| Kirk Rueter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1970-12-01)December 1, 1970 (age 55) Hoyleton, Illinois, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 7, 1993, for the Montreal Expos | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 29, 2005, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 130–92 |
| Earned run average | 4.27 |
| Strikeouts | 818 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Kirk Wesley Rueter (/ˈriːtər/REE-ter;[1] born December 1, 1970), nicknamed "Woody",[2] is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher who played 13 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB), primarily for theSan Francisco Giants. He also played for theMontreal Expos who haddrafted him in 1991.
Rueter was born inCentralia, Illinois, grew up inHoyleton, Illinois, and graduated fromNashville Community High School inNashville, Illinois, in 1988. He attended and played forMurray State University.
Drafted by theMontreal Expos in1991, Rueter broke into the majors in1993 at twenty-two years old and posted an 8-0 record in 14 starts.[3] He pitched for the Expos through the 1996 season and compiled an overall 25-12 record. He would also go on to be the last player in the Nationals/Expos organization to wear the number 42 before its league-wide retirement the following season.
On July 30, 1996, he was traded to theSan Francisco Giants along withTim Scott forMark Leiter. Rueter blossomed into one of the Giants' most dependable starters. The following season, Rueter pitched in his first full season and to great success, going 13-6 with a 3.45 ERA in 32 starts with a career high 115 K's. In 1998, despite achieving a career high 16 victories, Rueter's ERA rose from the previous season, finishing with a 4.36 in 187+ innings.
In 1999, backed with a lot of run support, Rueter reached 15 wins despite posting an ERA of 5.41, while also serving 28 home runs.
In 2000, Rueter was the first pitcher to start a major league game atPacific Bell Park in San Francisco. By the end of the season, Rueter bounced back to post an ERA of 3.96, while also collecting 11 wins. For many fans, Rueter's defining moment as a Giant was his gutsy bullpen performance in Game 2 of the2000 NLDS, where he relieved starterShawn Estes after Estes sprained his ankle on a baserunning play.
2002, a year which saw a Giants'World Series appearance, was statistically Rueter's best year. He went 14-8 with a 3.23ERA. Rueter was the pitcher in Game 4 of the2002 World Series; he went six innings, allowing threeearned runs. Rueter also pitched shutout ball in relief ofLiván Hernández in Game 7 of the 2002 Series, but the Giants failed to score enough runs to come back.
In 2003, despite posting a record of 10-5 in 27 starts, Rueter had an ERA of 4.53 and went through control problems throughout the season, recording 47 walks while striking out just 41.
He began to struggle in2004 with a 9-12 record and a 4.73 ERA, while continuing with his control issues from the previous season. Despite starting 33 games for the Giants, Rueter issued 66 walks while striking out 56.
In2005, after posting a 2-7 record and 5.95 ERA, the Giants designated him for assignment. His nine-year tenure in San Francisco ended with some controversy, as Rueter complained about having to pitch out of the bullpen and only pitching three times in his last 41 days as a Giant.[4] Rueter's trademarks were his fast-paced pitching style and his large ears.
On March 6, 2006, Rueter announced his retirement from the game after 13 seasons.[5] He retired as the Giants franchise record holder for career wins by a left-handed pitcher in the San Francisco Era (since broken byMadison Bumgarner), with 105 of his 130 career wins in a Giants uniform. Rueter has the 20th most wins all-time in Giants franchise history.[6] He is the third all-time in wins during the San Francisco Era.[4] He made the third most career starts in San Francisco Giants history. OnlyJuan Marichal andGaylord Perry had more career starts and wins.[4] The Giants honored Rueter's career during pregame ceremonies on "Kirk Rueter Day" at SBC Park on August 19, 2006, by giving Rueter a lifesizebobblehead of his likeness and giving him and his family a trip toHawaii.[7]
Rueter was primarily a control andchangeup pitcher. Hisfastball rarely hit 90 mph. He threw changeups, fastballs,sinkers,curveballs,cut fastballs, andsliders. He also was an exceptional fielder, ranking highly in defensive metrics throughout his career.[citation needed] He posted a career .988fielding percentage with only seven errors in 581total chances covering 1918 innings.
Some credited the effects of theQuesTec umpiring system to his decline, because Rueter's success came mostly from being able to "paint the corners" of the strike zone and the system effectively took that ability away from him because it encouraged umpires to call a tighter strike zone. Rueter was never astrikeoutpitcher; he struck out more than a hundred batters in a season only twice in his career. Former teammateRich Aurilia said, "He was very, very capable of winning with his stuff because he had confidence in what he could do. He always pitched to what his strengths were."[8]
Rueter and his wife Karla have two daughters, and live inNashville, Illinois.[9] His property includes a large, separate building known as "The Shed", which contains a theater and game room, and houses many pieces of sports memorabilia collected by Rueter during his career.[10][11]
Although Rueter never attended theUniversity of North Carolina, he is a fan ofTar Heels basketball.[12] He also serves as an MLB coach at the Gaetti Sports Academy, inCentralia, Illinois.[13] He previously was the pitching coach at McKendree University.[14]