Dick Ruthven
Born: 3/27/1951 in Sacramento, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 1973-04-17 | Final Game: 1986-05-01
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 190 lbs
Full name: Richard David Ruthven
Biography
Dick Ruthven was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1973 to 1986. Born in 1951, Ruthven made his mark in Major League Baseball during a time characterized by a transition in pitching styles and the increasing importance of specialized roles. Over his thirteen-year career, he compiled a record of 123 wins and 127 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.14. His ability to strike out batters was evident, as he recorded 1,145 strikeouts, showcasing his effectiveness on the mound. Although he only secured one save, Ruthven's contributions as a starter were significant during his time.
Ruthven was selected as an All-Star twice, reflecting his status among the elite pitchers of his era. He was known for his durability and competitive spirit, often taking the mound in crucial situations for his teams. Throughout his career, he played for several teams, contributing to the pitching depth and stability required in the fast-paced game of the 1980s. Ruthven's legacy is marked not just by his statistics but by his role in a changing baseball landscape, where pitchers were increasingly relied upon to dominate games. His career serves as a testament to the dedication and skill required to succeed in the major leagues during a dynamic period in baseball history.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | 127 | 355 | 332 | 61 | 17 | 1 | 2109.0 | 2155 | 970 | 165 | 767 | 1145 | 4.14 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | PHI | NL | 6 | 9 | 25 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 128.3 | 125 | 60 | 75 | 98 | 4.21 | -423.9 |
| 1974 | PHI | NL | 9 | 13 | 35 | 35 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 212.7 | 182 | 95 | 116 | 153 | 4.02 | 759.6 |
| 1975 | PHI | NL | 2 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40.7 | 37 | 19 | 22 | 26 | 4.20 | 67.9 |
| 1976 | ATL | NL | 14 | 17 | 36 | 36 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 240.3 | 255 | 112 | 90 | 142 | 4.19 | 521.4 |
| 1977 | ATL | NL | 7 | 13 | 25 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 151.0 | 158 | 71 | 62 | 84 | 4.23 | -326.6 |
| 1978 | ATL | NL | 2 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 81.0 | 78 | 37 | 28 | 45 | 4.11 | -221.8 |
| 1978 | PHI | NL | 13 | 5 | 20 | 20 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 150.7 | 136 | 50 | 28 | 75 | 2.99 | 1547.9 |
| 1979 | PHI | NL | 7 | 5 | 20 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 122.3 | 121 | 58 | 37 | 58 | 4.27 | 624.0 |
| 1980 | PHI | NL | 17 | 10 | 33 | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 223.3 | 241 | 88 | 74 | 86 | 3.55 | 1760.1 |
| 1981 | PHI | NL | 12 | 7 | 23 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 146.7 | 162 | 84 | 54 | 80 | 5.15 | 82.7 |
| 1982 | PHI | NL | 11 | 11 | 33 | 31 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 204.3 | 189 | 86 | 59 | 115 | 3.79 | 918.0 |
| 1983 | CHC | NL | 12 | 9 | 25 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 149.3 | 156 | 68 | 28 | 73 | 4.10 | - |
| 1983 | PHI | NL | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33.7 | 46 | 21 | 10 | 26 | 5.61 | -135.5 |
| 1984 | CHC | NL | 6 | 10 | 23 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 126.7 | 154 | 71 | 41 | 55 | 5.04 | - |
| 1985 | CHC | NL | 4 | 7 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87.3 | 103 | 44 | 37 | 26 | 4.53 | - |
| 1986 | CHC | NL | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.7 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 5.06 | - |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 363 | 671 | 42 | 123 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 44 | 2 | 16 | 212 | 0.183 | 0.205 | 0.230 | 0.435 | -2595.2 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | PHI | NL | 27 | 38 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0.132 | 0.0 |
| 1974 | PHI | NL | 35 | 68 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 0.191 | -479.9 |
| 1975 | PHI | NL | 12 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.154 | 0.0 |
| 1976 | ATL | NL | 37 | 76 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 0.171 | -505.6 |
| 1977 | ATL | NL | 25 | 45 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0.267 | 0.0 |
| 1978 | ATL | NL | 13 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0.083 | 0.0 |
| 1978 | PHI | NL | 21 | 53 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0.283 | 0.0 |
| 1979 | PHI | NL | 21 | 41 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0.146 | 0.0 |
| 1980 | PHI | NL | 33 | 68 | 7 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 0.235 | -210.6 |
| 1981 | PHI | NL | 23 | 50 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 0.140 | -372.9 |
| 1982 | PHI | NL | 33 | 64 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0.109 | -695.4 |
| 1983 | CHC | NL | 25 | 53 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0.226 | -257.3 |
| 1983 | PHI | NL | 7 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.111 | -257.3 |
| 1984 | CHC | NL | 25 | 44 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 0.159 | 0.0 |
| 1985 | CHC | NL | 20 | 24 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0.208 | 0.0 |
| 1986 | CHC | NL | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | NEDIV | PHI | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 1980 | NLCS | PHI | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| 1980 | WS | PHI | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1978 | NLCS | PHI | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 26.7 | 21 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 3.38 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | NEDIV | PHI | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4.50 |
| 1980 | NLCS | PHI | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9.0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2.00 |
| 1980 | WS | PHI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9.0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3.00 |
| 1978 | NLCS | PHI | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5.79 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 355 | 332 | 149 | 298 | 41 | 19 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | PHI | P | 25 | 23 | 6 | 23 | 6 | 2 |
| 1974 | PHI | P | 35 | 35 | 7 | 30 | 7 | 2 |
| 1975 | PHI | P | 11 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1976 | ATL | P | 36 | 36 | 18 | 44 | 1 | 2 |
| 1977 | ATL | P | 25 | 23 | 10 | 16 | 5 | 1 |
| 1978 | ATL | P | 13 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 7 | 0 |
| 1978 | PHI | P | 20 | 20 | 8 | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979 | PHI | P | 20 | 20 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 1980 | PHI | P | 33 | 33 | 21 | 33 | 6 | 3 |
| 1981 | PHI | P | 23 | 22 | 11 | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982 | PHI | P | 33 | 31 | 22 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 1983 | CHN | P | 25 | 25 | 15 | 31 | 2 | 2 |
| 1983 | PHI | P | 7 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 1984 | CHN | P | 23 | 22 | 8 | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985 | CHN | P | 20 | 15 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| 1986 | CHN | P | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 355 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Pitcher of the Month | May |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | CHN | NL | $1,050,000 |
| 1985 | CHN | NL | $766,667 |
| Total Career Earnings | $1,816,667 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| California State University Fresno | Fresno | CA | 1971, 1972 |