Dutch Ruether

Walter Henry Ruether

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1½", Weight 180 lb.
• High School St. Ignatius College Preparatory
• Debut April 13, 1917
• Final Game September 29, 1927
• Born September 13, 1893 in Alameda, CA USA
• Died May 16, 1970 in Phoenix, AZ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Dutch Ruether pitched eleven seasons in the big leagues, winning 59% of his games.

He went 19-6 for the World Series champion Cincinnati Reds in 1919, leading the National League with a .760 winning percentage and ranking 3rd with a 1.82 ERA. Ruether won a career best 21 games for the Brooklyn Robins in 1922, with those wins and his 4.7 WAR both ranking 3rd in the NL that season. He went 18-7 for the American League champion Washington Senators in 1925, with those 18 wins tied with teammate Stan Coveleski for the most over a pitcher's first 30 games as a Senator/Twin. Ruether closed out his major league career with a 13-6 record for the famous New York Yankees of 1927. He pitched two two-hitters in his career, for the Reds against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 9, 1920, and for the Yankees against the Detroit Tigers on June 2, 1927.

Dutch played in three World Series, as a pitcher in 1919 and 1926, and as a pinch-hitter in 1925. He was on the Yankees' 1927 World Series roster, but did not play in the series. His two triples in Game 1 of the 1919 World Series is tied for the most by any player in a post-season game, and is also a single-season and career post-season record for pitchers. Similarly, his 3 RBI in that game is a record for pitchers in the opening game of a World Series. For the series, Ruether went 4 for 6 with 4 RBI, with his .667 BA, .714 OBP and 1.500 SLG all records for a single World Series by a pitcher with 5 or more plate appearances. His post-season batting exploits were no fluke, as evidenced by his career .258 batting average and 5.8 batting WAR.

Ruether was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1913 but never appeared in a game with them, and afterwards pitched in minor league and semi-pro ball for several years before first reaching the majors. Among other teams, he pitched for Vancouver and Spokane.

After his major league days he pitched for years in the minors, mostly in the Pacific Coast League. In 1928 he went 29-7 for the San Francisco Seals. After his playing days he was manager of the Seattle Indians for several years.

Ruether was a prodigious hitter in the minors. In 1916, manager Nick Williams of the Spokane Indians from the Northwestern League often put Ruether (or Reuther as he was called in newspapers) in the outfield or at first base. Ruether was also loaned to Joe McGinnity's Butte Miners team for a few games to fill a hole in the outfield due to injuries. Ruether hit .297 that season.

Ruether worked as a scout for various clubs from 1947 until his death and signed a number of future major leaguers.

Notable Achievements

• NL Winning Percentage Leader (1919)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 5 (1919, 1920, 1922, 1923 & 1925)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1922)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 7 (1919-1923, 1925 & 1926)
• Won two World Series with the Cincinnati Reds (1919) and the New York Yankees (1927) (he did not play in the 1927 World Series)

Records Held

• Triples, game, post-season, 2, (October 1, 1919) (tied)

Related Sites

• Dutch Ruether at the SABR Bio Project
• Ruether's early career
• Find-A-Grave Memorial for Dutch Ruether