Rufe Gentry
Encyclopedia
James Ruffus "Rufe" Gentry (May 18, 1918 - July 3, 1997) was a Major League pitcher who played in parts of 5 seasons for the Detroit Tigers
.
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
. From 1939-1941, he played minor league ball for Landis in the North Carolina State League
, Fulton, Kentucky
in the Kitty League (where he struck out 167 batters), and Winston-Salem in the Piedmont League
.
In 1942 and 1943, Gentry pitched for the Buffalo Bisons
in the International League
. Gentry had good speed on his fastball but lacked control. He struck out 80 batters in 1942, but walked 122. Gentry followed in 1943 with the best season of his career. He pitched an 11-inning no-hitter for the Bisons on Easter Sunday and finished the season with 20 wins and a 2.65 earned run average. He led the league in innings pitched (285), strikeouts (184) and walks (143).
In 1944, Gentry won a spot in the Tigers' starting rotation, along with Hal Newhouser
and Dizzy Trout
. Gentry ended the 1944 season a distant third in wins with 12, behind Newhouser's 29 wins and Trout's 27 wins. Gentry continued to have problems with his control as he led the American League in walks with 108 and was 3rd in the league in earned runs allowed.
Toward the end of the 1944 season, Gentry found his stride. He won several games in the pennant stretch, as the Tigers narrowly lost the pennant to the Yankees. On September 17, 1944, Gentry narrowly missed a no-hitter against the Indians. In the bottom of the 9th inning, with the Tigers ahead 3-0, Lou Boudreau
hit an infield single that deflected off Gentry. Ken Keltner
followed with a two-out double, and Gentry would up with a 2-hit shutout.
Even in the best game of his career, however, Gentry had problems with his control. Gentry walked the bases loaded in the 4th inning before striking out the final batter. Detroit manager Steve O'Neill
later said he had been one pitch away from pulling Gentry in the 4th inning. After the 4th inning, Gentry retired 14 consecutive batters.
Detroit News sportswriter H. G. Salsinger
wrote that in the last 6 weeks of the season Gentry "looked to be a certain winner. It would have surprised no one who watched him throw in those last six weeks if he had turned in 20 victories." http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1682&pid=5016
According to a Detroit News article dated August 8, 1945, Gentry had "demanded the same salary the club was paying Harold Newhouser, who won 29 and lost 9 games last year. The club did not think Ruffus worth as much as Harold, but Ruffus insisted in his demands and said that if the club did not meet them he would stay home. He stayed home. He's tired of staying home but the club thinks he got tired too late to do the team any good."
The holdout ended up being costly to both Gentry and Zeller. Gentry missed the opportunity to pitch for a team that won the American League
pennant and the 1945 World Series
against the Chicago Cubs
.
The holdout also cost Zeller. Having refused to give Gentry a $1,000 raise, he found himself short of pitching during the 1945 pennant drive. He ended up purchasing three pitchers late in the season for a total of $40,000. Zeller later stated that refusing the extra $1,000 to Gentry was his "biggest mistake as general manager." http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1682&pid=5016
. Sent back to the minors, any hopes of a comeback were derailed when Gentry accidentally discharged his gun while cleaning it. The resulting shot mangled the index finger on Gentry's pitching hand.
Despite the injury, Gentry tried to come back with a noticeably crooked index finger in 1947 and again in 1948. He pitched only 1/3 of an inning in 1947 and 6 innings in 1948. Gentry never won a major league ball game after his 1945 holdout.
, also made it to the Major Leagues for a brief stint with the New York Giants
in 1954. Gentry died in 1997 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
.
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
.
Minor league career
Born in Daisy Station, North Carolina, Gentry first pitched in organized baseball as part of the company team when he worked for Hanes HosieryHanes
Hanes and Hanes Her Way are brands of apparel currently owned by the HanesBrands, Inc Corporation...
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
. From 1939-1941, he played minor league ball for Landis in the North Carolina State League
North Carolina State League
The North Carolina State League was a "Class D" league in Minor League Baseball. The original version of the league existed from 1913-1917 as the successor to the Carolina Association...
, Fulton, Kentucky
Fulton, Kentucky
Fulton is a city in Fulton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,775 at the 2000 census. It was once known as the "Banana Capital of the World" because 70% of imported bananas to the U.S. used to be shipped there . U.S...
in the Kitty League (where he struck out 167 batters), and Winston-Salem in the Piedmont League
Piedmont League
The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States.- Former :...
.
In 1942 and 1943, Gentry pitched for the Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
in the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
. Gentry had good speed on his fastball but lacked control. He struck out 80 batters in 1942, but walked 122. Gentry followed in 1943 with the best season of his career. He pitched an 11-inning no-hitter for the Bisons on Easter Sunday and finished the season with 20 wins and a 2.65 earned run average. He led the league in innings pitched (285), strikeouts (184) and walks (143).
