Rube Kroh

Floyd Myron Kroh

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2", Weight 186 lb.

• Debut September 30, 1906
• Final Game August 22, 1912
• Born August 25, 1886 in Friendship, NY USA
• Died March 17, 1944 in New Orleans, LA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Rube Kroh played six years in the majors, posting a Win/Loss record of 14-9.

At age 20 in 1907, he was the second youngest player on the Boston Americans team. In seven games, he hit .273, while the youngest player on the team, 19-year-old Tris Speaker, also appeared in seven games and hit .158.

Kroh's most notable year was 1909, when he went 9-4 with an ERA of 1.65 for the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs had won the pennant three straight years from 1906 to 1908 and would do so again in 1910. Kroh was in two games with them in 1908, and six games (going 3-1) in 1910. His 1.65 ERA in 1909 was a bit better than the team ERA of 1.75, on a pitching staff that included such stalwarts as Mordecai Brown, Orval Overall, Ed Reulbach and Jack Pfiester, so it was no mean feat. Indeed, his ERA was much better than the National League ERA of 2.59.

He started in town ball and became a professional player in 1904. He was involved in the famous Merkle Bonehead Play, even though he was not playing in the game, as some sources credit him with wresting away the game ball from a fan and handing it to 2B Johnny Evers, who stepped on second base, then successfully pleaded to umpire Hank O'Day to declare Fred Merkle out. After his major league days he played for several teams in the South, including Louisville, Memphis, Chattanooga, Nashville and New Orleans. He served in the Army from 1917 to 1919. Although wounded in action in France, he underwent many operations and tried to come back in the minors. When that didn't work, he became a minor league umpire.

Notable Achievements

• Won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 1908 (he did not play in the World Series)

Related Sites

• Rube Kroh at the SABR Bio Project
• Find-A-Grave Memorial for Rube Kroh