Ruffin was called up in June 1986 after the Phillies released Hall of Fame lefthander Steve Carlton. Ruffin, also a lefty, didn't as much replace Carlton as take his roster spot. The Phillies liked him enough to draft him twice–in 1982 when he was in high school and again in 1985 when he was a member of the College World Series Champion Texas Longhorns.
He got his first win a week later against the Reds, pitching 7.2 innings, allowing 10 hits, 3 walks and 3 runs. Ruffin was durable, throwing 6 complete games (remember them?). Ruffin finished the season with a 9-4 record and a 2.46 ERA. He didn't exactly leave people saying "Steve Who?" but it looked like the Phillies had a solid left-handed starter for years to come.
But, as often happens with the Phillies, it didn't quite work out. Turns out that 1986 was Ruffin's best year in Philadelphia. He lost double-digit games for the next five consecutive seasons and battled with his control. He averaged 4 walks per game over the course of his career. Sports Illustrated described his struggles, comparing him to Pirates pitcher Steve Blass, who mysteriously lost the ability to throw strikes.
He was first stricken on July 9, 1988, while
pitching for the Phillies; during a game in Cincinnati he threw
three wild pitches in one inning. Later that season he was
warming up in the bullpen at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh
when he threw a pitch so wild that it flew over a 15-foot wall
and struck a fan. Days later Ruffin was throwing in the bullpen
at Shea when a wayward delivery hit a mounted-policeman's horse
in the behind.
In December 1991, he was traded to Milwaukee for infielder Dale Sveum (a future Former Phillie of the Day if there ever was one). He lasted with the Brewers for a season, and then spent the next five seasons with the Rockies, where he worked as their closer. He saved 24 games in 1996.
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