In a recent Philly Inquirer article recapping the Phils' opening day loss on 4/2/07, writer Bob Ford cited this Phillies' Phun Phact:
At 26, he (Phils' ace Brett Myers) is the youngest opening-day starter for the Phillies since Bruce Ruffin, the pitcher who replaced Steve Carlton on the roster but nowhere else.
That caught my attention because, well, that kind of stuff catches my attention.
I remember southpaw Bruce Ruffin being heralded as the next Phillies' ace in 1986 at the tender young age of 23. Indeed, in his rookie year he posted some tantalizing numbers: 9-4 record, 2.46 ERA, and 70 K's in 146 innings (and zero wild pitches, in case you were wondering... mind you, in 1988 he was second in the NL in wild pitches with 12). After his rookie season, he kind of slid into mediocrity... for his career with the Phils (6 years), Milwaukee (1 year) and Colorado (5 years), Ruffin was 60-82, with a 4.16 ERA, and 63 saves (he jumped to the bullpen when he landed in the Mile High City). Decent career, but he certainly didn't fill Steve Carlton's shoes, as the quote mentions. But then again, not many could.
And another tid-bit for you, Bruce "2 Minutes for" Ruffin (as Chris Berman called him) was traded from Philly to Milwaukee for that wiley Dale "Don't Call Me S-vee-um" Svuem (as I refer to him) in 1991.
And thus concludes this entry on the blonde hurler from Lubbock, Texas. Hope you learned something and keep the Quest alive!
1 comment:
I decided to look up the 1986 Phillies Pitching Roster and do you know what? It wasn't half bad. Larry Andersen, Steve Bedrosian, Steve Carlton, Kevin Gross, Mike Jackson, Shane Rawley, Kent Tekulve, Dave Stewart. I know a lot of these guys weren't on the team at the same time or they were past their prime, but 20+ years later, their pitching staff was pretty solid - On Paper.
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