Early Life
Rusie was born on May 30, 1871 in Mooresville, Indiana, to mason and plasterer William Asbury Rusie and his wife Mary Donovan. When he was still young, his family moved to nearby Indianapolis, Indiana, where he eventually quit school to work in a factory. It was during this time, when he was playing for a Semi-professional Indianapolis baseball team named the "Sturm Avenue Never Sweats," that scouts first took notice of the speed with which he threw a baseball, and his effectiveness as a pitcher when he shutout touring National League baseball teams, the Boston Beaneaters and the Washington Senators.
In 1889, at the age of 18, Rusie signed with the Burlington Babies of the Central Interstate League. However, he signed shortly thereafter by the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the NL, and made his major league debut on May 9 in a 2–13 loss to the Cleveland Blues, pitching in relief of starting pitcher Jim Whitney. In 33 games pitched during the 1889 season, he posted a 12–10 win–loss record, he started 22, completed 19, and recorded one shutout. Although his fastball was difficult to hit, he did not have good control of it, walking 116 batters in 225 innings pitched, although he struck out 109 and led the league with 11 games finished.
Read more about this topic: Amos Rusie
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