Ralph Works

Ralph Talmadge Works (March 16, 1888 – August 8, 1941), nicknamed "Judge," was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers (1909–12) and Cincinnati Reds (1912–13).

Works was born in 1888 in Payson, Illinois.

He began playing professional baseball in 1907 for the Medicine Hat Hatters in the Western Canada League, compiling a career-high 26 games and 11 losses for a .703 winning percentage. In 1908, he played for the Syracuse Stars in the New York State League.

In 1909, Works made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers. He appeared in 15 games, four as a starter, and compiled a 4-1 record with a career-low 1.97 earned run average (ERA). After a poor showing in 1910 with a 3-6 record, he compiled an 11-5 record in 1911 with a 3.87 ERA. He played a total of four seasons with Detroit, compiling a 23-22 record and a 3.68 ERA.

In September 1912, the Tigers sold Works to Providence in the International League. He was then drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1912 Rule 5 draft. He appeared in three games for the Reds at the end of the 1912 season and another five games in 1913. He was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena, California.