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Giraldo Ruiz
Cincinnati Reds
Infield
Born: December 5, 1938, Santo Domingo, Cuba
Signed: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams: Cincinnati Reds 1964-69; California Angels 1970-71
Died: February 9, 1972, San Diego, CA (age 33)
As a Phillies fan, Chico Ruiz's name evokes stories of the great collapse of 1964 as his steal of home on September 21, 1964 resulted in the start of a ten game losing streak that would cost the Phillies the pennant. With Art Mahaffey on the mound and Frank Robinson (#250) at the plate in the sixth inning of a scoreless game, Ruiz made the bold decision to steal home. He was safe, with catcher Clay Dalrymple (#151) unable to handle the pitch and the Phillies' historic collapse had started. They had been up by 6 1/2 games with 12 games to play prior to Ruiz's dash for the plate.
As a Phillies fan, Chico Ruiz's name evokes stories of the great collapse of 1964 as his steal of home on September 21, 1964 resulted in the start of a ten game losing streak that would cost the Phillies the pennant. With Art Mahaffey on the mound and Frank Robinson (#250) at the plate in the sixth inning of a scoreless game, Ruiz made the bold decision to steal home. He was safe, with catcher Clay Dalrymple (#151) unable to handle the pitch and the Phillies' historic collapse had started. They had been up by 6 1/2 games with 12 games to play prior to Ruiz's dash for the plate.
Known for his speed, Ruiz saw limited playing time at the start of his big league career, as the Reds had Pete Rose (#120) at second base, Deron Johnson (#297) at third base and Leo Cardenas (#265) at shortstop. Ruiz enjoyed his best seasons in 1967 and 1968, seeing semi-regular playing time after Cardenas broke a finger. Ruiz appeared in 85 and 88 games respectively those two seasons, batting .220 and .259. He was dealt to the Angels following the 1969 season with Alex Johnson (#280), and he'd conclude his big league career with two seasons as a back-up infielder and pinch-hitter for California. In his rocky final year in the majors, Ruiz was accused of often arguing with Johnson and he allegedly pointed a gun at his teammate in the Angels' clubhouse following the team's loss on June 13, 1971.
Ruiz was released following the season and was set to attend spring training with the Royals in 1972. On February 9, 1972, he died in a single car accident while driving outside of San Diego. Ruiz appeared in 565 big league games, collecting 276 hits, 34 stole bases, including one unforgettable steal of home, and batting .240.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #413
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / Reds Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
In 88 games with the Reds, Ruiz batted .245 with 19 runs scored and four doubles. Ruiz stole only four bases in six attempts. He made 50 starts throughout the season - 30 at second base and 20 at shortstop. Ruiz and Johnson were traded to the Angels on November 25th for Pedro Borbon, Vern Geishert and Jim McGlothlin (#386).
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #407
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1963-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #35
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 39 in the Beckett online database as of 11/26/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times. I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.
Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders. I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500. This card was the 121st of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost less than a dollar.
The Card / Reds Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
Ruiz wore #15 during his time with the Reds, and his number is peaking through on the back of his jersey. This photo and the photo used for his 1968 Topps card were likely taken at the same time. Unfortunately for Phillies' fans, Topps notes his "blinding speed" on the back of the card, mentioning his minor league run of leading the league in stolen bases between 1959 and 1963.
Accuracy Index: Ruiz's card scores a +5.
1969 Season
In 88 games with the Reds, Ruiz batted .245 with 19 runs scored and four doubles. Ruiz stole only four bases in six attempts. He made 50 starts throughout the season - 30 at second base and 20 at shortstop. Ruiz and Johnson were traded to the Angels on November 25th for Pedro Borbon, Vern Geishert and Jim McGlothlin (#386).
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First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #407
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1963-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #35
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 39 in the Beckett online database as of 11/26/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog
1965 Topps Blog
#468 Pirates Rookie Stars / #470 Mel Stottlemyre - New York Yankees
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