Red Ruffing, baseball player, 1924-1947

Red Ruffing

⭐ Hall of Fame 1967

Born: 5/3/1905 in Granville, IL, USA

Died: 2/17/1986 in Mayfield Heights, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1924-05-31 | Final Game: 1947-09-15

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: Charles Herbert Ruffing

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Biography

Red Ruffing, born in 1905, was a prominent pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball from 1924 until his retirement in 1947. Over the course of his career, Ruffing compiled a record of 273-225, showcasing his ability to not only win games but also to endure through the rigors of a lengthy career. With an earned run average (ERA) of 3.8 and 1,987 strikeouts, he established himself as one of the era's most reliable pitchers, contributing to his teams' successes during a time when pitching was pivotal in the game. Ruffing was selected as an All-Star six times, reflecting his standing among the best in the league. His induction into the Hall of Fame in 1967 solidified his legacy as one of the greats of the sport. Known for his durability and skill, Ruffing played a crucial role in shaping the pitching landscape of his time, contributing to the evolution of the game during the pre- and post-war years. His legacy continues to resonate, underscoring the importance of consistent performance and excellence on the mound.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
273 225 624 536 335 45 16 4344.0 4284 1833 254 1541 1987 3.80 0

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
1924 BOS AL 0 0 8 2 0 0 0 23.0 29 17 9 10 6.65 179.6
1925 BOS AL 9 18 37 27 13 3 1 217.3 253 121 75 64 5.01 837.4
1926 BOS AL 6 15 37 22 6 0 2 166.0 169 81 68 58 4.39 312.5
1927 BOS AL 5 13 26 18 10 0 2 158.3 160 82 87 77 4.66 -1343.9
1928 BOS AL 10 25 42 34 25 1 2 289.3 303 125 96 118 3.89 3572.6
1929 BOS AL 9 22 35 30 18 1 1 244.3 280 132 118 109 4.86 -1107.7
1930 BOS AL 0 3 4 3 1 0 0 24.0 32 17 6 14 6.38 638.9
1930 NYY AL 15 5 34 25 12 2 1 197.7 200 91 62 117 4.14 -
1931 NYY AL 16 14 37 30 19 1 2 237.0 240 116 87 132 4.41 -
1932 NYY AL 18 7 35 29 22 3 2 259.0 219 89 115 190 3.09 -
1933 NYY AL 9 14 35 28 18 0 3 235.0 230 102 93 122 3.91 -
1934 NYY AL 19 11 36 31 19 5 0 256.3 232 112 104 149 3.93 -
1935 NYY AL 16 11 30 29 19 2 0 222.0 201 77 76 81 3.12 -
1936 NYY AL 20 12 33 33 25 3 0 271.0 274 116 90 102 3.85 -
1937 NYY AL 20 7 31 31 22 4 0 256.3 242 85 68 131 2.98 -
1938 NYY AL 21 7 31 31 22 3 0 247.3 246 91 82 127 3.31 -
1939 NYY AL 21 7 28 28 22 5 0 233.3 211 76 75 95 2.93 -
1940 NYY AL 15 12 30 30 20 3 0 226.0 218 85 76 97 3.38 -
1941 NYY AL 15 6 23 23 13 2 0 185.7 177 73 54 60 3.54 -
1942 NYY AL 14 7 24 24 16 4 0 193.7 183 69 41 80 3.21 -
1945 NYY AL 7 3 11 11 8 1 0 87.3 85 28 20 24 2.89 -
1946 NYY AL 5 1 8 8 4 2 0 61.0 37 12 23 19 1.77 -
1947 CHW AL 3 5 9 9 1 0 0 53.0 63 36 16 11 6.11 -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
882 1937 207 521 98 13 36 273 1 97 266 0.269 0.306 0.389 0.695 -1680.5

