Ryan Kittman Rupe (born March 31, 1975) is a former
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
. Rupe played in the majors for the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...
and
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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...
.
Rupe made his major league debut in 1999 for the Devil Rays, pitching in 24 starts while finishing with an 8-9 record. He was the first player drafted by the team to make the majors.
The following season, Rupe had a horrendous season while battling with knee problems. Rupe finished the 2000 season with an ERA of 6.92, 75 runs allowed in 91 innings and 19 home runs allowed in just 18 starts.
In 2001, Rupe managed to pitch in 28 games (26 starts) for the Devil Rays but with awful numbers. In 143.1 innings, he allowed 30 home runs and 111 runs to go along with a record of 5-12. His ERA finished at 6.59, the following season, Rupe recorded a decision in all 15 starts he had, going 5-10 during that stretch. He was released following the season.
Rupe ended his Devil Rays career with a 23-37 career record.
Rupe signed a minor league contract 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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...
. Rupe spent the majority of the season at the AAA level, appearing in just 4 games for the Red Sox towards the end of the year.
In 2004, Rupe played in
Japan for the
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. For the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Rupe spent time in the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...
and
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fra ...
minor league systems.
References
External links
1975 births
Living people
Major League Baseball pitchers
Tampa Bay Devil Rays players
Boston Red Sox players
Texas A&M Aggies baseball players
American expatriate baseball players in Japan
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters players
Durham Bulls players
Pawtucket Red Sox players
Las Vegas 51s players
Albuquerque Isotopes players
Hudson Valley Renegades players
Charleston RiverDogs players
Orlando Rays players
People from Houston
Baseball players from Texas
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