St. Louis Browns catcher, Muddy Ruel, was born on February 20, 1896 in St. Louis, Missouri. Ruel would enjoy a 40-year MLB career, which included 20 years as a player, and another 20 years as a coach, manager and league official.
Born Harold Dominic Ruel, there have been two common stories of where the "Muddy" nickname originated. The fir
St. Louis Browns catcher, Muddy Ruel, was born on February 20, 1896 in St. Louis, Missouri. Ruel would enjoy a 40-year MLB career, which included 20 years as a player, and another 20 years as a coach, manager and league official.
Born Harold Dominic Ruel, there have been two common stories of where the "Muddy" nickname originated. The first (and probably honest story) comes from his youth when he returned home all muddy from playing outside. The story states his father said "Well, there's Muddy", and the nickname stuck. There is another story that claimed that he used profane language towards opposing batters when behind the plate. This story has often been discredited by his teammates and friends who say he never used such language.
Muddy Ruel was discovered by Browns' scout, Charley Barrett, while attending Soldan High School in St. Louis, and playing in the local Trolley League. Branch Rickey would sign the young prospect in 1914, and he would make his MLB debut on May 29, 1915. He would pinch hit for RHP Parsons Perryman, and earn a walk in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Ruel would play the next two seasons (1916-17) for the Memphis Chickasaws, before being acquired by the New York Yankees (August 21, 1917). He would spend four years with the Yankees (1917-20), then on to the Boston Red Sox (1922-23), Washington Senators (1923-30), and the Detroit Tigers (1931-32).
On December 9, 1932, Ruel returned to the Browns after being released by the Tigers. This would be his 18th season in baseball, and would only appear in 36 games throughout the entire season. The Browns would release Ruel on December 13, 1933. Ruel would finish his playing career with the Chicago White Sox (1934), before beginning his coaching career with Chicago. Ruel served as the White Sox pitching coach from 1935-45, before joining the American League Commissioners Office in 1946.
While playing baseball, Muddy Ruel was able to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis with a law degree. Commissioner Happy Chandler hired Ruel to consult on legal issues surrounding the League.
Ruel would eventually resign this position in order to become the manager of the St. Louis Browns in 1947. He was seen by local media as the perfect leader to bring the Browns back to prominence in the American League. During the 1947 season, Ruel had to contend with a weak team, unskilled players, and criticism from the media. His biggest success came in the coaching of Willard Brown and Henry Thompson. The Browns were the first team in baseball to have two players from the Negro Leagues on the roster. Ruel received praise as he treated these players as ball players, and not as black ball players.
After a 59-95 season record, Muddy Ruel was unjustly fired by the Browns. He would return to the coaching ranks of the Cleveland Indians (1948-51), and the general manager of the Detroit Tigers (1954-55).
Muddy Ruel would have an amazing baseball career, where he impacted generations of MLB players and fans. Muddy Ruel is the most successful player to come out of Washington University. He played in 1468 games, which is most by a graduate of Washington University. He also tallied more plate appearances (5299), hits (1242), and stolen bases (61), while having the highest batting average (.275) of any other graduate of Washington U.
Today's Browns Quote
“This game of baseball is so beautiful, mainly because it’s so simple. The Good Lord every season supplies approximately 400 men and boys in this country with the physique and the mechanical ability to play in the major leagues. Given that good health and that skill, they’re sure to succeed—unless they make mistakes. S
Today's Browns Quote
“This game of baseball is so beautiful, mainly because it’s so simple. The Good Lord every season supplies approximately 400 men and boys in this country with the physique and the mechanical ability to play in the major leagues. Given that good health and that skill, they’re sure to succeed—unless they make mistakes. So, that’s the basis of my operation. I try to keep them from making mistakes.”
~ Browns' Manager, Muddy Ruel, Sporting News April 5, 1940
St Louis Browns Top Five Players - LEFT FIELDERS
The St. Louis Browns had 764 players proudly wear the uniform. Many of these players would make an historical impact on the franchise and Major League Baseball. The list of great left fielders to play for the Browns includes Hall of Famers, World Champions, and pioneers at the position. The following is a list of the Top Five players to patrol left field for the St. Louis Browns. These players can also be found in the Top 100 Browns of All-Time list that is found on this site.
The 1936 St. Louis Browns pitching staff was missing several key players that were necessary to build a winning team. The starting rotation was comprised of five pitchers with individual ERAs over4.80. In fact, Ivy Andrew's 4.84 was the only ERA below 5.00 for the season. Ten of the Browns 14 hurlers had an ERA over 6.00. With such a succ
The 1936 St. Louis Browns pitching staff was missing several key players that were necessary to build a winning team. The starting rotation was comprised of five pitchers with individual ERAs over4.80. In fact, Ivy Andrew's 4.84 was the only ERA below 5.00 for the season. Ten of the Browns 14 hurlers had an ERA over 6.00. With such a success other teams had in scoring on this staff, one would believe that this was a young staff. It was actually the oldest staff in the American League.
Pitching Leaders from the 1936 season (league ranking)
Team Statistics
Player Statistics