Ruffing, "Red" (Charles H.)
Baseball
b. May 3, 1904, Granville, IL
d. Feb. 17, 1986
Working on coal mines as a teen-ager, Ruffing developed his muscles and became known as a power-hitting outfielder on sandlot teams. But he lost four toes on his left foot in a mining accident in 1921 and didn't play baseball for nearly a year.
He returned to the sport as a pitcher and signed a professional contract in 1923. After one season in the minor leagues, Ruffing joined the Boston Red Sox in 1924 but he appeared in only 8 games that season.
A right-hander, the 6-foot-11/2, 205-pound Ruffing struggled as a starter for five seasons with poor Red Sox teams, winning only 39 games while losing 93. After he lost his first 3 decisions in 1930, Ruffing was traded to the New York Yankees, where he immediately became a star, going 15-5 the rest of the season.
Ruffing had relied entirely on a fastball and curve in Boston, but the Yankees taught him how to throw a change-up and it became an important pitch for him. He was 16-14 in 1931 and 18-7 in 1932, when he led the league with 190 strikeouts.
After slipping to 9-14 in 1933, Ruffing was 19-11 and 16-11 and then won 20 games four seasons in a row, from 1936 through 1939. He led the AL in victories with a 21-7 record and in winning percentage at .750 in 1938 and was the league leader with 5 shutouts in 1939.
Ruffing had a 44-25 record from 1940 through 1942 and then was drafted into the Army despite his age and missing toes. He served until the middle of the 1945 season, when he rejoined the Yankees. He was 12-4 in limited action for two years and retired after going 3-5 with the Chicago White Sox in 1947. He later served as a major-league scout and minor-league manager, and he was the New York Mets' first pitching coach in 1962.
In 22 seasons, Ruffing had a 273-225 record, with 45 shutouts and a 3.80 ERA. He struck out 1,987 hitters and walked 1,541 in 4,344 innings.