Rick Reuschel

Rickey Eugene “Rick” Reuschel (May 16, 1949-) spent 19 seasons as a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, most notably as a member of the Chicago Cubs (1972-1981, 1983-1984). In August 1975, he and his brother, Paul, became the first … and only … siblings to combine on a shutout as the Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs took Reuschel in the 3rd round of the 1970 amateur draft, and he soon established himself as a strong pitcher (as well as a fair hitter, batting over .200 nine times including a .241 average in 1984). He enjoyed one of his best campaigns in 1977, going 20-10 (a career-high number of wins), finishing behind Steve Carlton and Tommy John for that year’s Cy Young Award, and earning selection to his first of three All-Star Games (1977, 1987, 1989). His tenure with the Cubs was briefly interrupted by a trade to the New York Yankees (1981), but he returned to Chicago the following year and contributed to the Cubs taking the National League Eastern Division title … but was left off the post-season roster. Later signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1985-1987) as a free agent, he posted a 14-8 record with the team in 1985 with a 2.27 ERA and earned National League Comeback Player of the Year honors in the process. Reuschel also took home his first of two Gold Glove Awards (1985, 1987). Rick’s playing days ended as a member of the San Francisco Giants (1987-1991), but not before he managed to revitalize his arm to become the team’s ace, and in 1987 helped the Giants make a run at the NL Western Division title despite a 4.32 ERA. Going 19-11 in 1988 and improving his ERA to 3.12, he also led the league in games started (36), and in 1989 helped San Francisco reach the World Series (though he suffered a terrible outing in Game 2, where he was the losing pitcher with an 11.25 ERA). Reuschel retired having compiled a 214-191 record in 557 games (with 529 starts), a 3.37 ERA, and 2,015 total strikeouts.