Vern Ruhle
Encyclopedia
Vernon Gerald Ruhle was an American
right-handed pitcher
and coach
in Major League Baseball
who played thirteen seasons from 1974
to 1986
, primarily with the Detroit Tigers
and Houston Astros
.
Ruhle was born in Coleman, Michigan
, and attended Olivet College
, while there he was a member of the Fraternity, Kappa Sigma Alpha. He will always be remembered by the practice pitching mound he had built in the side yard of the house. He was selected by the Tigers in the 17th round of the 1972
amateur draft, and made his debut with the club in September 1974. He joined the Tigers' starting rotation the following year, posting a respectable record of 11 wins
and 12 losses on a team which finished 57-102. On the 12th of August, Ruhle was presented with his university degree from Olivet College
during a pre-game ceremony at Tiger Stadium
. After a 9-12 season in 1976, he struggled in 1977 with a 5.70 earned run average
in only 66 innings pitched
. He was released by Detroit toward the end of spring training in 1978, but was signed by the Astros the following day. He made sporadic appearances for Houston over the next two years before resurging with a 12-4 mark in 1980, and started Game 4 of the 1980 National League Championship Series
against the Philadelphia Phillies
; he left the game with a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning, with Houston needing only one last victory to reach their first World Series, but Philadelphia came back to win 5-3 in 10 innings and took the series in five games. He later started Game 4 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 to lose in five games.
Ruhle continued to start less regularly before primarily shifting to relief
work in 1983-84. He signed with the Cleveland Indians
as a free agent after the 1984 season, and made 16 starts and 26 relief appearances for the club in 1985. He joined the California Angels
in June 1986 and closed his career that year working mainly out of the bullpen. His last appearance was in Game 4 of the 1986 American League Championship Series
against the Boston Red Sox
, entering with the Angels trailing 1-0 with two out in the seventh inning; he surrendered two more runs in the eighth inning, but the Angels won in 11 innings after tying the game with three runs in the ninth.
In his 13-year career, Ruhle posted a record of 67-88 with 582 strikeout
s and a 3.73 ERA in 327 games and 1411-1/3 innings. He later became a pitching coach with the Astros, Phillies and New York Mets
, and finally the Cincinnati Reds
from 2004
to 2006
.
Ruhle died in Houston, Texas
after a yearlong battle with multiple myeloma
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=2738222.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
right-handed pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
and coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played thirteen seasons from 1974
1974 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*1974 World Series: Oakland Athletics over Los Angeles Dodgers ; Rollie Fingers, MVP*All-Star Game, July 23 at Three Rivers Stadium: National League, 7-2; Steve Garvey, MVP-Other champions:...
to 1986
1986 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Mets over Boston Red Sox ; Ray Knight, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Marty Barrett*National League Championship Series MVP: Mike Scott...
, primarily with the Detroit Tigers
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...
and Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
.
Ruhle was born in Coleman, Michigan
Coleman, Michigan
Coleman is a city in Midland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,296. In 1994, a meteorite known as the "Coleman meteorite" fell near the city, which is ironic because the community schools' mascot are the Coleman Comets.-Geography:According to...
, and attended Olivet College
Olivet College
Olivet College is a coeducational, liberal arts college located in Olivet, Michigan, United States, south of Lansing and west of Detroit. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, and accredited by the North Central...
, while there he was a member of the Fraternity, Kappa Sigma Alpha. He will always be remembered by the practice pitching mound he had built in the side yard of the house. He was selected by the Tigers in the 17th round of the 1972
1972 in baseball
-Labor strife and more moving:1972 was tainted by a players' strike over pension and salary arbitration. The strike erased the first week and a half of the season, and the Leagues decided to just excise the lost portion of the season with no makeups. As a result, an uneven number of games were...
amateur draft, and made his debut with the club in September 1974. He joined the Tigers' starting rotation the following year, posting a respectable record of 11 wins
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
and 12 losses on a team which finished 57-102. On the 12th of August, Ruhle was presented with his university degree from Olivet College
Olivet College
Olivet College is a coeducational, liberal arts college located in Olivet, Michigan, United States, south of Lansing and west of Detroit. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, and accredited by the North Central...
during a pre-game ceremony at Tiger Stadium
Tiger Stadium
Tiger Stadium was a stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. It hosted the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team from 1912 to 1999, as well as the National Football League's Detroit Lions from 1938 to 1974...
. After a 9-12 season in 1976, he struggled in 1977 with a 5.70 earned run average
Earned 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...
in only 66 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
. He was released by Detroit toward the end of spring training in 1978, but was signed by the Astros the following day. He made sporadic appearances for Houston over the next two years before resurging with a 12-4 mark in 1980, and started Game 4 of the 1980 National League Championship Series
1980 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 7, 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaGame 1 was the most ordinary contest of the series. Starters Ken Forsch and Steve Carlton dueled for the first five innings, with only one run scored by Houston in the third on an RBI single by Gary Woods...
against the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
; he left the game with a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning, with Houston needing only one last victory to reach their first World Series, but Philadelphia came back to win 5-3 in 10 innings and took the series in five games. He later started Game 4 of the 1981 National League Division Series
1981 National League Division Series
-Philadelphia Phillies vs. Montreal Expos:-Game 1, October 6:Astrodome in Houston, TexasFernando Valenzuela faced Nolan Ryan, a matchup worthy of a pitcher's duel. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the sixth. Tony Scott singled home Terry Puhl to score the game's first run, but Steve...
against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, losing a complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
2-1 pitchers' duel with Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea is a Mexican former left-handed pitcher, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers.In 1981, the 20-year-old Valenzuela took Los Angeles by storm, winning his first 8 decisions and leading the Dodgers to the World Championship...
as Houston again wasted a 2-1 series advantage to lose in five games.
Ruhle continued to start less regularly before primarily shifting to relief
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
work in 1983-84. He signed with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
as a free agent after the 1984 season, and made 16 starts and 26 relief appearances for the club in 1985. He joined the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
in June 1986 and closed his career that year working mainly out of the bullpen. His last appearance was in Game 4 of the 1986 American League Championship Series
1986 American League Championship Series
The 1986 American League Championship Series was a back-and-forth battle between the Boston Red Sox and the California Angels for the right to advance to the 1986 World Series to face the winner of the 1986 National League Championship Series...
against the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, entering with the Angels trailing 1-0 with two out in the seventh inning; he surrendered two more runs in the eighth inning, but the Angels won in 11 innings after tying the game with three runs in the ninth.
In his 13-year career, Ruhle posted a record of 67-88 with 582 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s and a 3.73 ERA in 327 games and 1411-1/3 innings. He later became a pitching coach with the Astros, Phillies and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, and finally the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
from 2004
2004 in baseball
-Headline events of the year:*The Boston Red Sox win their first World Series since , ending the Curse of the Bambino.*With 262 hits, Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners breaks George Sisler's record of 257. Suzuki also sets the record for most singles in a season, with 225.*2004 also marked the final...
to 2006
2006 in baseball
-Headline Event of the Year:*The 2006 World Baseball Classic final 4 teams are Japan, Cuba, Korea and the Dominican Republic, with the United States at 3–3 failing to qualify for the semi-finals. Under the leadership of manager Sadaharu Oh and veterans Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka, Japan ...
.
Ruhle died in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
after a yearlong battle with multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=2738222.
External links
- BaseballLibrary - career highlights