Fred Luderus

     Before Cal Ripken, or even Lou Gehrig, Milwaukee's Fred Luderus was considered the Iron Man of baseball. Luderus played in 528 consecutive games, a record at the time, for the Philadelphia Phillies. From 1909-1920, Luderus was considered the most durable player in baseball.
     Luderus learned his baseball on the Milwaukee sandlots in the early 1900s. He signed with the Chicago Cubs in 1909 and then was traded to the Phillies. Luderus, a first baseman, became the captain of the team. He showed power before the home run was common in the game.
     Luderus' best year was 1915, when he hit .315 to finish second in the National League in batting and led the Phillies to the World Series, where they lost to Boston. After his retirement as a player in 1920, Luderus managed several minor league teams until 1933. He then retired to live in Wisconsin.