Rick Reuschel
Born: 5/16/1949 in Quincy, IL, USA
MLB Debut: 1972-06-19 | Final Game: 1991-04-22
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 215 lbs
Full name: Rickey Eugene Reuschel
Biography
Rick Reuschel was a prominent Major League Baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1972 to 1991. Born in 1949, Reuschel established himself as a reliable starter, amassing a career record of 214 wins and 191 losses, with a commendable earned run average (ERA) of 3.37. Over the course of his career, he struck out 2,015 batters and recorded five saves, demonstrating both his durability as a starting pitcher and his ability to perform under pressure. Reuschel's contributions to the game were recognized with three All-Star selections, highlighting his status among the elite pitchers of his era.
Reuschel played during a time when the game was transitioning, facing hitters from the tail end of the deadball era into the more offensive-friendly landscapes of the 1980s and early 1990s. Known for his exceptional control and ability to induce ground balls, he was a key figure for teams such as the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants. His legacy is marked not only by his impressive statistics but also by his influence on succeeding generations of pitchers who admired his work ethic and competitive spirit.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 214 | 191 | 557 | 529 | 102 | 26 | 5 | 3548.3 | 3588 | 1330 | 221 | 935 | 2015 | 3.37 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | CHC | NL | 10 | 8 | 21 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 129.0 | 127 | 42 | 29 | 87 | 2.93 | - |
| 1973 | CHC | NL | 14 | 15 | 36 | 36 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 237.0 | 244 | 79 | 62 | 168 | 3.00 | - |
| 1974 | CHC | NL | 13 | 12 | 41 | 38 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 240.7 | 262 | 115 | 83 | 160 | 4.30 | - |
| 1975 | CHC | NL | 11 | 17 | 38 | 37 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 234.0 | 244 | 97 | 67 | 155 | 3.73 | - |
| 1976 | CHC | NL | 14 | 12 | 38 | 37 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 260.0 | 260 | 100 | 64 | 146 | 3.46 | - |
| 1977 | CHC | NL | 20 | 10 | 39 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 252.0 | 233 | 78 | 74 | 166 | 2.79 | - |
| 1978 | CHC | NL | 14 | 15 | 35 | 35 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 242.7 | 235 | 92 | 54 | 115 | 3.41 | - |
| 1979 | CHC | NL | 18 | 12 | 36 | 36 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 239.0 | 251 | 96 | 75 | 125 | 3.62 | - |
| 1980 | CHC | NL | 11 | 13 | 38 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 257.0 | 281 | 97 | 76 | 140 | 3.40 | - |
| 1981 | CHC | NL | 4 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 85.7 | 87 | 33 | 23 | 53 | 3.47 | - |
| 1981 | NYY | AL | 4 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 70.7 | 75 | 21 | 10 | 22 | 2.67 | - |
| 1983 | CHC | NL | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.7 | 18 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 3.92 | - |
| 1984 | CHC | NL | 5 | 5 | 19 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 92.3 | 123 | 53 | 23 | 43 | 5.17 | - |
| 1985 | PIT | NL | 14 | 8 | 31 | 26 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 194.0 | 153 | 49 | 52 | 138 | 2.27 | 6618.4 |
| 1986 | PIT | NL | 9 | 16 | 35 | 34 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 215.7 | 232 | 95 | 57 | 125 | 3.96 | 1413.0 |
| 1987 | PIT | NL | 8 | 6 | 25 | 25 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 177.0 | 163 | 54 | 35 | 80 | 2.75 | 3440.3 |
| 1987 | SFG | NL | 5 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 50.0 | 44 | 24 | 7 | 27 | 4.32 | - |
| 1988 | SFG | NL | 19 | 11 | 36 | 36 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 245.0 | 242 | 85 | 42 | 92 | 3.12 | - |
| 1989 | SFG | NL | 17 | 8 | 32 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 208.3 | 195 | 68 | 54 | 111 | 2.94 | - |
| 1990 | SFG | NL | 3 | 6 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 87.0 | 102 | 38 | 31 | 49 | 3.93 | - |
| 1991 | SFG | NL | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.7 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 4.22 | - |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 579 | 1115 | 82 | 187 | 35 | 4 | 4 | 79 | 3 | 46 | 317 | 0.168 | 0.202 | 0.217 | 0.419 | -6501.1 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | CHC | NL | 21 | 44 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0.136 | 0.0 |
| 1973 | CHC | NL | 36 | 73 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 0.123 | -761.9 |
| 1974 | CHC | NL | 41 | 86 | 4 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0.221 | -419.0 |
| 1975 | CHC | NL | 38 | 77 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0.208 | -357.6 |
| 1976 | CHC | NL | 38 | 83 | 9 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 0.229 | -216.3 |
