Ralph grew up in Payson Park area of Portland, Maine. He is the son of the late Patricia and Ralph Sr. He had great success in Little League. He was known as a pitcher with a blazing fastball. He threw two no-hitters and had a complete game shutout in 1969 State of Maine Championship game. Little League 7 competed in the New England championships in Bristol Conn. Although they did not win Ralph came away with a great love for the game.
In Babe Ruth baseball Ralph showed more flexibility on the diamond. He was a catcher, first baseman, as well as a pitcher. In 1970 he was selected as the league Rookie of the Year. He led the Portland team to the district title and competed in the state championships. He played for Harold Ware at Lyman Moore Middle School. Ralph had a triple and a homerun in the championship game to help clinch the league title. This was the first game Edson Hadlock saw Ralph play.
Ralph went to Portland High and started his sophomore as a first baseman. In his first game he hit a 3 run homer off Al Bean in 5-4 loss to South Portland. As a junior Coach Hadlock moved Ralph to behind the plate. As a catcher, Ralph batted .344 and tied the league for doubles, led in home runs and total bases. For his efforts he was selected as a first team All Telegram player. As a senior Ralph was selected the captain of the team. Once again Ralph was a dominant player in the league. He batted .329 and was first team All-Telly selection.
Ralph went to Leicester Jr. College in Worcester Ma. He established himself as one of the most feared sluggers in the region. In 1976 he batted .375 with 4 home runs and 14 RBI’s in 16 games. 1977 Ralph one of the best years in the school’s history. At one stretch he went 10 for 10 with four consecutive home runs. He led the all Jr. Colleges in home runs per at bats. In 1977, Ralph had 27 home runs counting both college and the Twilight league. He represented Leicester in the regional all-star team in Pawtucket R.I. For his accomplishments Ralph was later inducted into the Leicester Jr. College Hall of Fame. Ralph transferred to the University of Maine at Orono. Under coach John Winkin, Ralph had two very productive years in a highly competitive league. As a senior Ralph batted .310 as the starting first baseman.
From 1976 until 1987 Ralph established himself as one of the premier sluggers in the history of the Portland Twilight League. He began his career with Sportsman Grill batting .349 with 4 home runs. In 1977 Ralph had his first home run title with 13 regular season blasts. He added two more in the play-offs that led his Maine Merchants team to the league title. He also led the league with 33 RBI’s. For his accomplishments, Ralph was named the league MVP. He followed up with 12 home runs in 1978. Ralph had 14 in 1980 and 10 in 1983 to lead the league. He is the only documented player to lead the Portland Twilight League in home runs in 4 different years. At the end of his career Ralph had amassed over 100 home runs. Although known as a slugger Ralph had a career average over .340. He also showed great flexibility on defense. He played a very adept first base as well as catcher, left field, right field and even 3rd base. He ran very well and had great speed from 1st to 3rd. He won league championships with the Maine Merchants, South Portland, Olympia Sports and Forest Gardens.
Ralph started his coaching career with Lyman Moore Middle School. He led them to two consecutive league titles. He next became the first JV coach at Cheverus High School. When his two boys got older Ralph coached Little League for 6 years. His 9 and 10 all-star team won the State Championship. The highlight of his coaching career was during his son’s Babe Ruth years. He and Kevin Martin’s 14 and 15 year old all-star team won the New England Babe Ruth Championship. They competed in the Babe Ruth World Series.
Ralph has worked for UPS for over 33 years. He and his wife Kim have been married for 28 years. They live in Portland with their sons Joshua (25) and Jordan (21). Their love for the game of baseball is constant in their family. A quiet slugger, great teammate, with a positive attitude is a great addition to the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.
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