| Doc Marshall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1875-09-22)September 22, 1875 Butler, Pennsylvania, US | |
| Died: December 11, 1959(1959-12-11) (aged 84) Clinton, Illinois, US | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 15, 1904, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 7, 1909, for the Brooklyn Superbas | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .210 |
| Home runs | 2 |
| Runs batted in | 54 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
William Riddle Marshall (September 22, 1875 – December 11, 1959) was an American professionalbaseball player who playedcatcher for severalNational League clubs from 1904 to 1909. He briefly managed theChicago Whales during the inauguralFederal League season.[dubious –discuss][citation needed] After his baseball career, Marshall practiced medicine in rural Illinois for 45 years.
Marshall attended college atGrove City College,Slippery Rock University, theUniversity of Pennsylvania and theChicago College of Medicine and Surgery.
Marshall began his professional career relatively late in life, at the age of 27 in 1903, with theDes Moines Undertakers of theWestern League, after working as a schoolteacher. He made it to the major leagues in 1904, and bounced around theNational League during his first season. He made his debut on April 15, 1904 (the second game of the season) for thePhiladelphia Phillies. He stayed on their roster for two months, and then played one game in July for theNew York Giants. He then played eleven games for theBoston Beaneaters in August before finishing up the season with the Giants. The Giants won the National League pennant that season but no World Series was played.
He spent 1905 in the top level of the minor leagues, with theMinneapolis Millers of theAmerican Association, before returning to the National League in 1906, first with the Giants and then with theSaint Louis Cardinals.
In 1907, while playing for the Cardinals, he led all catchers in assists anderrors. He also led the league in runners caught stealing.
During the 1908 season, the last-place Cardinals sold him to the league-leadingChicago Cubs. He was included on the Cubs' 22-man roster for the1908 World Series but he did not play. The Cubs beat theDetroit Tigers 4 games to 1. The next season, the Cubs sold Marshall to theBrooklyn Superbas, where he served as the backup catcher toBill Bergen. Bergen set a post-1900 record for futility at the plate by a regular position player which still stands, batting .139 in 112 games. Marshall hit somewhat better in his 50 games, batting .201. This proved to be Marshall's last major league season, although he played four more seasons in the minors.
He also played with theDes Moines Undertakers of theWestern League and theMilwaukee Brewers andSt. Paul Saints of theAmerican Association.
During his baseball career, in both the minor and major leagues, Marshall studied medicine part-time, earning his doctorate in 1909. After retiring from baseball, he bought the practice of a local doctor in the small town ofClinton, Illinois, and served patients in east-central Illinois for 45 years from 1914 to 1959. His brother Dr. E.H. Marshall was his business and professional partner.
· Baseball Almanac