Walter Henry Ruether (September 29, 1893 – May 16, 1970) was an American

baseball player Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

who pitched for five different major league teams. In his 11-year career, Ruether played for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

, the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, the

Brooklyn Robins The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californ ...

, the Washington Senators, and the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

. He appeared in the

1919 World Series The 1919 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1919 season. The 16th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds. ...

with the Reds, in the

1925 World Series The 1925 World Series was the championship series of the 1925 Major League Baseball season. A best-of-seven playoff, it was played between the National League (NL) pennant winner Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Senators. The Pirates defe ...

with the Senators, and in the 1926 World Series with the Yankees. Ruether was also a member of the 1927 Yankees. Though that team played in the

1927 World Series The 1927 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1927 season. The 24th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion New York Yankees against the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirat ...

, Ruether did not participate in any of the games.

Early life

Ruether attended St. Ignatius College. On March 10, 1913, St. Ignatius participated in an

exhibition game An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. Ruether, a left-hander, pitched in the game for St. Ignatius. In the ninth-inning, White Sox

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

Buck Weaver George Daniel "Buck" Weaver (August 18, 1890 – January 31, 1956) was an American shortstop and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox. Weaver played for the 1917 World Series champion White Sox, then ...

hit a 3-run

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

off Ruether. This secured the victory for the White Sox, and Ruether lost the contest 4–2. Ruether parlayed his strong outing into a try-out with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

. After reporting to

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is ...

for the Pirates' training camp, he signed a contract. The contract stated that Ruether could opt out if the Pirates attempted to assign him to a

Minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in N ...

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

. The Pirates did just that, and consequently, Ruether left the organization. After he left the Pirates, Ruether went to play in the

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Basebal ...

. He spent the 1914 season and the 1915 season with the

Vancouver Beavers The Vancouver Beavers were a Class-B minor league baseball team based in Vancouver, British Columbia that played on and off from 1908 to 1922. The team played in the Northwestern League, Pacific Coast International League, Northwest International ...

.Vancouver Baseball
(retrieved 15 May 2015) mentions only 1915. In 1916, Ruether moved to the

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Col ...

. That team went on to win the pennant.

Major League career

In 1917, Ruether signed with the Chicago Cubs. He made his Major League debut in April of that year. After he had appeared in 10 games for the Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds selected Ruether off waivers on July 17, 1917. After finishing the 1917 season, Ruether enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

due to the break out of World War I. He reported to Camp Lewis. In 1919, Ruether rejoined the Reds. He won nineteen games that season and the Reds made the

. Though Cincinnati won the series, it has become infamous for the

Black Sox Scandal The Black Sox Scandal was a Major League Baseball game-fixing scandal in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate le ...

. Ruether spent the 1920 season with the Reds. On December 15 of that year, the Reds traded Ruether to the Brooklyn Robins in exchange for

Rube Marquard Richard William "Rube" Marquard (October 9, 1886 – June 1, 1980) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1910s and early 1920s. He achieved his greatest success with the New York Giants. He was inducted into the Ba ...

. He spent the next four seasons as a pitcher for the Robins. During the 1924 season, Ruether suffered from arm problems. After an apparent dispute with Charles Ebbets, the Robins owner, the Washington Senators purchased Ruether from the Robins. Ruether spent the next year and a half with the Senators before the team traded him to the New York Yankees on August 27, 1926 While with the Senators, Ruether appeared in the

. Although he was a pitcher, Ruether did not pitch in the series. Instead, he was used as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, American ...

and recorded one

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

. For his career, Ruether was a good hitting pitcher with a .258

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average i ...

and 250 career hits. The Yankees earned a spot in the 1926 World Series against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...

, and Ruether pitched in game three. The game did not go well for Ruether. The Cardinals won 4–0. In 1927, Ruether played for his third consecutive pennant winning team. However, Ruether did not appear in the

. The 1927 season was his last in the Major Leagues. Ruether recorded 137 wins and 95 losses, for a .591

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

. Ruether holds the National League record for most innings pitched in a season opening game. On opening day 1923, he pitched 14-innings for the Robins.

Post major league career

Ruether left the Yankees after the 1927 championship and then pitched in the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

until 1933. In 1934, Ruether retired from active play and joined the

Seattle Indians Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of ...

as the team

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

. The league voted Ruether the All-star team manager in his first year. Ruether left the league in 1936. Later in his life, Ruether served as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement * Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

for the Chicago Cubs and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

. He helped discover players such as Joey Amalfitano,

Eddie Bressoud Edward Francis Bressoud (born May 2, 1932) is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played from through for the New York / San Francisco Giants (1956–1961), Boston Red Sox (1962–1965), New York Mets (1966) and St. Louis Cardinals ...

, Peanuts Lowrey and Mike McCormick. Ruether died in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...

at age 76.

References & Footnotes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruether, Dutch 1893 births 1970 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds players Brooklyn Robins players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players New York Yankees players Baseball players from California Minor league baseball managers Portland Beavers players Sacramento Sacts players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Salt Lake Bees players Spokane Indians players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Mission Reds players Seattle Indians players Nashville Vols players Oakland Oaks (baseball) players Chicago Cubs scouts New York Giants (NL) scouts San Francisco Giants scouts