Fall Premier Auction 2014

Dubbed "Muddy" as a child, Herold Ruel embarked on a 20-year baseball career (1915-1934), during which time he served admirably as a catcher for seven different major league teams. A steady, .275 career hitter with a lack of power – he homered just four times in 4,514 career at bats – Ruel was an integral part of the Washington Senators' lone World Series Championship team. In the 12th inning of the decisive tilt in that Fall Classic (1924), Ruel was granted a reprieve when his counterpart, Hank Gowdy, dropped a foul pop fly. Ruel subsequently doubled and scored the winning run in walk-off fashion. Other noteworthy events surrounding Ruel included comprising half the battery in Walter Johnson's final game and, in 1920, looking on in horror as Ray Chapman was felled by a Carl Mays pitch, thus becoming the only player to die from injuries sustained in a big league game. Baseball aside, Ruel possessed a law degree from Washington University and was permitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. Following his playing career, he served as a coach for the Chicago White Sox from 1935 through 1945, and was again hired in a coaching capacity by the Cleveland Indians in 1948. There, Ruel helped guide the Tribe to their first World Series title in 28 years (and to date, the last such laurel in franchise history). Offered here is a rare Lake Erie heirloom, indeed: a Cleveland Indians road jersey worn by Ruel during the 1948 campaign. This gray flannel, button-down garment boasts "CLEVELAND" arched across the chest in red-on-blue felt characters and Ruel's number "42" sewn to the back in like fashion. Blue piping surrounds the neck and button path, and red trim adorns the sleeve endings. A vintage "Chief Wahoo" team logo patch is sewn to the left sleeve and, within the collar, a "MacGregor/GoldSmith" size "40" manufacturer's label is accompanied by a felt strip tag that reads "Ruel 42" in red cursive. Within the left front tail, an additional strip tag bears an embroidered notation of "2-48." The item shows moderate wear, with no signs of repair or alteration. Retaining its vibrant hues, the jersey has a tiny hole above the number on the back (it appears to be a burn mark).