Rube Foster, baseball player, 1913-1917

Rube Foster

Born: 1/5/1888 in Lehigh, OK, USA

Died: 3/1/1976 in Bokoshe, OK, USA

MLB Debut: 1913-04-10 | Final Game: 1917-09-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'7" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: George Foster

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Biography

Rube Foster, born in 1888, was a pioneering figure in baseball, primarily known for his role as a pitcher during the early 20th century. He played in the professional ranks from 1913 until his retirement on September 29, 1917. Foster built a commendable career, finishing with a record of 58 wins and 33 losses, alongside an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.36. His striking ability was evident in his tally of 294 strikeouts, and he also recorded 3 saves throughout his playing years. Foster's significance in baseball extended beyond his statistics; he was a key figure in the Negro Leagues and had a profound impact on the game during an era when African American players were systematically excluded from Major League Baseball. His contributions laid the groundwork for future generations and highlighted the talent and skills present in the African American baseball community. Rube Foster's legacy as a player and leader resonates in baseball history, making him an essential figure in the narrative of the sport's evolution.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
58 33 138 103 60 15 3 842.3 726 221 6 305 294 2.36 0

Career ERA 2.36 vs. league average 2.88 across their career seasons — 17.9% 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
1913 BOS AL 3 3 19 8 4 1 0 68.3 64 24 28 36 3.16 3.07 (-3%) -114.4
1914 BOS AL 14 8 32 27 17 5 0 211.7 164 40 52 89 1.70 2.93 (+42%) 1934.9
1915 BOS AL 19 8 37 33 21 5 1 255.3 217 60 86 82 2.11 2.90 (+27%) -1077.6
1916 BOS AL 14 7 33 19 9 3 2 182.3 173 62 86 53 3.06 2.78 (-10%) -2350.1
1917 BOS AL 8 7 17 16 9 1 0 124.7 108 35 53 34 2.53 2.69 (+6%) -1339.5

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
150 270 19 58 13 0 1 19 1 16 59 0.215 0.259 0.274 0.533 -559.1

Career AVG .215 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 14.9% below league average.

Career OBP .259 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 18.8% below league average.

Career SLG .274 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 17.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.533 vs. league average 0.652 across their career seasons — 18.3% 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
1913 BOS AL 20 21 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 1 7 0.095 — — — — 0.0
1914 BOS AL 35 63 4 11 1 0 0 1 1 4 14 0.175 .255 (-32%) .322 (-31%) .339 (-44%) .661 (-37%) -372.1
1915 BOS AL 40 83 10 23 7 0 1 9 0 6 18 0.277 .250 (+11%) .318 (+2%) .332 (+20%) .651 (+11%) 123.3
1916 BOS AL 38 62 3 11 3 0 0 2 0 3 10 0.177 .248 (-29%) .314 (-31%) .326 (-31%) .640 (-31%) -310.4
1917 BOS AL 17 41 2 11 2 0 0 4 0 2 10 0.268 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 9 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 3 0.444

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1916 WS BOS 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1915 WS BOS 2 8 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 2 0.500

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 0 3 2 0 21.0 15 4 2 14 1.71

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1916 WS BOS 0 0 1 0 0 3.0 3 0 0 1 0.00
1915 WS BOS 2 0 2 2 0 18.0 12 4 2 13 2.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
P 138 0 71 244 10 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1913 BOS P 19 0 5 16 1 0
1914 BOS P 32 0 18 56 4 1
1915 BOS P 37 0 18 77 2 0
1916 BOS OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1916 BOS P 33 0 16 57 1 5
1917 BOS P 17 0 14 38 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 138
Left Field 1