A promising start with the Tigers: 1943-1944
Gentry's performance in 1943 won him a promotion to the big leagues in September 1943. He went 1-3 for the Tigers in 4 starts, but lost two games by the score of 1-0. So his 1-3 record could have just as easily been 3-1 with any run support from a Tigers batting order depleted by the war.In 1944, Gentry won a spot in the Tigers' starting rotation, along with Hal Newhouser
Hal Newhouser
Harold "Prince Hal" Newhouser was an American pitcher for Major League Baseball who played 17 seasons from 1939 to 1955, mostly with the Detroit Tigers of the American League...
and Dizzy Trout
Dizzy Trout
Paul Howard "Dizzy" Trout was a Major League Baseball pitcher primarily for the Detroit Tigers. Born in Sandcut, Indiana, he first played professionally in 1935 with the Terre Haute Tots in the Three-I League before signing with Detroit in 1939.Trout played for the Tigers for fourteen seasons,...
. Gentry ended the 1944 season a distant third in wins with 12, behind Newhouser's 29 wins and Trout's 27 wins. Gentry continued to have problems with his control as he led the American League in walks with 108 and was 3rd in the league in earned runs allowed.
Toward the end of the 1944 season, Gentry found his stride. He won several games in the pennant stretch, as the Tigers narrowly lost the pennant to the Yankees. On September 17, 1944, Gentry narrowly missed a no-hitter against the Indians. In the bottom of the 9th inning, with the Tigers ahead 3-0, Lou Boudreau
Lou Boudreau
Louis "Lou" Boudreau was an American Major League Baseball player and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970...
hit an infield single that deflected off Gentry. Ken Keltner
Ken Keltner
Kenneth Frederick Keltner was an American professional baseball player. He played almost his entire Major League Baseball career as a third baseman with the Cleveland Indians, until his final season when he played 13 games for the Boston Red Sox. He batted and threw right-handed...
followed with a two-out double, and Gentry would up with a 2-hit shutout.
Even in the best game of his career, however, Gentry had problems with his control. Gentry walked the bases loaded in the 4th inning before striking out the final batter. Detroit manager Steve O'Neill
Steve O'Neill
Stephen Francis O'Neill was an American catcher, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball.Born to Irish immigrants in Minooka, Pennsylvania , O'Neill was one of six brothers who escaped a life in the coal mines by playing in the major leagues...
later said he had been one pitch away from pulling Gentry in the 4th inning. After the 4th inning, Gentry retired 14 consecutive batters.
Detroit News sportswriter H. G. Salsinger
H. G. Salsinger
Harry George "H.G." Salsinger was sports editor of The Detroit News for 49 years.Salsinger was born in Ohio in 1885. In 1907, he started writing for The Cincinnati Post....
wrote that in the last 6 weeks of the season Gentry "looked to be a certain winner. It would have surprised no one who watched him throw in those last six weeks if he had turned in 20 victories." http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1682&pid=5016
Gentry holds out in 1945
After his performance in 1944, Gentry believed he was entitled to a $1,000 raise. Detroit's general manager Jack Zeller refused, and Gentry opted to hold out. The hold out lasted the entire 1945 season. Gentry reportedly offered to sign in August, but Zeller felt Gentry was out of shape and told him to stay home.According to a Detroit News article dated August 8, 1945, Gentry had "demanded the same salary the club was paying Harold Newhouser, who won 29 and lost 9 games last year. The club did not think Ruffus worth as much as Harold, but Ruffus insisted in his demands and said that if the club did not meet them he would stay home. He stayed home. He's tired of staying home but the club thinks he got tired too late to do the team any good."
The holdout ended up being costly to both Gentry and Zeller. Gentry missed the opportunity to pitch for a team that won the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
pennant and the 1945 World Series
1945 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 3, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 2:Thursday, October 4, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 3:Friday, October 5, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan...
against the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
.
The holdout also cost Zeller. Having refused to give Gentry a $1,000 raise, he found himself short of pitching during the 1945 pennant drive. He ended up purchasing three pitchers late in the season for a total of $40,000. Zeller later stated that refusing the extra $1,000 to Gentry was his "biggest mistake as general manager." http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1682&pid=5016
A gunshot wound to the pitching hand derails a comeback
In 1946, Gentry signed with the Tigers but pitched in only 3 innings, giving up 7 walks and accumulating a 15.00 earned run averageEarned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
. Sent back to the minors, any hopes of a comeback were derailed when Gentry accidentally discharged his gun while cleaning it. The resulting shot mangled the index finger on Gentry's pitching hand.
Despite the injury, Gentry tried to come back with a noticeably crooked index finger in 1947 and again in 1948. He pitched only 1/3 of an inning in 1947 and 6 innings in 1948. Gentry never won a major league ball game after his 1945 holdout.
Life after baseball
After retiring from baseball, Gentry returned to North Carolina and worked as a brick mason and stonemason. His younger brother, Harvey GentryHarvey Gentry
Harvey William Gentry was a pinch hitter in Major League Baseball. He played for the New York Giants in 1954.-External links:...
, also made it to the Major Leagues for a brief stint with the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
in 1954. Gentry died in 1997 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
.