| Firpo Marberry | |
|---|---|
 Marberry with the Washington Senators in 1924 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: November 30, 1898 Streetman, Texas, U.S. | |
| Died: June 30, 1976 (aged 77) Mexia, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 11, 1923, for the Washington Senators | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 10, 1936, for the Washington Senators | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 148–88 |
| Earned run average | 3.63 |
| Strikeouts | 822 |
| Saves | 101 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
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,[1] 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.
- ^ Pietrusza, David; Silverman, Matthew; Gershman, Michael (2000). Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia. New York: Total Sports. pp. 708–709. ISBN 1-892129-34-5.