Athletics History: Rube Vickers has Day of His Life
By David Hill
Rube Vickers had a relatively non-descript career in the Majors, but on this day in 1907, the Philadelphia Athletics pitcher had one of his best days in his time as a professional.
One of the greatest minor league pitchers in his day, Rube Vickers became legendary in the Pacific Coast League. Essentially the Majors of the West Coast at the time, Vickers dominated all comers in 1906. That year, he led the league with 39 wins and an incredible 409 strikeouts. Vickers, wuite simply, was in a class all his own that year.
After he followed up that performance with a stellar season with the Williamsport Millionaires of the Tri-State League, Vickers was given a chance by the Philadelphia Athletics. He managed to get into ten games, with four starts, putting together a 3.40 ERA and a 1.113 WHiP. While that ERA may seem solid in this day and age, it was only worth an ERA+ of 77 that year.
However, on this day in 1907, Vickers had what may well have been the greatest day in his professional career. With the Athletics playing a double header, Vickers was pressed into service early in the opening game, coming in as a reliever in the fourth inning. He dominated the Washington Senators in that outing, firing twelve innings in the Athletics 4-2 victory in 15 innings.
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As good as Vickers was in relief, he was not done. Called upon to start the nightcap, he was more than up to the challenge, as he completely shut the Senators down. In a game shortened to five innings due to darkness, Vickers fired a perfect game. In doing so, he notched his only two wins of year.
He stayed with the Athletics for the entirety of the 1908 season, and produced an 18-19 record. Yet, as unimpressive as his record may be, he led the American League with 17 games finished and posted a 2.21 ERA and a 1.057 WHiP. However, he struggled the following season with Philadelphia, appearing in only 18 games before heading back to the minors for the rest of his career.
That trek back to the minors led to more positives for Vickers. Although he led the Eastern League with 24 losses in 1910, he bounced back with a league leading 32 wins the following season. All told, based on the spotty record keeping at the time, Vickers is credited with a 217-136 record over his 12 seasons in the minors.
Rube Vickers may not have had an overly successful Major League career, but on this day in 1907, he performed like a star.