The Harrisburg Alumni Association

Ray Mueller during his time with the Cincinnati Reds

‍With his once fabulous by soon-retiring teammate Babe Ruth playing in the final month of his Hall of Fame career, former Harrisburg Senator and longtime Steelton, Pa., resident Ray Mueller makes his major league debut 91 years ago today for the Boston Braves.

With Ruth already out of the game, Mueller replaces Braves catcher Ray Spohrer for the final two innings of Boston’s 14-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs before a Saturday afternoon crowd of 5,000 at Braves Field.

Mueller ends up going 0-for-1 against Charlie Root on his way to playing in all or parts of 14 seasons in the majors with the Braves, Pirates, Reds and Giants before returning to the Braves for his final season in 1951.

Over that time, Mueller establishes himself as one of the finest defensive catchers in the majors, finishing his career with a .988 fielding percentage and an even more impressive 52-percent success rate in throwing out would-be basestealers.

He plays his last game in the majors in 1951 – 19 years after starting his pro career in Harrisburg.

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