ONEMOREINNING

FORGOTTEN:PARTFIVE

HUB PRUETT…WHO THE HECK IS HUB PRUETT??

 

   Hubert Shelby Hub Pruett was a left handed pitcher who had a lifetime record of 29 wins and 48 losses with an earned run average of 4.63. He walked 396 and struck out only 357 batters in his seven years in Major League baseball.

   He only had a winning record once in all those years.

   The most games he won in a single year was seven.

   At best he could be characterized as being a mediocre pitcher.

   He was known to be a mild mannered, well educated young man who never used profane language. His nickname was "SCHUCKS" because that was the strongest word in his vocabulary.

    He played for the ST. LOUIS BROWNS, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES, NEW YORK GIANTS, and THE BOSTON BRAVES.

    When Babe Ruth's career was over he was often asked who was the toughest pitcher he faced in the big leagues. His answer was surprising. "Why that would be that son of a bitch Hub Pruett. I couldn't hit him for nothing……he had nothing , no curve, his fastball just barely got to the low 80s, and he had no control. I should have batted .600 off of him but man he had my number. 

     And no truer words were said! This is a men who terrorized some of the best pitchers around during that period, who set incredible offensive records that took years to break and is considered to have been the best and most fearsome hitter in the game.

    As a rookie Hub Pruett struck out Ruth 10 of the first 15 times he faced him.

    During his seven year career in the American League Puett struck out Ruth a total of 15 times that he faced him. 

    Besides that, Pruett held him to just 2 hits.

     After both men were out of baseball Pruett come over to Ruth  and thanked him for enabling  him to go to medical school.

     According to baseball men from that period he was only kept around because Ruth couldn't touch him!

     He ended up having a very successful career as a surgeon. The irony is that when Ruth was fighting cancer near the end of his life, one of the doctors he consulted was Pruett.

     He  died in 1982 at the age of 80.