Krause was born in
San Francisco, California, and attended
Saint Mary's College of California. He started his professional baseball career in 1907, heading East at the age of 19 in 1908. In the
Tri-State League he went 17-14, later joining the Athletics. Krause made an immediate impact in the major leagues. He started out 1909 with a 10-game winning streak, which included six
shutouts. He finished the season 18–8 with a league-leading 1.39 ERA. It is the lowest ERA ever for an American League rookie. Krause didn't pitch as often or as well in 1910 and 1911. He had arm trouble early in 1910 which forced him to miss some time, but pitched well enough in 1911 that he was considered for use in the
1911 World Series, although he wasn't needed. The 1912 Reach Guide credits him with helping carry the pitching burden for the 1911 team while stars
Jack Coombs and
Chief Bender were less effective than usual early in the season. In 1912, he came down with a sore arm, pitched badly in six games, and then went to the minor league
Toledo Mud Hens. He went 13–4 with Toledo. He died eight days later. He was survived by his wife, Marie. ==See also==