World Series: Did You Know?

The New York Yankees of 1928 were the first to hit five home runs in one game. I guess they were still angry at the St. Louis Cardinals for what had happened two years earlier. That was seven games, but '28 was just four. And it was Babe Ruth who delivered in the clutch, as always.

The sweep was complete in game four, but despite the final score, it proved to be a close affair. The Cardinals were trying to avoid that, but were having trouble scoring. New York won game one 4-1, and game two, 9-3. St. Louis scored three again in game three, but again they couldn't hold the Yankee offence down. New York tallied seven times in that game. And they would do that again in the fourth.

The Cardinals stuck first in the bottom of the of the third, but it was not via the home run. It took a fly ball off the bat of Frankie Frisch to open the floodgates of what would be a long day for the pitchers. But Ruth got it back with a solo shot in the top of the fourth. St. Louis, however, came right back with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame, on an errant pickoff play at second. Back up, 2-1. Here's where Waite Hoyt stopped the St. Louis Cardinals, and gave his team a chance to break it all open.

However, it took the Yankees until the top of the seventh to break it open. The Big Guy, Ruth, hit his second of the game. Gehrig hit his fourth of the series to make it back-to-back for the Bronx Bombers. They were ahead for good. But New York added two more for good measure. 5-2.

In the bottom of the seventh, Yankee Cedric Durst came in to play centre next to Babe Ruth, who was stationed in left. Little did he know, some of the Ruth power was about to rub off. Durst did not get to make a fielding play in that inning, but lead off the eighth...With a home run! It was the Yankees fourth. Ruth hit his third of the game two batters later to make it 7-2. All three home runs had gone over the right field roof. Ruth over the roof, times three! And...The Babe had been responsible for sixty percent of the Yankees yard shots.

St. Louis though, had more in them as they came to bat, hopelessly behind, in the bottom of the ninth. Pepper Martin came in to run after Earl Smith started the inning with a single. He took off towards second. New York, of course, ignored him. A popup did nothing to help the cause. Wattie Holm grounded out to short, and somehow Martin scored all the way from second. 7-3. St. Louis kept coming.

Two more singles brought Frankie Frisch back to the dish. Runners were on the corners. Two outs. But I don't think anyone on the Yankees wanted the Cardinals to touch home again. Especially Babe Ruth. Two years earlier, he'd sort of been the goat of the World Series, when he was gunned out at second trying to steal second. That ended the Fall Classic.

So Frankie lifted a foul past third. Ruth ran towards it. Yeah, he was a big guy, and his ankle had injured, but this was his moment to shine. Why not on the field? He got to the fence in foul territory, reached over, and snared it! What a way to end it.

New York had proven their superiority in 1928. I've always been taught to stay within my game, not to think about getting even, when playing sports. New York stuck to what they did best in '28, and pounded the Cards into submission with it. For the second straight year, New York had a sweep, more than making up for their heartbreaking game seven loss two seasons earlier. Their record five home runs would be duplicated by the Oakland Athletics in 1989, but that would not be for another sixty-one years.


References

Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York, 2005.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. (13 Oct., 2015).

Retrosheet  www.retrosheet.org. Web. (13 Oct., 2015).

Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/. Web. (13 Oct., 2015).

Snyder, Matt. "Cubs Set Record with Six Home Runs in Single Postseason Game." CBSSports.com. 12 Oct. 2015. http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/25337517/cubs-set-record-with-six-home-runs-in-single-postseason-game.Web. (13 Oct., 2015).

World Series: Did You Know?

The Babe himself was the first player to hit .600 or better in the Fall Classic. I'm not sure he really cared for that stat in the 1928 World Series. You see, he and some of his pals had one thought on their mind: Revenge!

The New York Yankees had lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1926. Babe Ruth, sort of left the field red-faced. He tried to steal a base with two down in the bottom of the ninth, and got gunned out. That's the only time an October Classic has ended that way.

