| Ray Mueller | |
|---|---|
| Catcher | |
| Born: March 8, 1912 Pittsburg, Kansas |
|
| Died: June 29, 1994 (aged 82) Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania |
|
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| May 11, 1935 for the Boston Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 9, 1951 for the Boston Braves | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .252 |
| Home runs | 56 |
| Runs batted in | 373 |
| Teams | |
|
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Ray Coleman Mueller (March 8, 1912 — June 29, 1994) was an American professional baseball player, a catcher in the Major Leagues from 1935–1944 and 1946–1951. Nicknamed "Iron Man," Mueller appeared as a catcher in every game the Cincinnati Reds played — 155 — during the wartime 1944 season. Mueller caught a Major League-record 233 consecutive games in 1943–1944 and 1946.[1]
The native of Pittsburg, Kansas, was a first cousin of MLB infielder Don Gutteridge. He threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg). During a 14-year Major League career, Mueller played for the Reds, Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants. He appeared in 985 games played, and collected 733 hits. After his playing career, Mueller managed in minor league baseball and coached in the Majors for the Giants (1956), Chicago Cubs (1957) and Cleveland Indians (1966).
But he became best known as the everyday catcher of the 1944 Reds. In 1943, Mueller had warmed up for his iron-man role by catching in 141 games for Cincinnati, including every game from July 31 through the end of the campaign. Then, in 1944, he caught in every Red game — 155, including an official contest that was ruled a tie. He did not catch every inning for the 1944 Reds (backups Len Rice, Joe Just and Johnny Riddle handled 17 total chances) but Mueller handled 545 chances, threw out 39 percent of would-be base-stealers, and batted a career-high .286 with ten home runs and 73 runs batted in. He was named to the National League All-Star team and caught Clyde Shoun's no-hitter against Boston on May 15, 1944.[2]
The following season, 1945, Mueller was called to military service — putting his consecutive game streak on hold until 1946. He would extend it to 233 games through May 6, 1946, before finally taking a game off. The 1943, 1944 and 1946 seasons would be the only years in which Mueller would appear in more than 100 games.