View source for Joe Rudi

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1946)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Joe Rudi
|position=[[Left fielder]]
|image=Joe Rudi - California Angels.jpg
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1946|9|7}}
|birth_place=[[Modesto, California]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 11
|debutyear=1967
|debutteam=Kansas City Athletics
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=October 3
|finalyear=1982
|finalteam=Oakland Athletics
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.264
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=179
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=810
|teams=
* [[Oakland Athletics|Kansas City / Oakland Athletics]] ({{Baseball year|1967}}–{{Baseball year|1976}})
* [[California Angels]] ({{Baseball year|1977}}–{{Baseball year|1980}})
* [[Boston Red Sox]] ({{Baseball year|1981}})
* [[Oakland Athletics]] ({{Baseball year|1982}})
|highlights=
* 3× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1972 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1972]], [[1974 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1974]], [[1975 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1975]])
* 3× [[World Series]] champion ({{wsy|1972}}–{{wsy|1974}})
* 3× [[Gold Glove Award]] (1974–1976)
*[[Oakland Athletics#Athletics Hall of Fame|Athletics Hall of Fame]]
}}
'''Joseph Oden Rudi''' (born September 7, 1946) is an [[Americans|American]] former professional [[baseball]] player.<ref name="Joe Rudi at Baseball Reference">{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rudijo01.shtml |title=Joe Rudi at Baseball Reference |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=November 23, 2019 }}</ref> He played in [[Major League Baseball]] as a [[left fielder]] between {{Baseball year|1967}} and {{Baseball year|1982}}, most prominently as an integral member of the [[Oakland Athletics]] [[Swingin' A's|dynasty]] that won three consecutive [[World Series]] championships between 1972 and 1974.<ref name="Joe Rudi at Baseball Reference"/>

A three-time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]], Rudi excelled as an offensive and as a defensive player, winning three [[Gold Glove Award]]s and was the 1972 American League leader in hits with 181.<ref name="Joe Rudi at Baseball Reference"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-best-fielders-of-the-1970s/|first=Jerry|last=Gregory|title=The Best Fielders of the 1970s|work=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]|access-date=November 27, 2023}}</ref> He also played for the [[California Angels]] and the [[Boston Red Sox]].<ref name="Joe Rudi at Baseball Reference"/> In 2022, Rudi was inducted into the [[Oakland Athletics#Athletics Hall of Fame|Athletics Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/athletics/history/athletics-hall-of-fame |title=Athletics Hall of Fame |work=mlb.com |access-date=21 October 2022}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Rudi was born in [[Modesto, California]].<ref name="Joe Rudi at Baseball Reference"/> He graduated from [[Thomas Downey High School]] in Modesto.

== Playing career ==
Rudi batted a career-high .309 in 1970 and led the American League a career-high 181 hits in 1972. He finished second in [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|American League MVP]] voting behind [[Dick Allen]].<ref name="Joe Rudi at Baseball Reference"/> That year, he helped the Athletics win the World Series and made a great game-saving catch in Game 2 that went on to become part of the highlight reel for many Major League Baseball films.  With [[Tony Pérez]] on first and Oakland leading 2–0 in the ninth inning, Rudi raced to the left-field fence and made a leaping, backhanded catch of [[Denis Menke]]'s smash to save a run.  Earlier in the game, Rudi hit a solo home run. He also caught [[Pete Rose]]'s fly ball for the final out of the Series.

In 1974 he had a career best 22 home runs and 99 runs batted in while leading the American League with 287 total bases. He was also awarded his first career [[Gold Glove Award]] and was once again the runner-up in AL MVP voting behind [[Jeff Burroughs]]. Rudi hit a home run in Game 5 of the [[1974 World Series]] off [[Mike Marshall (pitcher)|Mike Marshall]] that would turn out to be the game winner and Series clincher. Rudi's Athletics became the first team since the 1949&ndash;1953 New York Yankees to win three straight World Series titles.<ref name="Bock">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=J0cpAAAAIBAJ&pg=1225,3090810&dq=baseball+joe-rudi&hl=en|title=Oakland takes third straight title; Rudi blast wins it|last=Bock|first=Hall|date=18 October 1974|work=[[Lewiston Daily Sun]]|agency=[[Associated Press|AP]]|page=24|access-date=19 July 2010}}</ref>

In 1975, he was elected by the fans as a starter in the All-Star Game as an outfielder, where he joined four other Oakland A's in the American League starting lineup.  He also played some first base for the A's in 1975.