But The Babe had plenty of company. Tony Lazzeri had been the victim of a famous strikeout by Grover Cleveland Alexander, who happened to also be the very first pitcher Babe Ruth faced in the Fall Classic, back in 1915 when he was with the Boston Red Sox.

So, game one of 1928 was a rather tame 4-1 Yankee win at home. Ruth didn't hit a home run, or even collect an RBI. But wait! St. Louis got a grand total of three hits in the game. Babe Ruth? He got three, and scored twice. So he had as many hits as the entire Cardinal team and scored one more run then all of St. Louis. The Babe was making it a point that things were going to be different this time around. And game two really proved that.

New York scored three times in the bottom of the first inning in game two. Lou Gehrig (Who had one amazing World Series in 1928), hit a three-run home run (after Ruth had walked). Who was it off you ask? Why Grover Cleveland Alexander.

The Cards somehow came back in the top of the second to tie it in the top of the second, but it would prove to be their last gasp. New York tallied the go-ahead run in the bottom of the frame, then outscored St. Louis 5-0 the rest of the way. Ruth singled and Gehrig walked to start the rally. Ruth added a double later but was stranded. Now up 2-0, it was "Meet me in St. Louie, Louie," but Ruth and co. had no intention of returning home.

The Bronx Bombers scored seven runs in game three, which was a bit of a come down. But they made sure to hold the Cardinals to just three runs again. St. Louis actually led 2-0 after one, fallen behind 3-2, then squared it at 3 after five. However, three runs by the Yankees in the top of the sixth inning put this thing out of reach. Ruth had hit into a force play that inning, but scored the game-winning run. The next inning, he added a run-scoring single for the Yankees final tally of the game.

So, "How Sweep It Is?" Well, game four actually was close, too, for a little bit. The Yankees just had too many horses going full speed in this game.

None more than Ruth. All he did was hit three home runs. The Cardinals scored their first run on a failed pickoff play at second. Gehrig added a home run in seventh right after Ruth had hit his second. All of this help turn a 2-1 Cardinal lead into a 5-2 Yankee lead.

Leading 7-2 going into the ninth (Ruth hitting his third home run in the top of the eighth), the Yankees needed three more outs. They didn't exactly come easily. The Cards not only scored a run, but the with two down, proceeded to get two more hits to load 'em up. Guess who made a nice catch to end it? Babe Ruth!

The Babe was quite a showman. Without hesitation, everyone knows his 714 lifetime home runs. However, he also batted .342. In the Fall Classic, he was good enough for a .326 lifetime mark, to go along with his (then) record of 15 home runs. Because The Bambino is thought of as a slow runner, many don't know that he also led the league in runs scored eight times (Compared to Ty Cobb, a speedster, leading the junior circuit five times!). In the 1928 Fall Classic, he hit for his highest average ever in the World Series, .625, becoming the first .600 + hitter there. He also scored nine runs despite only getting four RBIs. And, of course, that nice last play. The Babe had showed the way with his usual flair for the dramatic. Of course, I can only imagine that fans of his had come to expect that by that time.




References

Baseball Almanac, Inc. Baseball Almanac: Baseball History, Baseball Records and Baseball Research. Baseball Almanac, Inc. Web. 13 May 2015, <http://www.baseball-almanac.com/>.

Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Retrosheet. Web. 13 May. 2015.  <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 13 May. 2015.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 13 May 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/>

Youtube. Web. 13 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/>

World Series: Did You Know?

Lou Gehrig (who I haven't written much if anything about) averaged a home run a game in the 1928 World Series!

Always in the shadow of Babe Ruth, as you will recall what I wrote earlier, Gehrig nonetheless put his name on the Fall Classic map that year. Gehrg had not hit a World Series home run in the 1926 and 1927 Fall Classic, so Gehrig was due for a breakthrough. And did he ever!

