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Red Ruffing lost more than 20 games twice while pitching for the last-place Red Sox and won at least 20 for four straight years with the World Series champion Yankees.
Ruffing joined the Red Sox in 1924, just as the club plunged into the bleakest period in its history. The Sox finished last in each of his five full seasons, losing more than 100 games three times.
Although Ruffing was the Red Sox’ top pitcher, he showed no sign of greatness. Today he would be tagged with the backhanded compliment “inning eater.” Relying primarily on a whistling fastball, he posted a better-than-average ERA only once, and then just barely better.
After he batted .314 in 1928 however, while losing a league-leading 25 games, the Sox considered shifting him to the outfield. But he had a bad foot from an injury that slowed him down too much.
Red Sox owner Bob Quinn faced one of his frequent financial crises in May 1930. He said he’d have to raise $67,000 in 48 hours to make a payment. So he swapped the 25-year-old Ruffing to the Yankees for backup outfielder Cedric Durst plus $50,000 and, an additional $50,000 loan from Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert.
Sound familiar? Dejavue when Frazee had to make a loan payment in 1920 and sold Babe Ruth to get the cash from Ruppert ten years before.
The deal made Ruffing’s career. The turnaround in his fortunes began the first time he took the mound for the Yankees. He would go on to have a Hall of Fame career, while Cedric Durst, played in 102 games for the Red Sox, both in left field and in right, hit .245 with 24 RBIs, and in February was released.