Marquard's Win Record To Start Season Has Still Never Been Touched

Published on April 2nd, 2025 8:41 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


During the 1912 season, Rube Marquard did something that has still never been topped - he won his first 19 starts of the season.

In 1937 and 1969, Johnny Allen and Dave McNally won 15 straight games to start their seasons, and this is the closest that anybody has come to touching Marquard's record since.

Marquard, who is in the Hall of Fame, finished his career with a lifetime record of 201-177, with a 3.08 ERA.

Marquard's best season came in 1912, when he finished with a record of 26-11, with an ERA of 2.57.

Marquard, who played for the New York Giants, was literally unbeatable to start the season.

Marquard racked up 19 straight wins to start the 1912 season, with many of these wins coming during complete game performances.

In fact, in a June 7th, 1912 game against Pittsburgh, Marquard pitched all 11 innings, eventually getting the victory after the Giants won by a score of 5-4.

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The first loss of Marquard's season came on July 8th, 1912, when the Giants took on the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs managed to rough up Marquard, eventually winning by a score of 7-2.

Marquard would lose his next two games as well, eventually finding the winning column once again on July 19th.

Marquard's arm definitely ran out of juice by the end of the year, as he went from a perfect 19-0 record to finishing the regular season with a record of 26-11.

Marquard pitched 294 innings in 1912, allowing 286 hits, 112 runs, 86 earned runs, and striking out 176.

One of the most impressive stats of Marquard's season was that he walked just 80 batters over the course of the season.