Rosy Ryan

Wilfred Patrick Dolan Ryan

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• School College of the Holy Cross
• Debut September 7, 1919
• Final Game September 17, 1933
• Born March 15, 1898 in Worcester, MA USA
• Died December 10, 1980 in Scottsdale, AZ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Rosy Ryan was the first National League pitcher, and second pitcher overall (after Jim Bagby) to hit a home run in the World Series. His blast came in Game 3 the 1924 World Series, off Allen Russell of the Washington Senators. It was also his first career homer (he would hit another one in the regular season in 1925), making him the first player to hit his first homer in a postseason game. No other relief pitcher would hit a home run in the postseason until Travis Wood of the Chicago Cubs did so in Game 2 of the 2016 National League Division Series.

After his major league career, Ryan managed the Eau Claire Bears (1941-1942) and Minneapolis Millers (1944-1945). He was then the GM of the Millers (1946-1957) , Phoenix Giants, (1958-1959, 1966-1973), and Tacoma Giants (1960-1965).

In the 1940s, while working for Minneapolis, he invented a contraption called the "Bal-Bak" to help pitchers improve their control. Similar in principle to the "pitch-back" net marketed to kids in the 1970s, it included a target the size of the strike zone and returned the ball to the pitcher, allowing him to work out without the need of a catcher. The device did not seem to have caught on widely. A picture can be found here.

Notable Achievements

• NL Games Pitched Leader (1923)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 2 (1922 & 1923)
• Won three World Series with the New York Giants (1921 & 1922; he did not play in the 1921 World Series) and the New York Yankees (1928; he did not play in the World Series)