He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1973 through 1986 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs.

He was selected out of high school by the Baltimore Orioles in the 20th round (469th overall) of the 1969 Major League Baseball draft,[1] but opted to enroll at Fresno State.

First to the Chicago White Sox with Alan Bannister and Roy Thomas for Jim Kaat and Mike Buskey on December 10.

[4] Then to the Atlanta Braves with Ken Henderson and Dan Osborn for Ralph Garr and Larvell Blanks two days later on December 12.

[5] With the Braves, Ruthven had a solid 1976 season, being named to the National League All-Star team for the first time.

He was the only Braves player selected to the All-Star Game that year, although NL manager Sparky Anderson never brought him in to pitch.

The 17 losses and 36 starts were both career highs, however, the Braves finished last in the National League Western Division, going 70-92.

Even though his earned run average did not change much (rising to 4.23), Ruthven finished with only a 7-13 record for a Braves team that lost 101 games.

[3] Ruthven was stellar with the Phillies, going 13-5 from June 15 to the end of the regular season, with a 2.99 earned run average.

Injuries hit other Phillies pitchers, and the three-time division champs fell to fourth place in the National League East, 14 games behind the eventual World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.

Because of the strike, major league baseball split the 1981 season, and two teams from each division made an extra round of playoffs.

In 1982, Ruthven pitched in 33 games (31 starts), accumulating more than 200 innings (204.1) for the fifth time, and his record was 11-11 with an earned run average of 3.79.

He started the season as the opening day starter for the Cubs, winning on April 3 against the San Francisco Giants.

Ruthven did not appear in the 1984 National League Championship Series, which the Cubs lost in five games to the San Diego Padres.

[14] In a fourteen-season major league career, Ruthven posted a 123-127 record with 1,145 strikeouts and a 4.14 ERA in 2,109 innings pitched, including 17 shutouts and 61 complete games.