 Ruffing won 20 games during the 1936 season. His 3.85 ERA was the sixth-best in the league, and his 20 wins tied him for third place, with Johnny Allen and Wes Ferrell, behind Tommy Bridges and Vern Kennedy. He started Game One of the 1936 World Series against the New York Giants, but lost. The Yankees defeated the Giants four games to two. In a salary dispute with the Yankees, Ruffing did not report to spring training, and he held out at the start of the 1937 season, missing the first month. He signed in May, receiving a $ 15,000 salary ($ 246,910 in current dollar terms). Ruffing had a 20 – 7 win-loss record for the Yankees in 1937. He finished with the fourth-best ERA in the league, 2.98, trailing Lefty Gomez, Monty Stratton, and Allen, and his 20 wins were second only to Gomez, who had 21. His performance earned him eighth place in AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award voting. He started Game Two in the 1937 World Series, earning the victory, as the Yankees defeated the Giants four games to one.
