Before Shohei Ohtani and Babe Ruth there was Robert Lee “Parisian Bob” Caruthers (1865–1911). A wunderkind pitcher and right fielder known throughout the country, he was the star on the mound for five league championships in 10 years, and one of two players in history—along with Ruth—to lead the Major Leagues in ERA+ (adjusted earned run average) and OPS+ (on-base plus slugging plus).
Coming from a wealthy family, Caruthers had something other players didn’t—leverage. This resulted in several holdouts, including one which took him to Europe. This first full-length biography rediscovers one of baseball’s most interesting characters and first two-way stars.

Dave Heller has written and reported on sports for more than 30 years and is the author of multiple books on sports history. He lives in Wisconsin.

Dave Heller
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 232
Bibliographic Info: 44 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9180-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5103-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments ix
Preface 1
1. History Lessons 3
2. Chicago 7
3. Grant Times 11
4. The Dude 17
5. Covering Himself in Glory 25
6. Parisian Bob 34
7. Fighting for a Pennant and Each Other 40
8. A Champion Pitcher and Hitter 46
9. Big Game Pitcher 52
10. Holding Out—Again 63
11. Green Baize Bob 72
12. Powerhouse 78
13. The Last Straw 89
14. A Bridge to Brooklyn 94
15. Brooklyn Bumps 102
16. The Returning Hero 108
17. Father of the Bridegrooms 115
18. Is It a Championship If Nobody Sees It? 123
19. Manager Trouble 133
20. A Career Crossroads 140
21. The Cincinnati Kid 149
22. Back to Where It All Began 154
23. Resignations of an Umpire 161
24. Arbiter Adventures 168
25. Back in the Majors 175
26. Tragedy 182
27. Reminiscences 188
28. The Umpire Is Called Out 194
Chapter Notes 201
Bibliography 213
Index 217