Ray Mueller

Ray Mueller was born in 1912 in Pittsburg, Kansas and was a first cousin of Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame member Don Gutteridge.  The two played high school basketball together and played baseball together on the Kansas City Southern Railroad’s semi-pro team in Pittsburg.

Mueller signed a professional contract with the Boston Braves in 1932 and was mentored by catcher Hank Gowdy.  He played at Class B Harrisburg (PA) for three seasons, hitting .325 in 1934.  He was called up to Boston but did not appear in a game.

In 1935, Mueller broke camp with the Braves.  Babe Ruth and Rabbit Maranville were teammates.  Mueller played four seasons with Boston, with Casey Stengel taking over as manager in 1938.  On June 11 of that season, Mueller made the final out in the first of Johnny Vander Meer’s consecutive no-hitters.

Following the 1938 season, Mueller was traded to Pitrsburgh where he played for manager Pie Traynor.  It was a disappointing season for Mueller and the Pirates and in 1940 he was demoted to Class AA Rochester, where he played for two seasons.

He was sold to Sacramento in 1942.  Playing for Pepper Martin, Mueller hit .297 with 15 home runs and was named Most Valuable Player of the Pacific Coast League.  After the season, his contract was purchased by Cincinnati.

His best seasons came in Cincinnati, where he became the everyday catcher.  Mueller caught 140 games in 1943.  Midway through the 1944 season, he had caught a then-record 134 consecutive games that stretched to 233 after a year’s absence for service in the U.S. Army.  The streak earned Mueller the nickname “Iron Man.”

Mueller’s 1944 season was his best, hitting .286 with ten homers and 73 runs batting in.  He was named to the National League’s all-star team and was seventh in the NL’s MVP voting.

1946 would be Mueller’s last as a regular catcher.  He served as a backup for the Reds until they traded him to the New York Giants during the 1949 season.  The Giants sent him to Pittsburgh in 1950 and he finished his career back with the Boston Braves in 1952.

In his fourteen-year career, Mueller played in 985 games, 917 as catcher, and had a batting average of .252.  He led National League catchers in assists three times.  His 51.9% caught stealing percentage is seventh best all-time.

Mueller died in 1994 in Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania.  He was 82 years of age.

For more, read Ray Mueller’s Society for American Baseball Research bio.