Rube Bressler
Encyclopedia
Raymond Bloom "Rube" Bressler (October 23, 1894 – November 7, 1966) was an American left-handed pitcher
in Major League Baseball
for the Philadelphia Athletics
from 1914 to 1916 and Cincinnati Reds
from 1917 to 1920, before being converted to an outfielder
and first baseman
for Cincinnati from 1918 to 1927, the Brooklyn Robins
from 1928 to 1931 and the Philadelphia Phillies
and St. Louis Cardinals
in his final year of 1931. The first two teams he played for made it to a World Series, the 1914 Philadelphia Athletics lost to the miracle Boston Braves
, while the 1919 Cincinnati Reds won against the scandal-tainted Chicago White Sox
.
Bressler was born in Coder, Clinton County, Pennsylvania
and grew up in nearby Flemington, Pennsylvania
. He played for a company team at Renovo, Pennsylvania
where he worked in a railroad shop before being recruited by Earle Mack, son of Connie Mack
after beating Earle's All-Stars in a local game in 1912.
when he made his big league debut April 24, 1914. He posted a respectable 10-4 record and 1.77 ERA for the 1914 American League
champions, before dropping to a 4-17 record with a 5.20 ERA the following year. By 1916, he dropped to 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA and was sent down to the minor leagues.
But with America's entry into World War I
and a shortage of qualified professional baseball players, Cincinnati of the National League
brought him back. His 8-5 record and 2.46 ERA in 1918 earned him two more seasons with the club as a pitcher. He finished his pitching career in 1920 with a lifetime record of 26-32, and a 3.40 ERA
Though Bressler's career as a pitcher was short-lived, he would go on to play more than a decade as an outfielder and first baseman. In his first season as a position player in 1918, Bressler appeared in only three games off the pitcher's mound. He split the next two seasons before it became apparent he would serve the team better as a slick-fielding, good-hitting position player than as an injury-prone pitcher. From 1921 onward, Bressler became a full-time position player, never pitching another game in the major leagues. He finished his career with 1170 base hits, 586 RBI and a .301 batting average.
In the final years of his life, Bressler was interviewed by writer Lawrence Ritter for Ritter's baseball classic The Glory of Their Times
. Bressler died in Cincinnati, Ohio
at age 72, one of only a few players in major league baseball history to successfully convert from a pitcher to a position player.
Bressler was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1963.
Bressler is one of six players since 1900 in the major leagues who started their careers as pitchers and ended up as position players while totaling more than 50 games pitched and 50 games played at other positions. The others include:
Lefty O'Doul
was also famous for having switched from pitcher to position player, however, he pitched in only 34 games for 77 total innings pitched with just two decisions.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
for the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
from 1914 to 1916 and Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
from 1917 to 1920, before being converted to an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
and first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
for Cincinnati from 1918 to 1927, the Brooklyn Robins
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
from 1928 to 1931 and the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in his final year of 1931. The first two teams he played for made it to a World Series, the 1914 Philadelphia Athletics lost to the miracle Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, while the 1919 Cincinnati Reds won against the scandal-tainted Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
.
Bressler was born in Coder, Clinton County, Pennsylvania
Clinton County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 37,914 people, 14,773 households, and 9,927 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile . There were 18,166 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
and grew up in nearby Flemington, Pennsylvania
Flemington, Pennsylvania
Flemington is a borough in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 1,319 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Flemington is located at , along the Bald Eagle Creek and the remnant of the Bald Eagle Crosscut Canal.According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of...
. He played for a company team at Renovo, Pennsylvania
Renovo, Pennsylvania
Renovo is a borough in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, northwest of Lock Haven. Deposits of bituminous coal and fire clay are in the region. In 1900, 4,082 people lived there, and in 1910, 4,621 lived there...
where he worked in a railroad shop before being recruited by Earle Mack, son of Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
after beating Earle's All-Stars in a local game in 1912.
Professional career
The following year, Bressler pitched for Harrisburg of the Tri-State League and, the year after that, was brought to the Philadelphia club as the newest player at the end of the famous 1910-1914 dynasty. Bressler was assigned to room with future Hall of Fame pitcher Chief BenderChief Bender
Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was a pitcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century...
when he made his big league debut April 24, 1914. He posted a respectable 10-4 record and 1.77 ERA for the 1914 American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
champions, before dropping to a 4-17 record with a 5.20 ERA the following year. By 1916, he dropped to 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA and was sent down to the minor leagues.
But with America's entry into World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and a shortage of qualified professional baseball players, Cincinnati of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
brought him back. His 8-5 record and 2.46 ERA in 1918 earned him two more seasons with the club as a pitcher. He finished his pitching career in 1920 with a lifetime record of 26-32, and a 3.40 ERA
Though Bressler's career as a pitcher was short-lived, he would go on to play more than a decade as an outfielder and first baseman. In his first season as a position player in 1918, Bressler appeared in only three games off the pitcher's mound. He split the next two seasons before it became apparent he would serve the team better as a slick-fielding, good-hitting position player than as an injury-prone pitcher. From 1921 onward, Bressler became a full-time position player, never pitching another game in the major leagues. He finished his career with 1170 base hits, 586 RBI and a .301 batting average.
In the final years of his life, Bressler was interviewed by writer Lawrence Ritter for Ritter's baseball classic The Glory of Their Times
The Glory of Their Times
The Glory of Their Times: The Story Of The Early Days Of Baseball Told By The Men Who Played It is a book, edited by Lawrence Ritter, telling the stories of early 20th century baseball...
. Bressler died in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
at age 72, one of only a few players in major league baseball history to successfully convert from a pitcher to a position player.
Bressler was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1963.
Bressler is one of six players since 1900 in the major leagues who started their careers as pitchers and ended up as position players while totaling more than 50 games pitched and 50 games played at other positions. The others include:
- Babe RuthBabe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
- Smoky Joe Wood
- Johnny CooneyJohnny CooneyJohn Walter Cooney was a pitcher, outfielder and first baseman, then a longtime coach, in American Major League Baseball. Listed at 5' 10" and 165 pounds , Cooney batted right-handed but threw left-handed...
- Reb RussellReb RussellEwell Albert "Reb" Russell was a Major League Baseball player for the Chicago White Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates....
- Rick AnkielRick AnkielRichard Alexander Ankiel is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently with the Washington Nationals. He bats and throws left-handed....
Lefty O'Doul
Lefty O'Doul
Francis Joseph "Lefty" O'Doul was an American Major League Baseball player who went on to become an extraordinarily successful manager in the minor leagues, and also a vital figure in the establishment of professional baseball in Japan.-Player:Born in San Francisco, California, O'Doul began his...
was also famous for having switched from pitcher to position player, however, he pitched in only 34 games for 77 total innings pitched with just two decisions.
