Richard Lambert Rundles (June 3, 1981 – December 16, 2019) was an American

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB)

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

who played for the

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in 2008 and 2009. From 1999 to 2012, Rundles played in

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

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and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

organizations. Through minor-league innings, Rundles compiled a 3.34 ERA. A pitcher with good control, he was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in the third round (88th overall) of the

1999 Major League Baseball draft The 1999 Major League Baseball draft, was the annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 2 and 3, 1999. A total of 1,474 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections Supplemental fir ...

. In 2001, Rundles pitched in Single-A for the Augusta GreenJackets and

Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...

, going 8–7 with a 2.41 ERA in 23 starts. In 142 innings, he walked 13 while striking out 114 in 132 innings. Various injuries stalled his development until he signed with the Cleveland Indians as a minor-league free agent on February 12, 2007. The Tribe moved Rundles to the bullpen in an attempt to avoid his durability issues. Sent to the Double-A Akron Aeros in 2007, Rundles went 3–0 with a 1.83 ERA and two saves in 23 games (two starts). That earned him his first call to Triple-A, where he was 2–4 with a 2.70 ERA in 17 relief outings with the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. Rundles then went to the 2007

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to continue his transition to relief. He allowed one run in 8 innings (1.04 ERA) over eight outings. On July 2, , Rundles was named to the 2008 Triple-A All-Star Game as the lone representative of the Bisons. He was called up to the majors on September 1, 2008, and made his major league debut on September 3. He faced one batter, allowing a walk to Jim Thome before being pulled. Rundles appeared in eight games for the Tribe that season, compiling a 1.80 ERA. He had a total of six strikeouts, three walks, and gave up one earned run through five innings of work from the bullpen. Rundles was sent to the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

on March 15, 2009. He spent most of the season with Columbus, going 2–2 with one save and a 4.75 ERA in 45 relief appearances. He made one appearance with Cleveland on May 25, pitching the fourth inning against the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

and allowing two inherited runners to score. On January 26, 2010, Rundles signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. He spent the following two seasons pitching for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. Rundles signed with the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Stormers (formerly known as the Lancaster Barnstormers) is an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner l ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

for the 2012 season. He made eight starts with Lancaster, finishing 2–1 with a 3.02 ERA and striking out 40 batters in 47 innings. On June 7, 2012, the Baltimore Orioles purchased Rundles' contract from the Barnstormers. The Orioles released him in April 2013. In nine career MLB games, Rundles worked six innings and allowed six hits and four walks while striking out seven batters. He had a lifetime 1.50 ERA and a 1.667 WHIP. On January 28, 2014, Rundles was named pitching coach for the Barnstormers, holding that position from 2014 to 2016. In the fall of 2017, he was named the pitching coach for the

University of West Alabama The University of West Alabama (UWA) is a public university in Livingston, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1835, the school began as a church-supported school for young women called "Livingston Female Academy". The university serves students ...

baseball team, joining his father, head baseball coach Gary Rundles. Rundles died on December 16, 2019, from natural causes at the age of 38.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rundles, Rich 1981 births 2019 deaths Baseball players from Chattanooga, Tennessee Baseball coaches from Tennessee Baseball players from Tennessee Major League Baseball pitchers Cleveland Indians players Gulf Coast Red Sox players Clinton LumberKings players Augusta GreenJackets players Brevard County Manatees players Harrisburg Senators players Binghamton Mets players St. Lucie Mets players Springfield Cardinals players Akron Aeros players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Columbus Clippers players Memphis Redbirds players Lancaster Barnstormers players Norfolk Tides players Surprise Rafters players Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Minor league baseball coaches West Alabama Tigers baseball coaches