He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1972 to 1991, winning 214 games with a career 3.37 ERA.

Reuschel could run surprisingly well for his size (logging four triples in his batting career) and he was frequently used as a pinch runner on days he was not pitching.

Rueschel was the Cubs 3rd Round pick (#67) in the 1970 Amateur Draft out of Western Illinois, after he went 10-0 with a 1.29 ERA as a junior in 1969.

[9][7] With the Class AAA Wichita Aeros of the American Association, Reuschel was 9-2 in twelve starts with a 1.32 ERA, before being called up by the Chicago Cubs to make his major league debut on June 19, 1972.

[1] Reuschel began his Major League Baseball career when he was drafted in the third round of the 1970 Major League Baseball draft by the Chicago Cubs,[3][10] at a time when they were declining in the post-Durocher era, and provided a strong arm for the Cubs' increasingly mediocre staff.

Reuschel won twenty games and finished third in the Cy Young Award voting behind Steve Carlton and Tommy John.

[16] The Pirates traded Reuschel to the San Francisco Giants in late 1987 for Jeff Robinson and Scott Medvin.

[10] Reuschel, finally back with a contender, became the ace of the Giants' staff and helped them make a late run to the National League Western Division title, their first division title since 1971, as well as leading the National League with twelve complete games and four shutouts.

[19] Reuschel finished the 1989 season with seventeen wins for the Giants as he helped lead them to the World Series (their first since 1962).

[20] In the 1989 World Series, Reuschel was the losing pitcher in Game 2 with an 11.25 ERA, five earned runs, and five hits given up against the Oakland Athletics.