Marberry was one the best hurlers of the 1920s, and the Washington Senators used him mostly as a reliever, making him one of the first players in baseball to be used in that capacity. Debuting in 1923, the following season, Marberry led the American League in Games Pitched (50), Games Finished (31), and Saves (15), and in the '24 World Series, he appeared in four games with a 0-1 record with a 1.13 ERA en route to the championship win over the New York Giants.
Over the rest of his run with Washington, Marberry repeated similar seasons, and he led the AL in Games Pitched five more times, Games Finished three more times, and Saves five more times. Marberry’s value to Washington was incalculable, and he set the template in which other relievers would follow.
Marberry would later have stints with the Detroit Tigers and New York Giants before finishing his career in a return in Washington. While his 99 career Saves seems pedestrian today, he accomplished those over multi-inning appearances and was a closer before anyone knew what that meant.
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