Muddy Ruel

Herold Dominic "Muddy" Ruel (February 20, 1896 – November 13, 1963) was an American professional baseball player, coach, manager and general manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1934. One of the top defensive catchers of his era, Ruel was notable for being the personal catcher for Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, Walter Johnson and for scoring the winning run for the Washington Senators in Game 7 of the 1924 World Series. He also played for the St. Louis Browns, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and the Chicago White Sox during a career that lasted 19 seasons. After his playing career, Ruel served as a coach and a baseball executive. Major League career Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Ruel began his professional baseball career at the age of 19 with his hometown team, the St. Louis Browns, appearing in 10 games during the 1915 season. He then played in the minor leagues for two seasons with the Memphis Chickasaws before joining the New York Yankees in . With the Yankees, Ruel shared catching duties with Truck Hannah from 1918 to 1920. He was the Yankees catcher on August 16, when a Carl Mays' pitch hit Ray Chapman on the head, resulting in Chapman's death the next day. He later defended Mays and said that he was innocent of any wrongdoing. Ruel would be traded to the Boston Red Sox in 1921, where he played for two seasons before being traded to the Washington Senators in . In the 1923 season, he posted a career-high batting average of .316 along with 54 runs batted in. He led American League catchers in assists and putouts, and finished 11th in the American League Most Valuable Player Award ballot. He had another solid year in 1924, playing in 149 games and once again leading the American League catchers in assists and putouts. With Ruel calling the pitches, Walter Johnson's career was revitalized, as he led the league with 23 victories and a 2.72 earned run average. The Senators clinched the American League pennant, finishing the season two games ahead of the New York Yankees. The Senators would face John McGraw's heavily favored New York Giants in the 1924 World Series. The two teams traded wins back and forth until the series reached the seventh and deciding game. The Senators trailed the Giants 3–1 in the eighth inning of Game 7, when they rallied and tied the score.