Norge Ruiz #64

Norge Luis Ruiz (Loyola) was originally signed by JC De La Cruz…ranked sixth in Cuba's Series Nacional in 2012-13 with a 1.97 ERA…was just 18 years old…led the league in strikeouts (94) the following year, ranked second in innings (145.0), tied for second in starts (21) and tied for ninth in wins (eight).

2022

Made his Major League debut in 2022 and was 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA and .981 opponents OPS in 14 relief appearances over two stints with the A’s…also compiled a 5-1 record, two saves, a 3.73 ERA and .695 OPS in 31 games with Triple-A Las Vegas....Allowed a .361 opponents batting average with the A’s, which broke down to .306 (15-for-49) with all four of his home runs and a 1.012 OPS against right-handed hitters compared to .441 (15-for-34) with a .941 OPS against left-handed hitters....Had a .412 batting average with the bases empty, .327 with runners on....Allowed 2-of-8 (25.0%) inherited runners to score and first batters faced were 6-for-14 (.429)....Opponents hit .314 with two strikes....Held opponents to a .229 average with Las Vegas, which included .190 (12-for-63) with a .540 opponents OPS against left-handed hitters and .255 (24-for-94) with a .797 OPS against righthanders…surrendered four of his five home runs to righties....Yielded a .200 batting average with runners in scoring position....Allowed 7-of-14 (50.0%) inherited runners to score but first batters faced were 5-for-29 (.172) with two walks (.226 on-base percentage)....His ERA increased in each of the first four months of the season as he logged a 1.42 ERA in April, 3.86 in May, 5.00 in June and 7.45 in July…then did not allow a run in 9.0 innings in August....Compiled a 7.31 ERA in 12 games on one or two days of rest, a 1.52 ERA in 18 outings on three days rest or more....Tossed at least one inning in 30 of his 31 appearances, including a season-high 2.0 innings eight times....Won each of his first four decisions with Las Vegas and was 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA and .189 opponents batting average over his first 17 games through June 22…however, walked 12 batters in 20.2 innings over that span for a .302 opponents on-base percentage… struck out a season-high three May 27 at Tacoma (also July 15 vs. Salt Lake)…issued a season-high three walks June 5 against Sacramento…made his 100th career minor league appearance on June 22 against Albuquerque (1.0ip, 1bb, 1so)…allowed a season-high four runs on a season-high four hits in 1.2 innings on June 25 against Albuquerque…that began a stretch from June 25 to July 29 where he yielded at least one run in six of his eight appearances…had an 8.74 ERA and .327 opponents batting average over that span…also surrendered all five of his home runs as a minor leaguer during that stretch…did not allow a run over his first five appearances in August (8.0ip, 5 h, 1 bb, 7 so) and had a 3.83 ERA in 30 games overall when he was selected by Oakland on Aug. 19…made his ML debut that day against Seattle and allowed four runs on seven hits in 1.2 innings (0 bb, 2 so)…the seven hits matched the most in Oakland history by a reliever in his debut (Ernie Camacho, May 22, 1980, at Kansas City) and the four runs fell one short of the high of five (Jeff Kaiser, April 11, 1985 at Seattle)…struck out Eugenio Suarez to end the seventh inning for his first strikeout…tossed 2.0 scoreless innings on Aug. 22 against Miami but then allowed three runs on six hits in 2.1 innings on Aug. 25 against New York, giving him a 10.50 ERA over his first three games…struck out a career-high four against the Yankees but was optioned to Las Vegas following the game…made one appearance on Aug. 28 against Sugarland (1.0ip, 1 bb, 1 so) before he was recalled by Oakland on Aug. 30…spent the remainder of the season with the A’s and posted a 5.54 ERA over his final 11 appearances…was tagged with the blown save and loss on Sept. 1 at Washington when he allowed a career-high tying four runs in 0.2 innings…did not allow a run over his next five contests from Sept. 2-18 (7.1ip, 3 h, 1 bb, 5 so), including Sept. 7 against Atlanta when he tossed a career-high 2.2 scoreless innings…then yielded at least one run in four of his final five appearances (9.00 ERA).

2021

Was limited to just eight games due to elbow problems and combined to go 2-0 with a 6.97 ERA and .341 opponents batting average with the A’s affiliate in the Arizona Complex League, High-A Lansing and Double-A Midland…struck out 10, walked three and did not surrender a home run in 10.1 innings…began the season on the injured list as he continued his recovery from Dec. 15, 2020 arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow…was reinstated on May 30 and logged a 2.08 ERA in three relief appearances with Midland before going back on the IL June 17 with a right elbow impingement…made one rehab appearance with the A’s affiliate in the ACL on July 22 against the Giants-Orange (0.1ip, 2h) before he was reinstated on July 31 and assigned to Lansing…had an 11.12 ERA in four games before returning to the IL Aug. 14 with a sprained right elbow…missed the remainder of the season.

2020

Did not pitch as the minor league season was canceled due to the pandemic.

