Muddy Ruel - Major League Career

Major League Career

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Ruel began his major league career at the age of 19 with his hometown team, the St. Louis Browns, appearing in 10 games during the 1915 season. He then played in the minor leagues for two seasons with the Memphis Chickasaws before joining the New York Yankees in 1918. With the Yankees, Ruel shared catching duties with Truck Hannah from 1918 to 1920. He was the Yankees catcher on August 16, 1920 when a Carl Mays' pitch hit Ray Chapman on the head, resulting in Chapman's death the next day. He later defended Mays and said that he was innocent of any wrongdoing.

Ruel would be traded to the Boston Red Sox in 1921, where he played for two seasons before being traded to the Washington Senators in 1923. In the 1923 season, he posted a career-high batting average of .316 along with 54 runs batted in. He led American League catchers in assists and putouts, and finished 11th in the American League Most Valuable Player Award ballot. He had another solid year in 1924, playing in 149 games and once again leading the American League catchers in assists and putouts. With Ruel calling the pitches, Walter Johnson's career was revitalized, as he led the league with 23 victories and a 2.72 earned run average. The Senators clinched the 1924 American League pennant, finishing the season two games ahead of the New York Yankees.

The Senators would face John McGraw's heavily-favored New York Giants in the 1924 World Series. The two teams traded wins back and forth until the series reached the seventh and deciding game. The Senators trailed the Giants 3 to 1 in the eighth inning of Game 7, when they rallied and tied the score. Ruel hit a single, then scored the tying run during the rally, to send the game into extra innings with the score tied at three runs apeice. In the bottom of the twelfth inning with Ruel at bat, he hit a high, foul ball directly over home plate. The Giants' catcher, Hank Gowdy, dropped his protective mask to field the ball but, failing to toss the mask aside, stumbled over it and dropped the ball, thus giving Ruel another chance to bat. On the next pitch, Ruel hit a double and, then proceeded to score the winning run when Earl McNeely hit a ground ball that took a bad hop over third baseman Freddie Lindstrom's head.

Ruel had another good season in 1925, producing a .310 batting average along with 54 runs batted in and, for the third consecutive year, he led American League catchers in assists and putouts. The Senators would win the American League pennant for the second year in a row, however they were defeated by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1925 World Series. Ruel hit for a .299 batting average in 1926 and led the American League catchers with a .989 fielding percentage, as the Senators slipped to a fourth place finish. He had one more good season in 1927, posting a .310 batting average and finishing second among catchers in fielding percentage, putouts, assists and baserunners caught stealing. Ruel finished sixth in the 1927 American League Most Valuable Player Award balloting.

After the 1927 season, his offensive production began to diminish, and by 1929, Bennie Tate had begun to take over as the Senators' main catcher. In December 1930, Ruel was purchased from the Senators by the Boston Red Sox, who then traded him to the Detroit Tigers in August 1931. With the Tigers, he served as a reserve catcher in 1932 working behind Ray Hayworth. He returned to the St. Louis Browns in 1933 before ending his playing career with the Chicago White Sox in 1934 at the age of 38.