Vern Ruhle

Born: 1/25/1951 in Coleman, MI, USA

Died: 1/20/2007 in Houston, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1974-09-09 | Final Game: 1986-10-04

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Vernon Gerald Ruhle

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Biography

Vern Ruhle was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1974 to 1986. Born in 1951, Ruhle made his mark in Major League Baseball during a competitive era characterized by powerful hitters and evolving pitching styles. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 67 wins and 88 losses, showcasing his resilience on the mound. Ruhle finished with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.73, a testament to his ability to effectively manage opposing batters. He struck out 582 hitters and recorded 11 saves, demonstrating versatility as both a starting pitcher and a reliable relief option. Ruhle played for several teams, most notably the Detroit Tigers and the Houston Astros, where he developed a reputation for his tough-minded approach and effective pitch selection. His career unfolded during a time when the game was transitioning, with the introduction of new training methods and an increased focus on pitcher performance. Although he may not have achieved superstar status, Ruhle's contributions to his teams and the way he navigated the challenges of his playing era solidified his legacy in the annals of baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
67	88	327	188	29	12	11	1411.3	1483	585	119	348	582	3.73	0

Career ERA 3.73 vs. league average 3.81 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1974	DET	AL	2	0	5	3	1	0	0	33.0	35	10	6	10	2.73	3.63 (+25%)	519.0
1975	DET	AL	11	12	32	31	8	3	0	190.0	199	85	65	67	4.03	3.71 (-9%)	-2325.4
1976	DET	AL	9	12	32	32	5	1	0	199.7	227	87	59	88	3.92	3.51 (-12%)	-2185.7
1977	DET	AL	3	5	14	10	0	0	0	66.3	83	42	15	27	5.70	4.00 (-42%)	-846.1
1978	HOU	NL	3	3	13	10	2	2	0	68.0	57	16	20	27	2.12	3.69 (+43%)	1671.7
1979	HOU	NL	2	6	13	10	2	2	0	66.3	64	30	8	33	4.07	4.00 (-2%)	81.9
1980	HOU	NL	12	4	28	22	6	2	0	159.3	148	42	29	55	2.37	3.84 (+38%)	2493.8
1981	HOU	NL	4	6	20	15	1	0	1	102.0	97	33	20	39	2.91	3.58 (+19%)	951.9
1982	HOU	NL	9	13	31	21	3	2	1	149.0	169	65	24	56	3.93	3.86 (-2%)	1103.0
1983	HOU	NL	8	5	41	9	0	0	3	114.7	107	47	36	43	3.69	3.87 (+5%)	-1839.4
1984	HOU	NL	1	9	40	6	0	0	2	90.3	112	46	29	60	4.58	3.81 (-20%)	1354.7
1985	CLE	AL	2	10	42	16	1	0	3	125.0	139	60	30	54	4.32	3.89 (-11%)	-1150.2
1986	LAA	AL	1	3	16	3	0	0	1	47.7	46	22	7	23	4.15	3.97 (-5%)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
327	182	12	27	5	0	0	9	0	22	96	0.148	0.244	0.176	0.420	-115.1

Career AVG .148 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 42.9% below league average.

Career OBP .244 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 24.9% below league average.

Career SLG .176 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — 54.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.420 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — 40.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1974	DET	AL	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1975	DET	AL	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1976	DET	AL	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1977	DET	AL	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1978	HOU	NL	13	18	0	1	0	1	2	14	0.056	—	—	—	—	0.0
1979	HOU	NL	13	19	3	1	1	0	1	11	0.053	—	—	—	—	0.0
1980	HOU	NL	28	49	7	12	3	2	4	15	0.245	—	—	—	—	-115.1
1981	HOU	NL	20	24	1	6	1	3	6	11	0.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1982	HOU	NL	31	41	0	4	0	1	4	27	0.098	—	—	—	—	0.0
1983	HOU	NL	41	19	1	2	0	2	3	11	0.105	—	—	—	—	0.0
1984	HOU	NL	40	12	0	1	0	0	2	7	0.083	—	—	—	—	0.0
1985	CLE	AL	42	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1986	LAA	AL	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
3	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	SO	AVG
1986	ALCS	CAL	1	0	0	.000
1981	NWDIV	HOU	1	1	1	0.000
1980	NLCS	HOU	1	3	1	0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	1	3	2	0	15.7	14	6	3	4	3.45

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1986	ALCS	CAL	0	1	0	0.7	2	1	0	0	13.50
1981	NWDIV	HOU	1	1	1	8.0	4	2	2	1	2.25
1980	NLCS	HOU	0	1	1	7.0	8	3	1	3	3.86

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	327	188	111	174	13	9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1974	DET	P	5	3	4	1	0	0
1975	DET	P	32	31	15	19	5	1
1976	DET	P	32	32	14	28	0	1
1977	DET	P	14	10	5	7	1	1
1978	HOU	P	13	10	4	7	0	0
1979	HOU	P	13	10	3	5	0	0
1980	HOU	P	28	22	15	17	2	2
1981	HOU	P	20	15	4	9	0	2
1982	HOU	P	31	21	9	23	2	1
1983	HOU	P	41	9	12	19	0	0
1984	HOU	P	40	6	4	18	2	1
1985	CLE	P	42	16	15	13	0	0
1986	CAL	P	16	3	7	8	1	0