Matt Ruebel
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1996-1998)
Matt Ruebel was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1996 to 1998 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays, a span of 3 seasons. Across 77 career appearances, he went 4-5 with a 5.54 ERA and 78 strikeouts.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 180 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1996-05-21
- Last Game
- 1998-07-04
Full name: Matthew Alexander Ruebel
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | PIT | NL | 1 | 1 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 58.2 | 64 | 30 | 25 | 22 | 4.60 | 4.61 (avg) | -1389.0 |
| 1997 | PIT | NL | 3 | 2 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62.2 | 77 | 44 | 27 | 50 | 6.32 | 4.39 (-44%) | -494.3 |
| 1998 | TBA | AL | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6.23 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 4 | 5 | 77 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 130.0 | 152 | 80 | 56 | 78 | 5.54 | — | -1,883 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .150 | .190 | .150 | .340 | 0 |
Career AVG .150 vs. league average .268 across their career seasons — 43.9% below league average.
Career OBP .190 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 43.6% below league average.
Career SLG .150 vs. league average .422 across their career seasons — 64.5% below league average.
Career OPS .340 vs. league average .759 across their career seasons — 55.2% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | PIT | NL | 26 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1997 | PIT | NL | 44 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1998 | TBA | AL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 77 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .150 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (154 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 40 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
| Away | 37 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .125 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 40 | 73.2 | 83 | 37 | 30 | 48 | 4.52 |
| Away | 37 | 56.1 | 69 | 43 | 26 | 30 | 6.87 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-07-04 | TBR | TOR | — | 0.1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1998-06-14 | TBR | BOS | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998-06-06 | TBR | WSN | L | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998-06-02 | TBR | TEX | — | 2.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1998-05-30 | TBR | SEA | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998-05-28 | TBR | SEA | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1998-05-25 | TBR | OAK | L | 4.1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 1997-09-21 | PIT | STL | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1997-09-03 | PIT | CLE | — | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1997-09-01 | PIT | CLE | — | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 77 |
Salary History
Matt Ruebel's recorded salaries total $269,000 over 2 seasons, 1996 to 1997. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Ruebel's career ran from 1996 to 1998. No salary is recorded for 1998.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | PIT | NL | $160,000 |
| 1996 | PIT | NL | $109,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $269,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Oklahoma | Norman | OK | 1989, 1990 |
Matt Ruebel: the record in brief
May 21, 1996 and July 4, 1998 bracket Matt Ruebel's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1996 to 1997) and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998). Born on October 16, 1969, in Cincinnati, OH, USA, Ruebel is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw left-handed. The bio gives 6 feet, 2 inches and 180 pounds. The given name on file is Matthew Alexander Ruebel.
Ruebel pitched in 77 games, starting 8, and finished with a 4-5 record and 5.54 ERA. Also on Ruebel's record: 78 strikeouts. The league ERA over Ruebel's seasons was 4.48, so the 5.54 figure ran 23.7% worse than average. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 4.60 in 1996, when the league's was 4.61.
Every defensive appearance on record for Ruebel, 77 games, came at pitcher. Fielding on the mound produced 11 putouts and 18 assists against 4 errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Matt Ruebel
- What years did Matt Ruebel play?
- Matt Ruebel played in Major League Baseball from 1996 to 1998.
- Was Matt Ruebel a pitcher?
- Yes. Matt Ruebel pitched in the major leagues, recording 4 wins and 78 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Matt Ruebel hit?
- Matt Ruebel hit 0 career home runs with 3 hits.
- What teams did Matt Ruebel play for?
- Matt Ruebel played for 2 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1996–1997) and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998).
- What were Matt Ruebel's career stats?
- In 77 games, Matt Ruebel went 4-5 with a 5.54 ERA, 78 strikeouts, 130.0 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
- How much did Matt Ruebel earn in his career?
- Matt Ruebel's recorded salaries total $269,000 over 2 seasons, 1996 to 1997. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Ruebel's career ran from 1996 to 1998. No salary is recorded for 1998.
- What was Matt Ruebel's salary?
- Matt Ruebel's last recorded salary was $160,000, in 1997. His highest recorded salary was $160,000, in 1997, and his lowest was $109,000, in 1996. The Salary History table lists each season from 1996 to 1997.
- What position did Matt Ruebel play?
- Matt Ruebel played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Matt Ruebel and how much did he weigh?
- Matt Ruebel was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 180 pounds.
- What was Matt Ruebel's career ERA?
- Matt Ruebel finished with a 5.54 career ERA, going 4-5 with 78 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Matt Ruebel have?
- Matt Ruebel recorded 78 career strikeouts.
- Is Matt Ruebel in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Matt Ruebel has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.