Dick Ruthven

Richard David Ruthven (born March 27, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs. The two-time National League All-Star player was a member of the world champion Philadelphia Phillies team, as well as a member of the National League Eastern Division champion Chicago Cubs.

Major league career Draft and early Philly years Ruthven was born in Sacramento, California and attended Irvington High School in Fremont, California. He was selected out of high school by the Baltimore Orioles in the 20th round (469th overall) of the 1969 Major League Baseball draft, but opted to enroll at Fresno State. The Philadelphia Phillies drafted him in the secondary phase of the 1st round of the 1973 Major League Baseball draft. Ruthven made his major league debut with the Phillies on April 17, 1973 at the age of 22. He was described as looking "like a young Lee Marvin" by Ron Fimrite in the April 30, 1973 issue of Sports Illustrated. Then to the Atlanta Braves with Ken Henderson and Dan Osborn for Ralph Garr and Larvell Blanks two days later on December 12.

With the Braves, Ruthven had a solid 1976 season, being named to the National League All-Star team for the first time. He was the only Braves player selected to the All-Star Game that year, although NL manager Sparky Anderson never brought him in to pitch. He faded in the latter part of the season, finishing the season 14-17 with a 4.19 earned run average in 36 starts. The 17 losses and 36 starts were both career highs, however, the Braves finished last in the National League Western Division, going 70-92.

Ruthven won three games to start the 1977 season, but suffered a torn ankle tendon after that and was out of action over two months, then after coming off the disabled list, lost eight straight games. He finished the year with 25 games (23 starts). Even though his earned run average did not change much (rising to 4.23), Ruthven finished with only a 7-13 record for a Braves team that lost 101 games.

Return to the Phillies "I guess I have something to prove this year," Ruthven said, after a start on April 19, 1978. "Still, I could pitch very well and not have a good record, as I did last year. It would be nice if I could pitch back to 1976." He struggled for the remainder of the season, going 4-4 the rest of the way. For the season, Ruthven finished 12-7 with a high 5.15 earned run average. Because of the strike, major league baseball split the 1981 season, and two teams from each division made an extra round of playoffs. The Phillies "won" the first-half title, though lost the 1981 National League Division Series to the Montreal Expos in five games, with Ruthven losing Game 2 to the Expos.

In 1982, Ruthven pitched in 33 games (31 starts), accumulating more than 200 innings (204.1) for the fifth time, and his record was 11-11 with an earned run average of 3.79. The Phillies finished second in the division, three games behind the eventual World Champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Traded to Cubs and retirement 1983 started out terribly for Ruthven, starting out the season with a 1-3 record and a 5.61 earned run average for the Phillies. He was dealt along with Bill Johnson from the Phillies to the Cubs for Willie Hernández on May 22. While the Phillies won the National League pennant that season, the Cubs would finish fifth with a 71-91 record, 19 games behind the Phillies. Ruthven pitched better for the Cubs, going 12-9 with a 4.10 earned run average. 1983 was the last season in which Ruthven won ten or more games.

In 1984, Ruthven began a downward slide in his effectiveness. He started the season as the opening day starter for the Cubs, winning on April 3 against the San Francisco Giants. Even though the Cubs would win the division with 96 victories, Ruthven would win only six games against ten losses, compiled in 23 games (22 starts). His earned run average also ballooned, rising to 5.04. It was his lowest win total since 1975. Ruthven did not appear in the 1984 National League Championship Series, which the Cubs lost in five games to the San Diego Padres.

In 1985, the Cubs slid to 77-84, and Ruthven slid to fifth in their starting rotation. He only made fifteen starts and five relief appearances. The team tried to trade him for Tommy John of the California Angels, but the Angels decided not to make the trade, not wanting to pay Ruthven $400,000 in deferred salary. He finished with a 4-7 record, with a 4.53 earned run average.

In 1986, Ruthven lost his starting spot in the Cubs' rotation. He finished up making only six relief appearances, and his earned run average had risen to 5.06. He appeared in his final major league game on May 1, 1986 at the age of 35.

Career statistics In a fourteen-season major league career, Ruthven posted a 123-127 record with 1,145 strikeouts and a 4.14 ERA in 2,109 innings pitched, including 17 shutouts and 61 complete games.

He is the father of retired professional soccer player Tyler Ruthven. He is also the brother-in-law of former MLB infielder / outfielder and former baseball television broadcaster Tommy Hutton.