918	NY1	NL	1	2	3	3	2	0	0	24.0	17	5	3	9	1.88	2.83 (+34%)	549.8
1919	NY1	NL	17	11	35	28	11	1	2	209.0	181	61	52	53	2.63	3.09 (+15%)	-155.3
1920	NY1	NL	9	16	33	25	12	4	2	193.3	222	65	31	52	3.03	3.45 (+12%)	625.7
1921	NY1	NL	5	2	18	9	3	1	0	72.0	72	23	17	11	2.88	4.02 (+28%)	165.4
1923	CIN	NL	14	10	33	26	15	0	1	219.0	243	89	57	59	3.66	4.03 (+9%)	543.5
1924	CIN	NL	7	9	32	15	6	1	1	162.7	166	50	24	42	2.77	4.13 (+33%)	3204.4
1925	CIN	NL	9	10	33	16	6	1	1	146.7	182	66	34	36	4.05	4.55 (+11%)	1735.8

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
437	825	45	142	19	4	1	60	4	22	188	0.172	0.196	0.208	0.404	-4887.9

Career AVG .172 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 35.3% below league average.

Career OBP .196 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 40.8% below league average.

Career SLG .208 vs. league average .358 across their career seasons — 41.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.404 vs. league average 0.688 across their career seasons — 41.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1910	CIN	NL	12	11	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0.091	—	—	—	—	0.0
1911	CIN	NL	6	14	0	2	1	0	0	2	0	0	6	0.143	—	—	—	—	0.0
1912	CIN	NL	50	104	6	14	3	0	0	9	1	0	31	0.135	.268 (-50%)	.335 (-57%)	.358 (-54%)	.694 (-56%)	-1006.7
1913	CIN	NL	23	48	8	10	0	1	0	8	0	4	7	0.208	—	—	—	—	-170.6
1914	CIN	NL	41	91	4	13	2	1	0	7	1	1	31	0.143	.255 (-44%)	.322 (-53%)	.339 (-45%)	.661 (-49%)	-737.1
1915	CIN	NL	35	53	1	11	1	0	0	3	0	0	11	0.208	.250 (-17%)	.318 (-35%)	.332 (-32%)	.651 (-33%)	-287.1
1915	NY1	NL	10	23	2	5	2	0	0	4	1	0	5	0.217	—	—	—	—	-287.1
1916	NY1	NL	38	78	3	7	0	1	0	3	1	2	21	0.090	.248 (-64%)	.314 (-64%)	.326 (-65%)	.640 (-64%)	-791.4
1917	NY1	NL	35	72	1	12	1	1	0	2	0	2	18	0.167	.248 (-33%)	.312 (-39%)	.323 (-36%)	.635 (-37%)	-430.2
1918	NY1	NL	3	7	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	1	0.143	—	—	—	—	0.0
1919	NY1	NL	35	67	5	13	0	0	1	7	0	0	8	0.194	.262 (-26%)	.322 (-40%)	.347 (-31%)	.670 (-35%)	-390.6
1920	NY1	NL	33	65	3	6	0	0	0	3	0	0	14	0.092	.271 (-66%)	.331 (-72%)	.363 (-75%)	.694 (-73%)	-780.6
1921	NY1	NL	18	21	1	3	1	0	0	1	0	1	4	0.143	—	—	—	—	0.0
1923	CIN	NL	33	80	5	23	3	0	0	4	0	1	12	0.287	.282 (+2%)	.344 (-12%)	.390 (-17%)	.734 (-14%)	-200.5
1924	CIN	NL	32	46	5	12	2	0	0	3	0	5	10	0.261	—	—	—	—	-93.2
1925	CIN	NL	33	45	0	9	2	0	0	4	0	4	3	0.200	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1917	WS	NY1	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1	1	2	2	0	14.0	9	0	1	8	0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1917	WS	NY1	1	1	2	2	0	14.0	9	0	1	8	0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	437	2	75	680	29	23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1910	CIN	P	12	2	1	13	0	1
1911	CIN	P	6	0	0	6	1	2
1912	CIN	P	50	0	13	78	3	2
1913	CIN	P	23	0	0	35	4	0
1914	CIN	P	41	0	9	70	5	3
1915	CIN	P	35	0	7	56	2	2
1915	NY1	P	10	0	1	16	1	0
1916	NY1	P	38	0	6	57	0	3
1917	NY1	P	35	0	2	58	3	0
1918	NY1	P	3	0	1	7	0	1
1919	NY1	P	35	0	3	60	0	0
1920	NY1	P	33	0	13	74	2	0
1921	NY1	P	18	0	2	16	1	1
1923	CIN	P	33	0	7	57	2	2
1924	CIN	P	32	0	7	46	4	3
1925	CIN	P	33	0	3	31	1	3