Muddy Ruel

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Herold Dominic "Muddy" Ruel (February 20, 1896 - November 13, 1963) was a major league catcher for 18 seasons with the St. Louis Browns, New York Yankees, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and the Chicago White Sox. A consistent hitter, he was part of the 1924 Washington Senators World Series winning team, driving in the winning run in the 12th inning of Game 7.

After retiring, Ruel spent a decade (1935-45) as a coach with the White Sox, before an unprecedented promotion after the '45 campaign, when he became an assistant to Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler. He worked with Chandler for only one year, 1946, before accepting his only managerial job with the Browns, where he led the 1947 team to a dismal 59-95 record, good for the American League cellar. Ruel also coached for the Cleveland Indians and was the general manager of the Tigers from 1954-56.

In 1920, he was the Yankees catcher when 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 was one of the few major leaguers to hold a law degree. He earned his from Washington University and was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Preceded by Zack Taylor	St. Louis Browns Manager 1947	Succeeded by Zack Taylor
Preceded by Charlie Gehringer	Detroit Tigers General Manager 1954–1956	Succeeded by Walter Briggs, Jr.

[edit] External links

• Baseball Reference