Vintage Cardboard- Dutch Ruether page

Vintage Cardboard is happy to provide this article written by Dutch Ruether III

The dictionary describes a winner as "one who is victorious in a contest" well, yes. But when scanning the career of Dutch Ruether, that definition doesn't really cut the mustard.
As we have come to know the term "winner" nowadays, it might better describe a quality within a person that causes him to consistently rise to the top, and to bring out the best in those around him. A winner always seems to find himself in the thick of contention, always battling for top honors in the field. One might say that Dutch Ruether's appearance on four pennant winning teams, in three different cities during his 11 years of major league service might be the result of "being in the right place at the right time." The fact that he was one heck of a pitcher, accustomed to winning, made him a valuable acquisition for a team in the hunt for the victory laurels.
Born in Alameda, California in 1893, it was as a hurler for St. Ignatius College that he first came to the attention of a big league manager. The school had an exhibition game against the White Sox on March 13th, 1913. It was a cold windy day in San Francisco, and Dutch was on the mound. The southpaw held on to a 2-1 lead until the ninth inning when Buck Weaver reached the youngster for a three run homer and thus snatched the game away with a 4-2 final score. Ruether had pitched a gem of a game though, and Chicago manager Jimmy Callahan was much impressed.
As a result of favorable press in the bay area newspapers, offers began to come in from several big league teams. He reported to the Hot Springs, Arkansas training camp of the Pittsburg Pirates where he signed a contract with them that stipulated he could opt for his release if sent to the minors. As it turned out, that was exactly what happened. So Ruether spent the next few years pitching in the Class B Northwestern league. First for Vancouver in 1914 & 1915, and then helping the Spokane Indians win a pennant in 1916.
His success on the coast led to his signing with the Chicago Cubs in 1917. Dutch Ruether made his big league debut in April of that year, and beat the Pittsburg Pirates, striking out nine batters. Christy Mathewson took interest in the youngster and Dutch's contract was purchased by the Cincinnati Reds.
At this point, his career was interrupted by World War I, and Dutch reported to Camp Lewis for 1918. In 1919 returning full time to the majors, Ruether went on to win 19 games for the Reds, losing only six. The Reds won the pennant that year, and Dutch pitched the first game of the 1919 world series beating Eddie Cicotte 9-1.
A fact lost in the annals of history, is that my grandfather also hit two triples in that game. No pitcher has hit two triples in World Series play since! Dutch went 16-12 the following yr. The Reds manager decided to trade Ruether to the Dodgers for Hall of Famer Rube Marquard. Over the next few years, Ruether cemented his status as a starting pitcher. His record with Brooklyn reads 10-13, 21-12, 15-14, and 8-13.
Dutch suffered arm trouble in 1924. After a long, drawn out dispute with Dodger owner Charles Ebbets, waivers were asked on him and his contract was purchased by the Washington Senators for the 1925 campaign. Dutch performed brilliantly that yr going 18-7 with a .333 batting average. He went 12-6 in 1926 before having his contract purchased in August of that year by the New York Yankees, finishing up with a 14-9 mark. He won two crucial games for the Yankees and helped them to win the pennant in 1926. Ruether pitched in game three of the 1926 World Series, but lost 4-0 to Jesse Haines.
He finished his major league career going 13-6 for the legendary 1927 Yankees, and was roommates with Babe Ruth. Dutch went on to pitch in the coast league until 1933, before becoming a manager for the Seattle Indians. He was voted all-star manager his first year. He stayed with them through the 1936 season, later becoming a scout for the Chicago Cubs, and then the New York/San Francisco Giants. Among his acquisitions were Peanuts Lowery, Joey Amalfitano, Mike McKormick, and Eddie Bressoud, to name a few.
Dutch Ruether's career statistics read as follows, 11 yrs in the majors with 137 wins and 95 losses, for a .591 winning percentage. In his professional career including the coast league, he won 301 games and suffered 185 defeats. With a lifetime batting average of .258, Dutch ranks fifth all time for pinch hits by a pitcher. He holds the record for the longest National League opener going 14 innings for the Dodgers in 1923. A proven winner at every level.

Dutch Ruether III