Vern Ruhle
Vern Ruhle | ||
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Strikeouts | 582 | |
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Vernon Gerald Ruhle (/ˈruːl/ ROOL;[1] January 25, 1951 – January 20, 2007) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros for 13 seasons, from 1974 to 1986.
Early life
Ruhle was born in
Baseball career
Ruhle made his debut with Detroit, in September 1974. He joined the Tigers' starting rotation the following year, posting a record of 11
Ruhle gave up a third-inning single to
Ruhle made sporadic appearances for Houston over the next two years before finishing with a 12–4
Ruhle was the center of a controversial play in his Game Four League Championship Series start. With two runners on in the fourth inning, Ruhle fielded a soft liner off the bat of Garry Maddox and immediately threw to first base. However, Philadelphia players raced out of the dugout to argue that Ruhle had trapped the ball. During the argument, first baseman Art Howe stepped on second base and claimed a triple play. After 20 minutes, it was ruled a catch, but the triple play was completed after time had been called, and was disallowed. Ruhle had a no-decision as the Astros lost in the tenth inning. He later started in Game Four of the 1981 National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing a complete game 2–1 pitchers' duel with Fernando Valenzuela, as Houston again wasted a 2–1 series advantage and lost in five games.
Ruhle continued to start less regularly before primarily shifting to
In a 13-year major league career, Ruhle posted a record of 67–88 with 582 strikeouts and a 3.73 ERA in 327 games.
Ruhle later became a pitching coach for the Astros, Phillies, New York Mets, and finally the Cincinnati Reds, in 9 of 10 consecutive seasons, from 1997 to 2006.
Death
Ruhle died in
References
- ^ Detroit Tigers 1977 Press-TV-Radio Guide (pronunciations on page 32). Retrieved June 7, 2020
- ^ Mackin, Bob, "The Unofficial Guide to Baseball's Most Unusual Records"
- ^ "Vern Ruhle, ex-pitcher and coach, dies at 55". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 21, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
- ^ Sheldon, Mark (January 21, 2007). "Ruhle passes away from cancer". MLB.com. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Vern Ruhle at Baseball Almanac
- Vern Ruhle at Baseball Biography
- Vern Ruhle at Astros Daily
- Vern Ruhle at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)