Rube Ward

John Andrew Ward

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown
• Height 5' 7", Weight 152 lb.
• School College of the Holy Cross
• Debut April 28, 1902
• Final Game August 14, 1902
• Born February 6, 1879 in New Lexington, OH USA
• Died January 17, 1945 in Akron, OH USA

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Biographical Information

John "Rube" Ward probably received a nickname because his actual name, John Ward, was the same as future Hall of Famer John Ward. Rube Waddell was in mid-career at the time, having won the ERA championship in 1900, so Rube Ward was probably nicknamed in his honor.

Rube Ward was born in Ohio and attended College of the Holy Cross along with several future major leaguers. After playing for the Des Moines Hawkeyes in 1901, he joined the 1902 Brooklyn Superbas and first appeared in April. He made three errors in the outfield in eleven games there, but hit .290, which wasn't bad on a team that hit .256 that season. He was the same age as fellow outfielder Jimmy Sheckard. Jimmy usually played left field, and most of Rube Ward's appearances were in left field.

He continued to play in the minors and independent ball at least through 1906.