Red Ruffing
Red Ruffing was Joe McCarthy's opening act in the Fall Classic. On six occasions, in 1932, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1941 and 1942, Ruffing started Game One of the World Series for McCarthy, with the Yankee right-hander winning the game five times. Ruffing won 273 games, helping the Yankees to seven World Series with his off-speed stuff. He won 20 games four straight years, from 1936-1939, when the Yanks became the first team to win four straight titles. Ruffing teamed with Lefty Gomez to form one of the longest-running and most successful righty/lefty duos in baseball history. His personality was the opposite of Gomez's - he was generally quiet, efficient, and unflappable on the mound. Ruffing was one of the best hitting pitchers in baseball history, batting .269 with 36 homers for his career. He was 58-for-228 (.254) as a pinch-hitter. In 1967 he earned entry to Cooperstown, his pal Gomez joining him five years later.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 882 |
1937 |
521 |
207 |
36 |
273 |
1 |
.269 |
.389 |
.306 |
.695 |
93.4 |
|
Best Season: 1938
Ruffing was 21-7, with a 3.31 ERA, three shutouts, and 22 complete games. He won two games in the World Series, with a 1.50 ERA.
Most Wins, MLB (1930-1939)
Lefty Grove... 199
Carl Hubbell... 188
Red Ruffing... 175
Wes Ferrell... 170
Lefty Gomez ... 165
Born
Charles Herbert Ruffing was born on May 3, 1905, in Granville, IL.
Died
February 17, 1986, Mayfield Hts., OH
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
5 31,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1924
Charlie Gehringer
Al Simmons
Earle Combs
Freddy Lindstrom
Chick Hafey
Red Ruffing
Hughie Critz
Max Bishop
Glenn Wright
"Red" ...for the usual reason.
Uniform Numbers
#21 (1930), #18 (1931), #15 (1932-1942, 1946), #22 (1945-1946), #34 (1947)
Similar Players
Burleigh Grimes, Bump Hadley
Related Players
Ruffing and Lefty Gomez combined as one of the longest running (and most succesful) righty/lefty pitching combinations in baseball history.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1948 |
BBWAA |
4 |
3.3% |
1949 |
BBWAA |
22 |
14.4% |
1949 |
Run Off |
4 |
2.1% |
1950 |
BBWAA |
12 |
7.1% |
1951 |
BBWAA |
9 |
4.0% |
1952 |
BBWAA |
10 |
4.3% |
1953 |
BBWAA |
24 |
9.1% |
1954 |
BBWAA |
29 |
11.5% |
1955 |
BBWAA |
60 |
23.9% |
1956 |
BBWAA |
97 |
50.3% |
1958 |
BBWAA |
99 |
37.2% |
1960 |
BBWAA |
86 |
32.0% |
1962 |
BBWAA |
72 |
45.0% |
1964 |
BBWAA |
141 |
70.1% |
1964 |
Run Off |
184 |
81.8% |
1966 |
BBWAA |
208 |
68.9% |
1967 |
BBWAA |
212 |
72.6% |
1967 |
Run Off |
266 |
86.9% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1932 World Series
1936 World Series
1937 World Series
1938 World Series
1939 World Series
1941 World Series
1942 World Series
Post-Season Notes
Ruffing was 7-2 with a 2.63 ERA in 10 World Series games. His Yankees won six of seven World Series in which he participated.
Transactions
May 6, 1930: Traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for Cedric Durst and $50,000. This was one of the Yankees best trades.
All-Star Selections
1934 AL
1938 AL
1939 AL
1940 AL
1941 AL
1942 AL
Best Strength as a Player
Durability. Ruffing pitched in at least 28 games in 13 straight seasons (1928-1940).
Largest Weakness as a Player
Ruffing struggled with his control early in his career.
Learn More about Red Ruffing
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