Red Ruffing
Ruffing was that rare two-way threat who could legitimately rake at the plate while anchoring a rotation. His .269 average and 36 homers across 882 games represent serious production for a pitcher — numbers that would make him a decent utility player by themselves.
The left-hander's 273 wins tell only part of the story. That 203 ERA+ peak season shows he could dominate when locked in, while his 114 career mark reflects steady excellence across 24 seasons. He struck out nearly 2,000 batters in an era when whiffs were harder to come by, proving he had the stuff to miss bats consistently.
Ruffing's durability stands out most — 4,344 innings pitched alongside regular offensive contributions. Modern pitchers barely see the plate, making his dual-threat capability seem almost mythical. The Hall recognized that unique combination in 1967.
Career · Hitting
22 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | BOS | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .143 | — | — |
| 1925 | BOS | 37 | 79 | 0 | 11 | .215 | — | — |
| 1926 | BOS | 37 | 51 | 1 | 5 | .196 | — | — |
| 1927 | BOS | 29 | 55 | 0 | 4 | .255 | — | — |
| 1928 | BOS | 60 | 121 | 2 | 19 | .314 | — | — |
| 1929 | BOS | 60 | 114 | 2 | 17 | .307 | — | — |
| 1930 | NYY | 58 | 110 | 4 | 22 | .364 | — | — |
| 1931 | NYY | 48 | 109 | 3 | 12 | .330 | — | — |
| 1932 | NYY | 55 | 124 | 3 | 19 | .306 | — | — |
| 1933 | NYY | 55 | 115 | 2 | 13 | .252 | — | — |
| 1934 | NYY | 45 | 113 | 2 | 13 | .248 | — | — |
| 1935 | NYY | 50 | 109 | 2 | 18 | .339 | — | — |
| 1936 | NYY | 53 | 127 | 5 | 22 | .291 | — | — |
| 1937 | NYY | 54 | 129 | 1 | 10 | .202 | — | — |
| 1938 | NYY | 45 | 107 | 3 | 17 | .224 | — | — |
| 1939 | NYY | 44 | 114 | 1 | 20 | .307 | — | — |
| 1940 | NYY | 33 | 89 | 1 | 7 | .124 | — | — |
| 1941 | NYY | 38 | 89 | 2 | 22 | .303 | — | — |
| 1942 | NYY | 30 | 80 | 1 | 13 | .250 | — | — |
| 1945 | NYY | 21 | 46 | 1 | 5 | .217 | — | — |
| 1946 | NYY | 8 | 25 | 0 | 1 | .120 | — | — |
| 1947 | CWS | 14 | 24 | 0 | 3 | .208 | — | — |
| Career | 882 | 1937 | 36 | 273 | .269 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
22 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | BOS | 8 | 23.0 | 0 | 0 | 6.65 | 62 | 10 | 1.652 |
| 1925 | BOS | 37 | 217.3 | 9 | 18 | 5.01 | 91 | 64 | 1.509 |
| 1926 | BOS | 37 | 166.0 | 6 | 15 | 4.39 | 94 | 58 | 1.428 |
| 1927 | BOS | 26 | 158.3 | 5 | 13 | 4.66 | 88 | 77 | 1.560 |
| 1928 | BOS | 42 | 289.3 | 10 | 25 | 3.89 | 106 | 118 | 1.379 |
| 1929 | BOS | 35 | 244.3 | 9 | 22 | 4.86 | 95 | 109 | 1.629 |
| 1930 | NYY | 38 | 221.7 | 15 | 8 | 4.38 | 110 | 131 | 1.353 |
| 1931 | NYY | 37 | 237.0 | 16 | 14 | 4.41 | 93 | 132 | 1.380 |
| 1932 | NYY | 35 | 259.0 | 18 | 7 | 3.09 | 134 | 190 | 1.290 |
| 1933 | NYY | 35 | 235.0 | 9 | 14 | 3.91 | 99 | 122 | 1.374 |
| 1934 | NYY | 36 | 256.3 | 19 | 11 | 3.93 | 109 | 149 | 1.311 |
| 1935 | NYY | 30 | 222.0 | 16 | 11 | 3.12 | 139 | 81 | 1.248 |
| 1936 | NYY | 33 | 271.0 | 20 | 12 | 3.85 | 119 | 102 | 1.343 |
| 1937 | NYY | 31 | 256.3 | 20 | 7 | 2.98 | 146 | 131 | 1.209 |
| 1938 | NYY | 31 | 247.3 | 21 | 7 | 3.31 | 131 | 127 | 1.326 |
| 1939 | NYY | 28 | 233.3 | 21 | 7 | 2.93 | 146 | 95 | 1.226 |
| 1940 | NYY | 30 | 226.0 | 15 | 12 | 3.38 | 125 | 97 | 1.301 |
| 1941 | NYY | 23 | 185.7 | 15 | 6 | 3.54 | 111 | 60 | 1.244 |
| 1942 | NYY | 24 | 193.7 | 14 | 7 | 3.21 | 111 | 80 | 1.157 |
| 1945 | NYY | 11 | 87.3 | 7 | 3 | 2.89 | 127 | 24 | 1.202 |
| 1946 | NYY | 8 | 61.0 | 5 | 1 | 1.77 | 203 | 19 | 0.984 |
| 1947 | CWS | 9 | 53.0 | 3 | 5 | 6.11 | 65 | 11 | 1.491 |
| Career | 624 | 4343.8 | 273 | 225 | — | — | 1987 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.