| 1977 | CHC | NL | 41 | 87 | 9 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 0.207 | -441.9 |
| 1978 | CHC | NL | 35 | 73 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 0.137 | -606.0 |
| 1979 | CHC | NL | 38 | 79 | 8 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 26 | 0.165 | -519.5 |
| 1980 | CHC | NL | 44 | 82 | 4 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 0.159 | -653.7 |
| 1981 | CHC | NL | 16 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0.080 | 0.0 |
| 1981 | NYY | AL | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1983 | CHC | NL | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.143 | 0.0 |
| 1984 | CHC | NL | 20 | 29 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0.241 | 0.0 |
| 1985 | PIT | NL | 31 | 59 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 0.169 | -350.1 |
| 1986 | PIT | NL | 43 | 70 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 0.157 | -572.4 |
| 1987 | PIT | NL | 25 | 60 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 0.150 | -432.0 |
| 1987 | SFG | NL | 9 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.105 | -432.0 |
| 1988 | SFG | NL | 36 | 73 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 0.110 | -754.1 |
| 1989 | SFG | NL | 32 | 61 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 0.164 | -416.7 |
| 1990 | SFG | NL | 15 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0.154 | 0.0 |
| 1991 | SFG | NL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | NLCS | SFN | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 1989 | WS | SFN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1987 | NLCS | SFN | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1981 | WS | NYA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1981 | AEDIV | NYA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 32.3 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 14 | 5.85 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | NLCS | SFN | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8.7 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5.19 |
| 1989 | WS | SFN | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 11.25 |
| 1987 | NLCS | SFN | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10.0 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 6.30 |
| 1981 | AEDIV | NYA | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3.00 |
| 1981 | WS | NYA | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3.7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4.91 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 557 | 529 | 328 | 667 | 29 | 39 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | CHN | P | 21 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| 1973 | CHN | P | 36 | 36 | 24 | 49 | 3 | 0 |
| 1974 | CHN | P | 41 | 38 | 28 | 51 | 5 | 4 |
| 1975 | CHN | P | 38 | 37 | 23 | 39 | 0 | 5 |
| 1976 | CHN | P | 38 | 37 | 23 | 53 | 4 | 0 |
| 1977 | CHN | P | 39 | 37 | 27 | 45 | 1 | 4 |
| 1978 | CHN | P | 35 | 35 | 24 | 44 | 2 | 1 |
| 1979 | CHN | P | 36 | 36 | 27 | 49 | 3 | 9 |
| 1980 | CHN | P | 38 | 38 | 28 | 56 | 2 | 5 |
| 1981 | CHN | P | 13 | 13 | 4 | 21 | 2 | 2 |
| 1981 | NYA | P | 12 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | CHN | P | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | CHN | P | 19 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 1 | 1 |
| 1985 | PIT | P | 31 | 26 | 24 | 40 | 0 | 2 |
| 1986 | PIT | P | 35 | 34 | 24 | 44 | 2 | 0 |
| 1987 | PIT | P | 25 | 25 | 17 | 31 | 2 | 2 |
| 1987 | SFN | P | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | SFN | P | 36 | 36 | 12 | 32 | 0 | 2 |
| 1989 | SFN | P | 32 | 32 | 8 | 33 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | SFN | P | 15 | 13 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 1991 | SFN | P | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 557 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Pitcher of the Month | May |
| 1987 | Gold Glove | P |
| 1987 | Player of the Week | Week of 1987-07-24 |
| 1985 | Gold Glove | P |
| 1985 | Hutch Award | |
| 1985 | TSN Comeback Player of the Year | |
| 1980 | Pitcher of the Month | August |
| 1979 | Pitcher of the Month | August |
| 1977 | Pitcher of the Month | June |
| 1977 | Pitcher of the Month | July |
| 1977 | TSN All-Star | RHP |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | SFN | NL | $1,350,000 |
| 1989 | SFN | NL | $1,175,000 |
| 1988 | SFN | NL | $800,000 |
| 1987 | PIT | NL | $750,000 |
| 1986 | PIT | NL | $700,000 |
| 1985 | PIT | NL | $200,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $4,975,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Illinois University | Macomb | IL | 1969, 1970 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Cy Young Award | NL | 8th | 3.0 | 120 | 0 |
| 1987 | Cy Young Award | NL | 3rd | 54.0 | 120 | 8 |
| 1977 | Cy Young Award | NL | 3rd | 18.0 | 120 | 1 |
| 1977 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 21th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |