May 6, 1930: The Red Ruffing Trade

May 6, 1930: The New York Yankees trade outfielder Cedric Durst and $50,000 to the Boston Red Sox for pitcher Charles "Red" Ruffing. This was one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history -- and Sox fans can't blame Harry Frazee for this one, since he had died the year before, and had sold the Sox 6 years before that.

Durst was a reserve on the Yankees' "Murderers' Row" team that won the World Series in 1927 and 1928, but did little for the Sox, and was back int he Pacific Coast League the next season. Ruffing was 39-96 for his career when the Yankees acquired him, but that was for some lousy Boston teams.

Now, he was on the Yankees, with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri and Bill Dickey. He would later have Joe DiMaggio, Joe Gordon, Tommy Henrich and Phil Rizzuto as teammates. And he won 231 games for the Yankees, still the most of any righthanded pitcher. (Only Whitey Ford has more among lefthanders, with 236.)

He and Vernon "Lefty" Gomez were one of the strongest righthander-lefthander pitching combinations in baseball history. They helped the Yankees win the 1932, '36, '37, '38, '39 and '41 World Series. Ruffing would have won the Cy Young Award in 1938 and '39, had there been one at the time. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and has a Plaque in Monument Park. (His Number 15 is retired, although for another player, Thurman Munson.)

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May 6, 1930 was a Tuesday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Cleveland Indians, 7-6 at Yankee Stadium. With Ruffing as yet unavailable, an aging George Pipgras got roughed up, and was outpitched by Wes Ferrell. Earle Combs hit a home run, Babe Ruth went 2-for-5, and Lou Gehrig went 1-for-2 with 3 walks.

* The New York Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 11-9 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Bill Terry went 2-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Mel Ott went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

* The Brooklyn Robins (as the Dodgers were known under Wilbert Robinson's management from 1914 to 1931) lost to the Chicago Cubs, 3-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Already nicknamed "Dem Bums" and "the Daffiness Boys," Brooklyn's only run came on a home run by Babe Herman, as John "Sheriff" Blake outpitched future Hall-of-Famer Arthur "Dazzy" Vance.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-3 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the St. Louis Browns, 4-1 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Jimmie Foxx hit a home run.

* The Washington Senators beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-4 at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

* The Boston Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4-3 at Redland Field (later Crosley Field) in Cincinnati.

* And the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals were rained out at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on June 22. The Cards swept, 12-3 and 9-3.