stroke, and he also suffered from kidney and heart problems. He contracted skin cancer, necessitating the partial amputation of one of his ears. He died on February 17, 1986, at Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, of heart failure. Honors In balloting for the National Baseball Hall of Fame following his retirement, Ruffing often received votes from approximately 50% of the voters in the Baseball Writers' Association of America, short of the 75% required for induction. Bob Feller wrote an article in The Saturday Evening Post in 1962, calling Ruffing, Satchel Paige, and Luke Appling the three most deserving players who had yet to be elected. The 1967 balloting was Ruffing's final year of eligibility, as he had retired 20 years prior. Ruffing finished with 212 votes, tied with Joe Medwick for the highest vote count, but was still seven votes short of the 219 required for induction. However, a runoff election held the next month saw Ruffing elected to the Hall of Fame. During an Old-Timers' Day ceremony held on July 10, 2004, at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees dedicated a plaque in Ruffing's memory. The plaque is displayed in Monument Park. ESPN.com ranked Ruffing as the ninth greatest Yankee of all time. A museum in Nokomis, Illinois, the Bottomley-Ruffing-Schalk Museum, is dedicated to Ruffing and fellow Hall of Famers Ray Schalk and Jim Bottomley. In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Ruffing as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Army Air Force during World War II. See also List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders List of Major League Baseball all-time leaders in home runs by pitchers References External links Interview with baseball player Charley Ruffing (sound recording) by Eugene C. Murdock on Sep. 15, 1974, in Beachwood, Ohio (60 min.). Available on Cleveland Public Library's Digital Gallery. 1905 births 1986 deaths National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Major League Baseball pitchers Boston Red Sox players Chicago White Sox players Chicago White Sox scouts Cleveland Indians coaches Cleveland Indians scouts New York Yankees players New York Mets coaches New York Mets scouts American League All-Stars American League strikeout champions American League wins champions Baseball