With baseball entering the [[Free agent|free agency]] era, A's owner [[Charlie Finley]] attempted to sell Rudi and pitcher [[Rollie Fingers]] to the [[Boston Red Sox]] for $1 million each at the MLB trade deadline on June 15, 1976, rather than trading them (as he had done with [[Reggie Jackson]] and [[Ken Holtzman]] prior to that season) or risking losing them in free agency.  Rudi actually reported to the Red Sox and was issued a uniform, but never was permitted to play, as baseball Commissioner [[Bowie Kuhn]] voided the transaction as not being in the best interests of baseball.<ref>{{cite web |title=When a Commissioner Becomes a Dealbreaker (Published 2011) |website=[[The New York Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206024011/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/sports/baseball/veto-of-nba-trade-recalls-a-1970s-baseball-brouhaha.html?_r=0 |archive-date=2022-02-06 |url-status=live |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/sports/baseball/veto-of-nba-trade-recalls-a-1970s-baseball-brouhaha.html?_r=0}}</ref> Rudi later played for Boston in 1981.

Rudi, along with [[Don Baylor]], ended up leaving the A's as a free agent and signed with the [[California Angels]] for the 1977 season.  However, Rudi's tenure with the Angels was mostly injury-plagued, even though he posted respectable home run and RBI totals in his four seasons.  His best year with the Angels was 1978, when he played in 133 games and hit .256 with 17 home runs and 79 RBIs.  He missed the Angels' 1979 post-season run with injury.  After the 1980 season, Rudi was traded by the Angels along with [[Frank Tanana]] to the Red Sox for [[Fred Lynn]].<ref name="Joe Rudi at Baseball Reference"/> After one injury-filled season, he closed his career back with the A's in 1982 and hit a home run in his last professional at-bat.

In a sixteen-year major league career, Rudi played in 1,547 [[games played|games]], compiling a .264 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] (1,468-for-5,556) with 684 [[runs scored]], 287 [[double (baseball)|doubles]], 39 [[triple (baseball)|triples]], 179 [[home runs]], 810 [[Run batted in|RBI]] and 369 [[walk (baseball)|walks]].<ref name="Joe Rudi at Baseball Reference"/> His [[on-base percentage]] was .311 and [[slugging percentage]] was .427.<ref name="Joe Rudi at Baseball Reference"/> Strong defensively, he recorded a career .991 [[fielding percentage]] at all three outfield positions.<ref name="Joe Rudi at Baseball Reference"/> In 38 post-season games, covering five [[American League Championship Series]] and three [[World Series]] from 1971 to 1975, he handled 124 [[total chances]] (120 putouts, 4 assists) without an error.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/R/Prudij101.htm|title=Joe Rudi postseason fielding record from retrosheet.org|website=retrosheet.org|access-date=September 28, 2022}}</ref>

Rudi is retired and lives with his wife Sharon, in [[The Villages, Florida]]. He is a long-time [[amateur radio]] operator with the call sign NK7U.

==See also==
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats|br=r/rudijo01|fangraphs=1011283|brm=rudi--001jos}}, or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/R/Prudij101.htm Retrosheet], or [http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/59c2abe2 SABR Biography Project]

{{1972 Oakland Athletics}}
{{1973 Oakland Athletics}}
{{1974 Oakland Athletics}}
{{AL OF Gold Glove Award}}
{{Oakland Athletics Hall of Fame}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudi, Joe}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Amateur radio people]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
[[Category:Arizona Instructional League Mesa players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Modesto, California]]
[[Category:Birmingham A's players]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox players]]
[[Category:California Angels players]]
[[Category:Daytona Beach Islanders players]]
[[Category:Dubuque Packers players]]
[[Category:Florida Instructional League Athletics players]]
[[Category:Gold Glove Award winners]]
[[Category:Iowa Oaks players]]
[[Category:Kansas City Athletics players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball left fielders]]
[[Category:Modesto Reds players]]
[[Category:Navegantes del Magallanes players]]
[[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela]]
[[Category:Oakland Athletics coaches]]
[[Category:Oakland Athletics players]]
[[Category:People from Baker City, Oregon]]
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