2019

Split his season between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas and combined to go 2-5 with three saves, a 6.49 ERA and .953 opponents OPS in a career-high 38 relief appearances… it was the first time in his career (Cuba or minor league baseball) that he did not make a start… allowed a .338 opponents batting average, which broke down to .322 against right-handed hitters and .363 against left-handers…opponents hit .292 with runners in scoring position…allowed 8-of-16 (50.0%) inherited runners to score and first batters faced were 10-for-34 (.294) with four walks…tossed at least one inning in 36 of his 38 appearances, including two or more 15 times… his season high was 3.0 innings four times…began the year at Midland and logged a 2.38 ERA in six relief appearances before he was promoted to Las Vegas on April 29…was 2-3 with two saves and a 9.08 ERA in 19 relief appearances with the Aviators before he was sent back to the RockHounds on July 11…compiled a 4.43 ERA over his final 13 games…struck out a season-high four batters April 11 vs. Frisco (also May 5 vs. Fresno and June 17 at Memphis)…was credited with his first save as a professional on April 26 against Northwest Arkansas, when he tossed 2.2 scoreless innings of relief in a 7-5 Midland win (2 h, 1 bb, 3 so)…pitched 3.0 innings for his other two saves on May 5 against Fresno and June 10 vs. San Antonio…did not allow an earned run in seven games in August (8.2ip)…had a 7.2-inning scoreless streak from Aug. 6 to Sept. 2…made one postseason appearance for the Rock Hounds on Sept. 7 against Amarillo (1.1ip).

2018

Made his Double-A and Triple-A debut in his second professional season…spent most of the year at Midland where he was 5-9 with a 4.69 ERA in 21 starts…also had a 2½-week mid-season stay with Nashville where he was 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in three games, including two starts…combined with both clubs to go 6-10 with a 4.89 ERA in 24 games, including 23 starts…tied for third in the Texas League in fewest walks per nine innings (2.53), tied for fourth in innings pitched (121.0), ranked fifth in ERA and tied for eighth in games started…tied for ninth in the A's farm system in innings pitched (134.1)…allowed a .300 opponents batting average, including .288 (88-for-306) against right-handed hitters compared to .317 (69-for-218) against left-handers…surrendered 15 home runs, 12 of which came with runners on base…10 came at home while pitching for Midland…yielded a .290 batting average with runners in scoring position, but that dropped to .193 with RISP and two outs…had a 6.11 ERA in the first and second innings, a 3.55 ERA in innings three through five and a 6.04 ERA from the sixth inning on.

MINORS: Allowed a season-high eight runs on seven hits in a season-low 1.2 innings for the loss in his first start on April 8 against Tulsa…then yielded just one run over his next three starts from April 14 to 26, going 2-0 with a 0.52 ERA and a .169 opponents batting average…that was his only winning streak of the season…lost each of his next four starts and went 1-4 with a 5.83 ERA and .388 opponents batting average in five starts in May…that included a season-high 11 hits on May 2 against Corpus Christi (6.2 ip) and May 27 at Northwest Arkansas (5.2 ip)…had a seasonhigh 107 pitches in the former contest…struck out a season-high six batters May 21 against San Antonio…it was his first of four six-strikeout games…tossed a season-high 7.2 innings June 2 against Northwest Arkansas and allowed just two runs but had a no decision in a 3-2, 11-inning loss…was 3-5 with a 4.26 ERA in 13 starts when he was promoted to Nashville June 25…had a no decision and a loss in his first two starts…then pitched in relief on July 7 against Iowa in a game started by a rehabbing Trevor Cahill…allowed one run in 3.0 innings for the win in the Sounds 5-3 victory…was sent back to Midland July 12…went 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA in two starts before he was placed on the disabled list July 22 with a strained right rotator cuff…was reinstated Aug. 1…tossed a complete game in a 4-3 loss in a seven-inning contests at Northwest Arkansas on Aug. 8…allowed four runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out three in 6.0 innings… combined on an eight-hit shutout in a 5-0 win over Northwest Arkansas on Aug. 14…tossed 7.0 innings and allowed seven of the hits while walking three and striking out five…his effort earned him Texas League Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of Aug. 13-19…walked a season-high four batters in 4.0 innings Aug. 27 at Frisco.

2017

—Pitched for three different teams in the Oakland farm system and was a combined 5-2 with a 4.37 ERA in 13 games, all starts, with the A’s affiliates in the Dominican Summer League and Arizona Rookie League and Single-A Stockton…allowed a .270 batting average, which broke down to .224 against right-handed hitters compared to .327 against left-handers…opponents hit .158 with runners in scoring position and two outs…began the year in the Dominican Republic and went 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA in four starts…came to the United States on June 21…made one start with the A’s club in the Arizona Rookie League on June 26 at the Dodgers and took the loss (4.0ip, 5h, 5r, 5er, 2bb, 4so, 11.25 ERA)…was transferred to Stockton June 27 and went 3-1 with a 5.71 ERA in eight starts with the Ports…was suspended by the league from July 25 to Aug. 3 for illegal equipment…was placed on the disabled list Aug. 18 with a strained right elbow and missed the remainder of the season.