There's a reason that longtime Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz is tied for the most no-hitters caught in MLB history. And sure, it has something to do with the fact that he was on the receiving end of two dazzling performances from Roy Halladay, one of the most dominant pitchers the game has ever seen and one-and-a-half from longtime ace Cole Hamels — the second was a combination of Hamels, Jake Diekman, Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon.
But as successful as Halladay and Hamels were and as devastating as some of their pitches were, Ruiz was the trusty companion that they may have needed in order for them to shine the brightest. This rings especially true for Hamels. They went through a lot, as they are one of just 35 pitcher-catcher batteries to have reached 200 starts together in their big-league career. And of all catchers who have caught at least 10 of Hamels' games, Ruiz has helped him to deliver the strongest results in a number of statistics (via Baseball Reference).
They had to work to get to that level of comfort and confidence in their bond, though. Hamels joined Bleav's "Major League Beginnings" podcast and discussed how their relationship evolved and how important it was for them to have spent time together before making it to the bigs.
"We started in the minors, which was nice to be able to start developing a relationship in the minor leagues," Hamels said. "...My first year with him, we'd be in games and we would be going down under the dugout bickering at each other, yelling at each other for pitchers that were called, what he wanted and I'd be telling him no, and we'd get at it.
"But that's what we learned about each other, about respect and about then having that confidence. When I wanted a pitch, he knew to trust me and when he wanted a pitch, I knew to trust him. But that takes a lot of... disagreements and fighting and arguing. You have to have your voice heard, but from that day on after my rookie year, he and I were just inseparable."
That all may have reached a peak during Hamels' 2015 no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs. Yes, there were several other great moments, like when Hamels won both the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP Awards while Ruiz went 11-32 (.344) across the two five-game series. But hearing Hamels explain just how strong their connection had been during his no-no, at which point the pair had been working together for around a decade, makes you realize that the duo had a really rare bond, one that had been forged from all the games, innings and individual pitches they had shared.
"...When I finally got to throwing my no-hitter, there were times that game he didn't even have to put down signs," Hamels recalled. "We already knew exactly what to do. Sometimes, he'd throw the ball back and laugh, and I knew exactly what he meant and we were just so locked in, and that's something special. That's hard to get with a catcher if you don't have that sort of time and confidence with him."
Ruiz played his last game on September 30, 2017, but we're still waiting to see whether or not Hamels can make his return to the mound at some point soon. He only threw in one game with the 2020 Braves after suffering a shoulder injury in spring training, and now finds himself as a free agent. Still, it's a goal of his to prove that he still has fuel left in the tank.
"It's being able to prove to others that I'm not done, that I don't give up easily, that I still have a lot left in the tank physically, because mentally I know I can still compete at that level," Hamels said. "I know I can still get guys out. It's the physical well-being that I think kind of ends a lot of us. But I still feel like I have enough work ethic and [a] way to grind through injuries, and that's what got me to 200 innings every year.
"...It's just a different mentality, and I know I can still pitch. And I know I can still pitch, and that's something where I know being a starter, you still have options when you're left-handed. Left-handed [pitchers]... teams want that, I know I have multiple pitches that I get guys out with. It's a matter of how long can I do the 200 innings, can I do 150, what can I do? What am I gonna be capable of in a season? And worse comes to worst, I can always just go to the bullpen... maybe I can work on the Trevor Hoffman changeup a little bit."
One team that could potentially be a suitor? How about those Phils?
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