Red Ruffing

From SoSH

Charles Herbert "Red" Ruffing was born in Granville, Illinois on May 3, 1905. A one-time outfielder, Ruffing pitched for the Red Sox from 1924 to 1930. He hit and threw right-handed.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Moment in the Sun 3 Trivia 4 Transactions 5 External Sources

Overall Career

Red Ruffing made his major league debut on May 31, 1924 with the Boston Red Sox at the age of 19. That season he appeared in 8 games and finished with an ERA of 6.65. Ruffing pitched for Boston for 5 more seasons with the Sox until he was traded, mid-season, to the New York Yankees for Cedric Durst in 1930. In his last two full seasons with the Sox, Ruffing led the league in losses (going 10-25 in 1928 (despite 25 complete games, a League high) and 9-22 in 1929). His record for his 6 years in Boston was 39-96 with a 4.61 ERA.

Moving from the awful Red Sox of the '20s to the Championship Winning Yankees would change Red's fortunes. Ruffing eventually became the Yankees' ace, winning 20+ games every year from 1936 to 1939. He struggled after missing the 1943 and 1944 seasons due to the war. In September of 1946, the Yankees released Ruffing. He played the next season with the Chicago White Sox, who also dropped him in late September. 23 years after his debut, Ruffing retired with 273 wins, 225 losses, and 1987 strikeouts for a 3.80 ERA. In 1937 career at-bats, he hit .269.

Moment in the Sun

• Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1967 (86.93%
  

• 6-time American League All-Star (1934, 1938-1942)

Trivia

• As a child, Ruffing suffered the loss of 4 toes on his left foot in a freak mining accident.
• Played final MLB game on September 14, 1947
• A plaque that hangs in his memory at Yankee Stadium was dedicated on July 10, 2004.
• Was the first pitcher to face Ted Williams in the major leagues, at Yankee Stadium in April 1939. After striking out in his first at bat, Ted hit a line drive double off the right field fence that barely missed going out of the yard.

Transactions

• August 8, 1923: Traded by the Danville (Three-I) to the Boston Red Sox for $4,000.
• May 6, 1930: Traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for Cedric Durst and $50,000.
• September 20, 1946: Released by the New York Yankees.
• December 5, 1946: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago White Sox.
• September 30, 1947: Released by the Chicago White Sox.

External Sources

• Red Ruffing: Hall of Fame Page
• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis