Baseball: Advancements and Legends

BASEBALL: ADVANCEMENTS AND LEGENDS

Baseball in Evolution

Baseball in the 1920s was filled with superlative players, managers, and teams and with game-altering changes in strategy, equipment, and ball-parks. For decades baseball had been played as a game of hit-and-run, choked-bat singles and bunts, and base-stealing; it had focused on the play among pitchers, short-ball hitters, and infielders. Such great singles hitters and base runners as the Detroit Tigers' Ty Cobb and the Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner epitomized this approach to the game. But change came as the decade began and Babe Ruth made his debut as a New York Yankee after being sold by the Boston Red Sox. The preceding year he had hit an astonishing twenty-nine home runs for Boston, and in 1920, his first season with the Yanks, he smashed an almost unbelievable fifty-four homers. League owners and managers—and the fans—fell in love with the drama of the long ball.

Changes

To increase the number of homers, which made games seem more exciting and caused gate receipts to rise dramatically, the ball was altered from the cork-and-rubber-centered "dead ball" to a more responsive so-called "rabbit ball." New baseball parks, too, were designed to help batters by means of outfields bounded by bleachers and fences. Rules were imposed forbidding pitchers to improve their odds with batters by scuffing or adding foreign substances to balls. All these changes in the game were intended to help batters hit long balls. The fans voiced their approval by coming to games in ever-increasing numbers through the decade. In turn, players' salaries, especially the salaries of those who hit often and long, improved as well. Yet some features of the game did not change much—for example, the well-publicized, colorful rowdiness that endeared such players as Ruth to an adoring nation.

The Great Players

The 1920s provided an extraordinary gathering of legendary players. In the outfield were the Yankees' Ruth (lifetime batting average of .342), the Tigers' Cobb (.367), and the Cleveland Indians' Tris Speaker (.344). The infield also had its fabled figures. At third base the Pittsburgh Pirates' Harold "Pie" Traynor, who was perhaps the decade's most skillful infielder, had a lifetime batting average of .320. At second base were the Saint Louis Cardinals' seven-time National League batting champion Rogers Hornsby (.358), the Chicago White Sox's Eddie Collins (.333), and the New York Giants' Frankie Frisch (.316). At first base were the Yankees' Lou Gehrig (.339) and the Saint Louis Browns' George Sisler (.340), and, at shortstop, Travis Jackson (.291), who was a standout infielder with the Giants.

TY COBB'S UNBROKEN RECORD OF HOME PLATE STEALS

GAME DATE	TEAMS AND SCORE	OPPOSING PITCHER/CATCHER	INNING
22-7-09	Boston 0, Detroit 6	Wolter/Donohue	7
16-8-10	Detroit 8, Washington 3	Groom/Ainsmith	4
12-5-11	New York 5, Detroit 6	Caldwell/Sweeney	7
12-7-11	Philadelphia 0, Detroit 9	Krause/Thomas	1
18-8-11	Detroit 9, New York 4	Killalay/Carrigan	1
20-4-12	Detroit 6, Cleveland 5	Gregg/Easterly	1
1-5-12	Detroit 2, Chicago 5	Benz/Block	1
13-5-12	New York 15, Detroit 4	Vaughn/Street	1
21-6-12	Detroit 2, Cleveland 6	Blanding/O'Neill	6
4-7-12(1)	St. Louis 3, Detroit 9	Baumgardner/Krichell	5
18-5-13	Detroit 1, Washington 2	Johnson/Ainsmith	7
20-5-13	Detroit 8, Philadelphia 7	Houck/Lapp	3
25-8-13	Detroit 6, Washington 5	Bedient/Nunamaker	5
15-9-13	New York 5, Detroit 7	Warhop/Sweeney	5
9-6-14	Philadelphia 7, Detroit 1	Shawkey/Lapp	4
28-4-15	St. Louis 3, Detroit 12	James/Agnew	3
4-6-15	Detroit 3, New York 0	Caldwell/Nunamaker	9
9-6-15	Detroit 15, Boston 0	Collins/Carrigan	3
18-6-15	Detroit 5, Washington 3	Boehling/Henry	1
18-6-15	Detroit 5, Washington 3	Boehling/Williams	5
23-6-15	St. Louis 2, Detroit 4	Lowdermilk/Agnew	8
23-8-16	Detroit 10, Philadelphia 3	Sheehan/Picinich	8
9-7-18(2)	Detroit 5, Philadelphia 4	Perry/Perkins	5
23-8-19	Boston 4, Detroit 8	Hoyt/Walters	3
18-5-20	Philadelphia 2, Detroit 8	Martin/Myatt	8
19-9-20(1)	Washington 7, Detroit 9	Bono/Gharrity	4
2-10-23	Detroit 7, Chicago 5	Castner/Crouse	7
22-4-24	Chicago 3, Detroit 4	Bayne/Collins	3
27-4-24	Chicago 3, Detroit 4	Lyons/Crouse	5
10-8-24	Detroit 13, Boston 7	Ross/Picinich	7
3-7-27	Detroit 5, Cleveland 7	Uhle/Sewell	1
19-4-27	Philadelphia 3, Washington 1	Crowder/Ruel	6
26-4-27	Philadelphia 9, Boston 8	Welzer/Hartley	7
6-7-27	Boston 1, Philadelphia 5	Lundgren/Hartley	1
15-6-28	Philadelphia 12, Cleveland 5	Grant/Sewell	8
World Series
9-10-09	Detroit 7, Pittsburgh 2	Willis/Gibson	3

Source:

Al Stump, Cobb: A Biography (Chapel Hill, N.C: Algonquin, 1994).

BABE RUTH'S 1927 RECORD OF SIXTY HOME RUNS

In 1927 New York Yankee Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs, one of which bounced from the field into the stands. Today this home run would be scored a double. His 60-home-run record stood until another Yankee, Roger Maris, broke it with 61 homers on 1 October 1961, but the 1961 season had eight more games (162) than did the 1927 season (154).

HR/Game	Date	Opposing Pitcher / Club	Where Made
1 / 4	15 Apr.	Ehmke (R) / Phil.	N.Y.
2 / 11	23 Apr.	Walberg (L), Phil.	Phil.
3 / 12	24 Apr.	Thurston (R), Wash.	Wash.
4 / 14	29 Apr.	Harriss (R), Bost.	Bost.
5 / 16	1 May	Quinn (R), Phil.	N.Y.
6 / 16	1 May	Walberg (L), Phil.	N.Y.
7 / 24	10 May	Gaston (R), St. L.	St. L.
8 / 25	11 May	Nevers (R), St. L.	St. L.
9 / 29	17 May	Collins (R), Det.	Det.
10 / 33	22 May	Karr (R), Clev.	Clev.
11 / 34	23 May	Thurston (R) Wash.	Wash.
12 / 37	28 May	Thurston (R), Wash.	N.Y
13 / 39	29 May	MacFayden (R), Bost.	N.Y.
14 / 41	30 May	Walberg (L), Phil.	Phil.
15 / 42	31 May	Ehmke (R), Phil.	Phil.
16 / 43	31 May	Quinn (R), Phil.	Phil.
17 / 47	5 June	Whitehill (L), Det.	N.Y.
18 / 48	7 June	Thomas (R), Chi.	N.Y.
19 / 52	11 June	Buckeye (L), Clev.	N.Y.
20 / 52	11 June	Buckeye (L), Clev.	N.Y.
21 / 53	12 June	Uhle (R), Clev.	N.Y.
22 / 55	16 June	Zachary (L), St. L.	N.Y.
23 / 60	22 June	Wiltse (L), Bost.	Bost.
24 / 60	22 June	Wiltse (L), Bost.	Bost.
25 / 70	30 June	Harriss (R), Bost.	N.Y.
26 / 73	3 July	Lisenbee (R), Wash.	Wash.
27 / 78	8 July	Whitehill (L), Det.	Det.
28 / 79	9 July	Holloway (R), Det.	Det.
29 / 79	9 July	Holloway (R), Det.	Det.
30 / 83	12 July	Shaute (L), Clev.	Clev.

HR/Game	Date	Opposing Pitcher / Club	Where Made
31 / 94	24 July	Thomas (R), Chi.	Chi.
32 / 95	26 July	Gaston (R), St. Louis	N.Y.
33 / 95	26 July	Gaston (R), St. Louis	N.Y.
34 / 98	28 July	Stewart (L), St. L.	N.Y.
35 / 106	5 Aug.	G. Smith (R), Det.	N.Y.
36 / 110	10 Aug.	Zachary (L), Wash.	Wash.
37 / 114	11 Aug.	Thomas (R), Chic.	Chi.
38 / 115	17 Aug.	Connally (R), Chi.	Chi.
39 / 118	20 Aug.	Miller (L), Clev.	Clev.
40 / 120	22 Aug.	Shaute (L), Clev.	Clev.
41 / 124	22 Aug.	Nevers (R), St. L.	St. L.
42 / 125	28 Aug.	Wingard (L), St. L.	St. L.
43 / 127	31 Aug.	Welzer (R), Bost.	N.Y.
44 / 128	2 Sept.	Walberg (L), Phil.	Phil.
45 / 132	6 Sept.	Welzer (R), Bost.	Bost.
46 / 132	6 Sept.	Welzer (R), Bost.	Bost.
47 / 133	6 Sept.	Russell (R), Bost.	Bost.
48 / 134	7 Sept.	MacFayden (R), Bost.	Bost.
49 / 134	7 Sept.	Harriss (R), Bost.	Bost.
50 / 138	11 Sept.	Gaston (R), St. L.	N.Y.
51 / 139	13 Sept.	Hudlin (R), Clev.	N.Y.
52 / 140	13 Sept.	Shaute (L), Clev.	N.Y.
53 / 143	16 Sept.	Blankenship (R), Chi.	N.Y.
54 / 147	18 Sept.	Lyons (R), Chi.	N.Y.
55 / 148	21 Sept.	Gibson (R), Det.	N.Y.
56 / 149	22 Sept.	Holloway (R), Det.	N.Y.
57 / 152	27 Sept.	Grove (L), Phil.	N.Y.
58 / 153	29 Sept.	Lisenbee (R), Wash.	N.Y.
59 / 153	29 Sept.	Hopkins (R), Wash.	N.Y.
60 / 154	30 Sept.	Zachary (L), Wash.	N.Y.

Source:

The Official Encyclopedia of Baseball sixth edition, edited by Hy Turkin andd S. C. Thompson (New York: Barnes, 1972).

Two remarkable catchers were the Philadelphia Athletics' Mickey Cochrane (.320) and the Chicago Cubs' Gabby Hartnett (.297). Brilliant pitchers included the Washington Senators' Walter Johnson (416-279), the Philadelphia Athletics' Lefty Grove (300-141), the Cardinals' Grover Cleveland Alexander (373-208), the Brooklyn Dodgers' and then Pirates' Burleigh Grimes (270-212), and the Red Sox's and later Yankees' Herb Pennock (240-161).

The Yankees and Huggins, the Cardinals and Rickey

The greatest team of the era and probably of all baseball history was the 1927 Yankees, managed by the diminutive but iron-willed Miller Huggins. Under Huggins's direction was one of the finest home-run duos, Ruth and Gehrig, who between them hit 107 homers in 1927. Along with these two legendary players, the Yankees had Bob Muesel, Earl Combs, and Tony Lazzeri, who were also .300-plus hitters. With Huggins directing the team (and often banging heads with the rambunctious Ruth), the Yankees won the 1923, 1927, and 1928 World Series. The 1926 Cardinals were also an outstanding team. It had been built by the remarkable Branch Rickey, who had been replaced as manager in May 1926 by second baseman Rogers Hornsby. Hornsby acquired thirty-nine-year-old pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander from the Cubs, and in the 1926 Series, Alexander beat the Yankees twice and then, reportedly suffering from a hangover, came out of the bullpen to strike out Lazzeri with the bases loaded in the seventh inning of the seventh game. The Cards took the game and the world championship when Ruth was thrown out while trying to steal second.

The Giants and McGraw, the Athletics and Mack

The Giants' longtime manager John J, McGraw led his team to National League pennants from 1921 through 1924. His 1921 and 1922 teams defeated the Yankees in the World Series but his team lost to them in 1923. McGraw's 1924 team, his tenth and final pennant winner, faced the Senators and Walter Johnson in the Series. Johnson came in as a relief pitcher to win the final game four-to-three in the twelfth inning and thus gave the Senators their only championship during Johnson's twenty-year career with the team. As the 1920s came to an end, Connie Mack, baseball's grand old man and manager of the team since 1901, led his Philadelphia Athletics to a four-games-to-one 1929 Series victory over the Chicago Cubs, with splendid play by Mickey Cochrane and Lefty Grove. Mack's team also took the 1930 Series against the Saint Louis Cardinals in what would prove to be the last of his five world championships. In 1931 his team lost to the Cards, dashing Mack's hopes to be the first manager to win three consecutive World Series. Mack retired as the Athletics' manager on 18 August 1950 at the age of eighty-six. He had been with the team for nearly fifty years, and with his retirement the golden age of baseball in the 1920s seemed also to have come finally to a close.

THE PITCH OF CARL MAYS, THE
DEATH OF RAY CHAPMAN

On 16 August 1920 in the fifth inning of a game played at the Polo Grounds in New York, Yankees pitcher Carl Mays hit Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman with a pitched ball. It struck Chapman on the left temple with a loud snap that was clearly heard in the stands. The ball ricocheted toward Mays, who picked it up and threw it to first base for the out. Mays said later that he thought the ball had hit Chapman's bat. Chapman immediately collapsed but was helped to his feet by two teammates. He walked toward the center-field clubhouse but collapsed again when he reached the outfield grass and had to be carried to the locker room. He was taken to St. Lawrence Hospital where a portion of his fractured skull was re-moved. He died at 4:50 the next morning, becoming Major League Baseball's only fatality.

The reaction against Mays was venomous and widespread. An aggressive, cold competitor, he was accused of purposely beaning Chapman, who had batted .267 and .300 during the two previous seasons and was a fielding standout. Players throughout the league had complained frequently about Mays's brushback pitches. Headlines bannered his "killer pitch" as newspapers demanded that he be banned for life. No action was taken against him, however. Mays finished the season with a 26-11 record, and Cleveland won the American League pennant and the World Series.

Source:

Richard Scheinin, Field of Screams: The Dark Underside of Americas National Pastime (New York: Norton, 1994).

Sources:

J. C. Furnas, Great Times: An Informal Social History of the United States (New York: Putnam, 1974);

The History of Baseball, edited by Allison Danzig and Joe Reichler (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1959);

The Official Encyclopedia of Baseball, sixth edition, edited by Hy Turkin and S. C. Thompson (New York: Barnes, 1972).