Frederick "Firpo" Marberry (November 30, 1898 – June 30, 1976) was an American right-handed starting and relief pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1936, most notably with the Washington Senators. The sport's first prominent reliever, he has been retroactively credited as having been the first pitcher to record 20 saves in a season, the first to make 50 relief appearances in a season or 300 in a career, and the only pitcher to lead the major leagues in saves six times. Since relief pitching was still seen as a lesser calling in a time when starters were only removed when clearly ineffective, Marberry also started 187 games in his career, posting a 94–52 record as a starter for a .644 winning percentage. He pitched in later years for the Detroit Tigers (1933–1935) and New York Giants (1936) before ending his career in Washington.
Career overview
Born in Streetman, Texas, Marberry became well-known around the majors for the scowl he seemed to constantly have on his face that sometimes frightened batters; his appearance and demeanor reminded observers of boxer Luis Firpo, earning Marberry the nickname for which he often expressed disdain. He made a single relief appearance for the Giants in 1936 before ending his career on June 10 in Washington, D.C.
On May 6, 1934, Marberry allowed a record-tying four consecutive triples to the Boston Red Sox. The four hitters were Carl Reynolds, Moose Solters, Rick Ferrell, and Bucky Walters.
In a 14-season career, Marberry had a lifetime record of 148–88 with a 3.63 ERA in 551 games (187 starts), accumulating 86 complete games and seven shutouts. He struck out 822 batters in innings pitched. His career records of 364 relief appearances and 101 saves – both more than double the previous records – were surpassed by Jack Russell in 1940 and Johnny Murphy in 1946 respectively. The save was created as a pitching statistic in the 1960s, and later research was done to identify saves earned in the past.
As a hitter, Marberry posted a .192 batting average (128-for-668) with 60 runs, 21 doubles, 3 triples, one home run, 65 RBI and 22 bases on balls in 551 games. He finished his career with a .965 fielding percentage.
Later in life Marberry owned a car dealership in Mexia. On October 2, 1949, Marberry was in an automobile accident outside of Mexia, colliding with another car. The accident severed Marberry's left arm, which authorities discovered in the other vehicle. Marberry died of a stroke at age 77 in Mexia, Texas, and was buried in Birdston Cemetery near Streetman.
Highlights
- Top 10 in the American League in wins, five times (1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934)
- Top 6 in the league in ERA, four times (1924, 1929, 1931, 1933)
- Led the league in saves, five times (1924, 1925, 1926, 1929, 1932); in the top 10 four more times (1927, 1928, 1931, 1934)
- Led the league in games, six times (1924, 1925, 1926, 1928, 1929, 1932), and led the league in games finished, four times (1924, 1925, 1926, 1928)
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders
- Major League Baseball titles leaders