Background
He was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.
He was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.
University of Detroit Mercy.
He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before the 1947 season, and played for them in 1952. Nicknamed "Doc", the 27-year-old rookie stood 5"10½" and weighed 170 lbs. Rutherford pitched both as a starter and reliever for the pennant-winning 1952 Dodgers, making his major league debut in relief against the Saint Louis Cardinals at Sportsman"s Park on April 30.
Rutherford got his first start on July 31.
Foreign the season he appeared in 22 games with 11 starts, four complete games, 8 games finished, and 2 saves. In 97.1 innings pitched he gave up 97 hits, struck out 29, and walked 29.
At the plate, he batted.290 (9-for-31) with 3 runs batted in and 3 runs scored. In the field he recorded 3 putouts, 24 assists, made no errors, and participated in one double play.
He pitched one inning in Game # 4 and gave up one hit (a Mickey Mantle triple) and one earned run.