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG PIV
1924 BOS AL 8 7 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.143 0.0
1925 BOS AL 37 79 6 17 4 2 0 11 0 1 22 0.215 -427.2
1926 BOS AL 37 51 8 10 1 0 1 5 0 2 12 0.196 -287.3
1927 BOS AL 29 55 5 14 3 1 0 4 0 0 6 0.255 -177.2
1928 BOS AL 60 121 12 38 13 1 2 19 0 3 12 0.314 164.8
1929 BOS AL 60 114 9 35 9 0 2 17 0 2 13 0.307 -47.6
1930 BOS AL 6 11 2 3 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.273 0.0
1930 NYY AL 52 99 15 37 6 2 4 21 0 7 7 0.374 0.0
1931 NYY AL 48 109 14 36 8 1 3 12 0 1 13 0.330 232.4
1932 NYY AL 55 124 20 38 6 1 3 19 0 6 10 0.306 114.1
1933 NYY AL 55 115 10 29 3 1 2 13 0 7 15 0.252 -189.5
1934 NYY AL 45 113 11 28 3 0 2 13 0 3 17 0.248 -382.4
1935 NYY AL 50 109 13 37 10 0 2 18 0 3 9 0.339 260.3
1936 NYY AL 53 127 14 37 5 0 5 22 0 11 12 0.291 128.0
1937 NYY AL 54 129 11 26 3 0 1 10 0 13 24 0.202 -672.5
1938 NYY AL 45 107 12 24 4 1 3 17 0 17 21 0.224 -95.5
1939 NYY AL 44 114 12 35 1 0 1 20 1 7 18 0.307 -120.2
1940 NYY AL 33 89 8 11 4 0 1 7 0 3 9 0.124 -796.6
1941 NYY AL 38 89 10 27 8 1 2 22 0 4 12 0.303 178.7
1942 NYY AL 30 80 8 20 4 0 1 13 0 5 13 0.250 -71.6
1945 NYY AL 21 46 4 10 0 1 1 5 0 0 8 0.217 0.0
1946 NYY AL 8 25 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 8 0.120 0.0
1947 CHW AL 14 24 2 5 0 0 0 3 0 1 3 0.208 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
14 34 1 6 1 0 0 4 3 6 0.176

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1942 WS NYA 4 9 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.222
1941 WS NYA 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1939 WS NYA 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333
1938 WS NYA 2 6 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.167
1937 WS NYA 1 4 0 2 1 0 0 3 0 0 0.500
1936 WS NYA 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.000
1932 WS NYA 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
7 2 10 10 0 85.7 74 25 27 61 2.63

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1942 WS NYA 1 1 2 2 0 17.7 14 8 7 11 4.08
1941 WS NYA 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 6 1 3 5 1.00
1939 WS NYA 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 4 1 1 4 1.00
1938 WS NYA 2 0 2 2 0 18.0 17 3 2 11 1.50
1937 WS NYA 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 7 1 3 8 1.00
1936 WS NYA 0 1 2 2 0 14.0 16 8 5 12 5.14
1932 WS NYA 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 10 3 6 10 3.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 3 0 2 0 0 0
P 624 0 153 677 27 51

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1924 BOS P 8 0 0 3 0 0
1925 BOS P 37 0 7 50 1 3
1926 BOS P 37 0 10 34 1 2
1927 BOS P 26 0 8 36 1 1
1928 BOS P 42 0 7 51 3 4
1929 BOS P 35 0 7 46 3 1
1929 BOS OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1930 BOS P 4 0 0 2 1 0
1930 NYA P 34 0 3 27 2 0
1931 NYA P 37 0 4 32 0 1
1931 NYA OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1932 NYA P 35 0 4 38 2 4
1933 NYA P 35 0 8 45 2 5
1934 NYA P 36 0 10 32 3 2
1935 NYA P 30 0 17 26 0 3
1936 NYA P 33 0 13 56 1 6
1937 NYA P 31 0 9 28 1 2
1938 NYA P 31 0 11 34 0 2
1939 NYA P 28 0 8 32 2 2
1940 NYA P 30 0 6 30 2 2
1941 NYA P 23 0 7 21 0 3
1942 NYA P 24 0 8 30 1 5
1945 NYA P 11 0 2 11 1 1
1946 NYA P 8 0 2 6 0 1
1947 CHA P 9 0 2 7 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 624
Left Field 2
Right Field 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1941 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1939 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1939 Baseball Magazine All-Star P4
1939 TSN All-Star P
1938 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1938 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1938 TSN All-Star P
1937 TSN All-Star P

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1941 Most Valuable Player AL 25th 2.0 336 0
1939 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 116.0 336 0
1938 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 146.0 336 0
1937 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 18.0 80 0