Ray Keith Brubaker (November 19, 1892 – May 1, 1947) was an American professional baseball player and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

. Brubaker never appeared in Major League Baseball, but was a stalwart in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

, playing for 14 seasons for the

Oakland Oaks Oakland Oaks may refer to one of the following sport teams, listed chronologically: * Oakland Oaks (PCL), a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1955 *Oakland Oaks (ice hockey), a professional ice hockey t ...

of the

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

, and continuing as a manager at all levels of the minors. His life and career ended at age 54 when he suffered a fatal heart attack while managing his team, the Terre Haute Phillies of the Class B Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, during a league game against the

Waterloo White Hawks Based in Waterloo, Iowa, the Waterloo White Hawks were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1946 to 1956. They played in the Three-I League and were affiliated with the Chicago White Sox. They played their home games at Riverfront Stadium ...

on May 1, 1947.

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

, ''Tribune-Star'', June 30, 2012

Lengthy playing career

Brubaker was a native of Portland, Indiana. He attended Earlham College,

Richmond, Indiana Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situa ...

, and spent off-seasons as a teacher and coach in his hometown's school system. Primarily a shortstop as an active player, he threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed . Although his first pro experience came as early as 1912 with Tulsa in the

Oklahoma State League The Oklahoma State League was a Class D level minor baseball league based in Oklahoma that existed in 1912 and again from 1922 to 1924. L.S. Dodds (1912), Leo Meyer (1912), C.E. Plott (1922), E.A. Daniels (1922–1924) and A.L. Ragan (1924) serve ...

, Brubaker's playing career began in earnest in 1914. He joined Oakland during the 1920 minor league season, and played in 1,833 games for the Oaks through 1934, spending two seasons (1933–34) as playing manager. All told, he played 2,338 minor-league games, collected over 2,180

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

(including 25

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

) and batted .286. Through 1946, Brubaker managed nine different minor league clubs, and served in the organizations of the Chicago White Sox,

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 ...

and

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Fatally stricken in dugout during game

After managing the 1946 Terre Haute Phillies to a fourth place, 63–60 mark in 1946Information
at Baseball Reference and a playoff berth, Brubaker was invited to return for 1947. But, according to a 2012 retrospective in the ''

Terre Haute Tribune-Star The ''Tribune-Star'' is a seven-day morning daily newspaper based in Terre Haute, Indiana, covering the Wabash Valley area of Indiana and Illinois. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings. Counties within the newspaper's coverage areas incl ...

'', Brubaker was in poor health during the early weeks of the 1947 season. Before the May 1 game in Waterloo, Iowa, he complained of indigestion, but accompanied his team to the ballpark for their contest against the White Hawks. During the ninth

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

of a tense, 3–3 game, he collapsed in the visitors' dugout. The game was halted and Brubaker was carried to the team's clubhouse, where he was pronounced dead from a heart attack. His funeral was held six days later in Portland. Pitcher Whitey Gluchoski, who was Brubaker's third-base coach during the May 1 game, temporarily assumed the managerial reins. Terre Haute finished the season in second place in the 1947 Three-I League but was eliminated during the first round of the playoffs by the eventual league champion White Hawks.Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., ''The Minor League Encyclopedia, 3rd edition.'' Durham: Baseball America, 2007, page 410

References

External links

*
McCormick, Mike, "Tragedy Strikes the 1947 Terre Haute Phillies"
''

'', June 30, 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Brubaker, Ray 1892 births 1947 deaths Baseball players from Indiana Battle Creek Crickets players Columbus Senators players Fort Wayne Cubs players Muskegon Muskies players Muskegon Reds players Oakland Oaks (baseball) managers Oakland Oaks (baseball) players People from Portland, Indiana St. Joseph Saints players Tulsa Terriers players Vicksburg Hill Billies players