• Card series: Beginnings: 1880's
• City: Brooklyn
• Team: Bridegrooms
• League: American Association

Robert Lee Caruthers (1864-1911) was a star pitcher, primarily for the Browns and Bridegrooms, leading his teams to five pennants in his 10-year career. Caruthers had the distinction of helping Brooklyn capture titles in consecutive seasons in two leagues: the AA in ’89 and the NL in ’90. One of the hardest working players of his day, Caruthers pitched in 340 games and played outfield in 366 as well as filling in occasionally at first and second. In 1886 while winning 30 games for St Louis, Caruthers had a league high .448 on base percentage, a pattern of plate and mound prowess that characterized this versatile dynamo.

• Caruthers won 40 for the Bridegrooms in ’89 and 23 the next year in the Senior Circuit
• Only Whitey Ford (barely) edged Caruthers in winning percentage for those with 200+ games
• No player who spent most of his career in the AA has made the Hall of Fame

• Caruthers’ uniform color on this card was changed in January, 2017 from blue to red to reflect recent reliable research by Craig Brown & friends at Threads of Our Game. Nine cards had been previously released featuring a blue uniform.