“Tickets here! Tickets … who needs tickets?”

Rube Marquard is born and bred in Cleveland, so you would think he knows the area.

The best places to eat, where to watch the latest silent movie and, most important of all, what people to avoid.

In this case, undercover cops.

Alas, for Marquard, he fails to avoid them 103 years ago today as the Brooklyn Robins pitcher is arrested only hours before Game 4 of the 1920 World Series.

His crime: trying to scalp six tickets for upcoming Series games in Cleveland between Marquard’s Robins and his hometown Indians.

Seems Marquard – one of Brooklyn’s starting pitchers who at the time of his arrest also happens to be celebrating his 34th birthday – reportedly wants as much as $400 for the six tickets.

Instead, the cops want to Marquard’s fingerprints at the police station.

Marquard, needing to get back to the ballpark for the afternoon game, gets his hearing postponed, although he later is found guilty and gladly pays his $3.50 in fines and court costs.

Back before a Saturday afternoon crowd of 25,734 at League Park on this day in 1920, Marquard ends up working three innings of scoreless relief in Brooklyn’s 5-1 loss in Game 4 to the Indians, who even the series 2-2 on their way to winning the best-of-9 Series in seven games.

Turns out the game is Marquard’s last with Brooklyn, which trades him after the 1920 Series to Cincinnati for pitcher Dutch Ruether. Marquard spends the 1921 season with Cincinnati before he is flipped to the Boston Braves for his final four seasons in the major leagues.

Marquard leaves with a career record of 201-177 and eventually is inducted in 1971 into the Hall of Fame, where he receives all of the family tickets he needs. For free.