Rube Kisinger

Who was Rube Kisinger?

Charles Samuel "Rube" Kisinger was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Born in Adrian, Michigan, Kisinger played baseball at his hometown Adrian College before signing with the Detroit Tigers. He debuted with the Tigers at the end of the 1902 season on September 10, 1902. As a 25-year-old rookie, Kisinger played in five games and had a record of 2–3 with an ERA of 3.12. In 1903, he appeared in 16 games and had a record of 7–9 with an ERA of 2.96 in 118-2/3 innings pitched. Kisinger played in his last major league game on September 24, 1903. In October 1903, Kisinger was traded by the Tigers with other players to the Buffalo Bisons of the Eastern League for Cy Ferry and Matty McIntyre. According to one history of the Bisons, Kisinger led the Bisons to their first pennant in 1904, described by the author as "a part-time surveyor and coin collector who managed to win 24 games in the betweens." Kisinger also made his only appearance on a baseball card while playing for Buffalo. He died at age 64 in a train accident in Huron, Ohio while acting as a railroad engineer.