Ralph Talmadge Works (March 16, 1888 – August 8, 1941), nicknamed "Judge," was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played all or part of five seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

(1909–12) and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

(1912–13). Works was born in 1888 in

Payson, Illinois Payson is a village in Adams County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,025 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Quincy, IL– MO Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Payson was laid out in the Spring of 1835. During the 1 ...

. He began playing professional baseball in 1907 for the Medicine Hat Hatters in the

Western Canada League The Western Canada League was the name of three different baseball circuits in Minor League Baseball that operated between 1907 and 1921. The first instance of the league was a Class D circuit that played only in 1907 with four teams sponsored b ...

, compiling a career-high 26 games and 11 losses for a .703 winning percentage. In 1908, he played for the Syracuse Stars in the

New York State League The New York State League was an independent baseball league that played six seasons between 2007 and 2012 in New York State and the New York City metro area. Over 500 NYSL players have been signed by professional teams. Players from forty-eight ...

. In 1909, Works made his major league debut with the

. He appeared in 15 games, four as a starter, and compiled a 4-1 record with a career-low 1.97

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA). After a poor showing in 1910 with a 3-6 record, he compiled an 11-5 record in 1911 with a 3.87 ERA. He played a total of four seasons with Detroit, compiling a 23-22 record and a 3.68 ERA. He also appeared in vaudeville during the off-seasons. In September 1912, the Tigers sold Works to Providence in the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. He was then drafted by the

in the 1912 Rule 5 draft. He appeared in three games for the Reds at the end of the 1912 season and another five games in 1913. He split the 1914 season between the

St. Paul Apostles ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

and

Memphis Chickasaws Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memphis ...

. He then concluded his professional baseball career in 1916 with the

Mobile Sea Gulls Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile (b ...

. In 1941, at age 53, Works and his wife died from gunshot wounds at their home in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

. Works was found with a .44 caliber revolver in his hand, and the deaths were reported as a murder-suicide. He was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in

Altadena, California Altadena () ("Alta", Spanish for "Upper", and "dena" from Pasadena) is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in the Verdugo Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, approximately 14 miles (23 km) from the downtown ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Works, Ralph Major League Baseball pitchers Detroit Tigers players Cincinnati Reds players Medicine Hat Hatters players Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players Indianapolis Indians players Memphis Chickasaws players St. Paul Apostles players Mobile Sea Gulls players Fulton Railroaders players Minor league baseball managers Baseball players from Illinois People from Adams County, Illinois Suicides by firearm in California Burials in California 1888 births 1941 suicides 1941 deaths Murder–suicides in California

See also

References