Books and articles about Muddy Ruel

Muddy Ruel picked up his nickname as a boy, improvising a messy game using a mud ball. He became one of baseball's most diversified participants, ranging from star catcher to assistant to Commissioner Happy Chandler. He had a law degree from Washington University, and was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Small but durable, the 5'9" 150-lb Ruel caught over 1,400 games and was a steady clutch hitter. Ruel platooned with Truck Hannah in New York, became an everyday catcher with the Red Sox in 1921, and was Washington's first-stringer from 1923 to 1928. Batting over .300 three times, his high was .316 in 1923. Ruel led AL catchers in putouts, assists, double plays, and fielding three times each.

In the 1924 World Series, he helped Walter Johnson to his first Series victory; in the twelfth inning of the final game, Ruel hit a foul pop, which Giants' catcher Hank Gowdy, stumbling over his mask, dropped. Given a second chance, Ruel doubled, and scored the winning run.

Ruel was the Tigers GM before joining Chandler's staff, and field manager of the 1947 Browns after leaving it. Ruel's most painful baseball memory came as a young Yankee catcher in 1920. He watched in horror as Ray Chapman froze while Carl Mays's submarine pitch hurtled toward his head. The thud of the ball and the struggle of the doomed player to regain his feet haunted Ruel. He said Mays was blameless, and believed Chapman lost sight of the pitch. (JK)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » August 14, 1919: Babe Ruth hits No. 17, the first of seven HRs in 12 days, which will include his 4th grand slam, an AL record until 1959. The Yankees overcome Muddy Ruel's hitting into a triple play and beat the Tigers in 15 innings 5-4. » September 8, 1920: On their way to Cleveland, the Yanks play an exhibition game against the Pirates and suffers injuries to starters, Muddy Ruel (split finger) and Ping Bodie (sprained ankle). With Carl Mays skipping the Indians series to avoid any scenes, New York is short handed. » December 15, 1920: The Yankees' Ed Barrow pries future Hall of Fame P Waite Hoyt, C Wally Schang, lefty Harry Harper, and IF Mike McNally from his former Boston team in exchange for 2B Del Pratt, C Muddy Ruel, P Hank Thormahlen, OF Sammy Vick, and cash. » February 10, 1923: C Muddy Ruel and P Allen Russell go from the Red Sox to Washington for C Val Picinich and outfielder Howard Shanks and Ed Goebel. » October 10, 1924: President and Mrs. Coolidge and 31,665 others thrill to the 2nd 3-hour battle of the Series. Bucky Harris starts 23-year-old righthander Curly Ogden (9-8) against Virgil Barnes (16-10), then pulls him after he fans Fred Lindstrom and walks Frisch. In comes lefty George Mogridge (16-11), a move intended to keep lefty Bill Terry on the Giants bench. Bucky Harris lifts one into the temporary seats in LF for a 1–0 lead. In the 6th a single ties it at 1–1, and Harris brings in Firpo Marberry for his 4th appearance. A base hit and two costly errors give the Giants a 3–1 lead. In the 8th, pinch-hitter Nemo Liebold doubles and C Muddy Ruel singles. A walk loads the bases and up comes Harris, who hits a hard bounder to 3B that strikes a pebble and skips over Lindstrom's head and down the LF line as the tying runs score. Walter Johnson, pitching on one days rest, then comes in to hold New York. With one out in the last of the 12th, Giants reliever Jack Bentley gets Muddy Ruel to pop up near home plate, but veteran C Hank Gowdy steps on his discarded mask, which he cannot shake from his shoe, and the ball falls to the ground. Ruel then gets his 2nd hit, a double. Walter Johnson reaches 1B on SS Travis Jackson's error. Earl McNeely hits a grounder at Lindstrom, and improbably, the ball again takes a bounce over his head. Ruel tears home with Washington's first World Series championship. » May 30, 1930: Senators junkballer Ad Liska leads 6–3 over the A's with two outs in the 9th inning when his catcher Muddy Ruel neglects to chase a pop up that could make the 3rd out. Two singles and a homer by Al Simmons knots the game. Simmons then doubles in the 13th, and scores the winning run as the A's win, 7–6. Having hurt his knee in a rundown, Simmons sits for the nitecap. But with the bases jammed in the 5th inning of the nitecap, and the A's down 7–3, Simmons hobbles to plate to hit a pinch grand slam off Bump Hadley to help the A's to a 15–11 win. Simmons later tells John Carmichael this was his greatest game. » March 1, 1947: New managers in training camps are Billy Herman with Pittsburgh, Muddy Ruel with the Browns, Bucky Harris with the Yankees, and Johnny Neun at Cincinnati. Neun had ended 1946 as manager of the Yankees after both Joe McCarthy and Bill Dickey had quit.