Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. Ruffing was born in Granville, Illinois, to German immigrants John and Frances Ruffing, and spent his childhood in Coalton and Nokomis, Illinois. He acquired the nickname, "Red," after the color of his hair. At age thirteen, he quit school and went to work in a coal mine. Two years later, he lost four toes from his left foot when it was crushed between coal cars. He had been both an outfielder and a pitcher for the coal company team, but concentrated on pitching after his accident. His first professional contract was with Danville, Illinois, in the Class-B Three-I League. The next season, starting May 31, 1824, he was a right-handed pitcher making his debut with the Boston Red Sox. For twenty-two seasons, he played with the Boston Red Sox (1924-29), New York Yankees (1930 to 1942, 1945 to 1947) and the Chicago White Sox in 1947. He was most remembered for his time with New York Yankees, being selected to six All-Star teams (1934, 1938 to 1942) and six World Series Championships (1932, 1936 to 1939, 1941). He could also handle the bat fairly well compared to other pitchers, hitting 36 home runs, with a .269 batting average in 1937 career at-bats. He finished his career with a record of 273 wins, 225 losses, 335 complete games, 45 shutouts, 16 saves, 1,987 strikeouts and a 3.80 earned run average. In 1967, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Yankees dedicated a plaque in his memory in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium in 2004. He died from leukemia at age 80, in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.
Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. Ruffing was born in Granville, Illinois, to German immigrants John and Frances Ruffing, and spent his childhood in Coalton and Nokomis, Illinois. He acquired the nickname, "Red," after the color of his hair. At age thirteen, he quit school and went to work in a coal mine. Two years later, he lost four toes from his left foot when it was crushed between coal cars. He had been both an outfielder and a pitcher for the coal company team, but concentrated on pitching after his accident. His first professional contract was with Danville, Illinois, in the Class-B Three-I League. The next season, starting May 31, 1824, he was a right-handed pitcher making his debut with the Boston Red Sox. For twenty-two seasons, he played with the Boston Red Sox (1924-29), New York Yankees (1930 to 1942, 1945 to 1947) and the Chicago White Sox in 1947. He was most remembered for his time with New York Yankees, being selected to six All-Star teams (1934, 1938 to 1942) and six World Series Championships (1932, 1936 to 1939, 1941). He could also handle the bat fairly well compared to other pitchers, hitting 36 home runs, with a .269 batting average in 1937 career at-bats. He finished his career with a record of 273 wins, 225 losses, 335 complete games, 45 shutouts, 16 saves, 1,987 strikeouts and a 3.80 earned run average. In 1967, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Yankees dedicated a plaque in his memory in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium in 2004. He died from leukemia at age 80, in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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