Jimmy Ripple

James Albert Ripple (October 14, 1909 – July 16, 1959) was an American professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball for seven seasons, from 1936 to 1943. Ripple appeared for the New York Giants (1936–1939), Brooklyn Dodgers (1939–1940), Cincinnati Reds (1940–1941) and Philadelphia Athletics. He had a .282 career batting average, with 28 home runs and 251 RBIs in 554 games played. He played in three World Series, two with the Giants (1936–1937), and one with the Reds in 1940, the last of which won the championship.

In addition to his major league playing time, Ripple had a twelve-season minor league baseball career. He played eight seasons for the Montreal Royals, parts of two for the Rochester Red Wings, and the same for the Toronto Maple Leafs, all of the International League. In 1956, he was elected into the International League Hall of Fame.

Career

Minor leagues

James Albert Ripple was born on October 14, 1909, in Export, Pennsylvania. He made his first appearance in professional baseball at the age of 19 for the class-C Jeannette Jays of the Middle Atlantic League for the start of the 1929 minor league baseball season. He played in 104 games for the Jays, hitting 24 triples, and 14 home runs, while batting .336, before being promoted to the Montreal Royals of the Class-AA International League for the remainder of the season. Ripple started 74 games in center field for the Giants and appeared in 96 games total in 1936, and had a .305 batting average, seven home runs, and 47 RBIs. The Giants won the National League pennant and met the New York Yankees of the American League in the 1936 World Series. Although the Yankees won the series four games to two, Ripple played in five of the six games played, starting four in center field and had a batting average of .333.

In 1937, Ripple's playing time increased to 121 games, and his 100 starts were split between center and right field, and with the expanded role, he established career highs in all major batting categories except for home runs, which dipped to five. The Yankees defeated the Giants for the second consecutive year, winning four games to one in this series. In game two, he hit a two-run home run off Schoolboy Rowe to give the Reds a two-run lead in their eventual 5–3 win to tie the series at one game win each.

Later career Ripple began the 1941 season with the Reds, playing in 38 games. However, he was hitting just .216, so the Reds sold him to the St. Louis Cardinals on June 21, who then designated him to their International League team, the Rochester Red Wings.