The Yankees took the opener 4-1, but Gehrig could not get a hold of one. Ruth didn't either, but got 3 hits to Gehrig's 2. But the Yankees did get a long ball by Bob Meusel. And the Cardinals even got one from Jim Bottomley.

So Gehrig's moment would have to wait. But in game 2, it came. And the moment came early! And it was off Grover Cleveland Alexander, no less! In the bottom of the first with Cedric Durst on first, Ruth walked. Gehrig slammed Grover's pitch to deep right for a long ball. 3-0, Yankees.

While the Cardinals did tie it up in the top of the second, Gehrig's home run served notice that it was the Yankees' day. They came out on top, 9-3. Now you have to met Lou in St. Louis, Louis! Or St. Lou, Lou! On to game 3!

With the Cards up 2-0 in the top of the 2nd, Gehrig went solo on a blast. And The Iron Horse was not done. Well, at least this time he didn't leave the yard.

But in the top of the 4th, Lou hit a liner to center that dropped in. The Bambino made it around to score! So did Gehrig. Now the Yankees were on top! A nice inside (the park) job by Lou.

The Yankees would score 6 more times to St. Louis' 1. Ruth got the last RBI. Okay, so the Yankees got this one wrapped up

Babe Ruth tied the score in the top of the 4th with one of his signature blasts. Then, in the 7th, the Yankees were behind again, 2-1. But up stepped Ruth. Goodbye! 2-2. Gehrig then connected solidly! Goodbye! 3-2, Yankees. Back to back shots!

The Yankees scored twice more in that inning and two more times in the next inning. Two more home runs. Yes, one by Ruth. Gehrig could only ground out.

It was 7-2, Yankees in the last of the 9th. St. Louis got one run back and then put runners on the corner. A fine catch by Ruth ended it.

3 home runs by Babe Ruth in this game. 4 home runs in 4 games by Gehrig in this Series. It doesn't seem right, but The Bambino is going to stick out a little more than Lou here, right?

References

Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Retrosheet. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.  <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.

World Series: Did You Know?

Babe Ruth was invovled in the last out of both the 1926 and 1928 World Series.

And both were against my St. Louis Cardinals.

Actually, it looked like Ruth was going to bring it home all by himself in 1926! In game 4 of the Series, The Sultan Of Swat went deep. Three times! The Yankees took the game, 10-5.

But the Series was destined to go the limit.

In game 7, Ruth continued his heroics by slugging a home run of Hall Of Famer Jessie Haines to put the Yankees up 1-0 in the bottom of the 3rd. But the Cards weren't about to let this Series slip away.

In the top of the 4th, the Cardinals scored 3 runs. Two costly errors did in the Yankees. Third basemen Joe Dugan and left fielder Bob Meusel made a gaffe each and that cost starting pitcher Waite Hoyt dearly. None of the runs scored were earned.

Hoyt left after 6 innings, having allowed just 5 hits. Herb Pennock came in and blanked the Cardinals the rest of the way. With Ruth, Lou Gehrig and some other potent hitters around, New York were far from finished.

Indeed, with 2 down in bottom of the 6th, Dugan singled. He must have felt some redemption as Hank Severeid (a rather underrated player playing his final game) drove him home with a double. When Spencer Adams came in to pinch run for Hank, Severeid's career was over. New York could not get him home.

But the Yankees looked like they were going to send Severeid out a winner as they loaded the bases the very next inning against Haines. In came Grover Cleveland Alexander.

The batter was Tony Lazzeri.

Lazzeri lined a pitch just foul down the line, which might have scored at least 2 runs. Grover then fanned poor Tony. Was that it?

With 2 down in the bottom of the 9th, all that stood between the Cardinals and the crown was Ruth. St. Louis had the smarts to walk him. Bob Meusel was next. But Ruth decided he needed to be in scoring position.

Ruth tried to steal and was gunned out by catcher Bob O'Farrell, who fired to Rogers Hornsby. Hornsby, (2nd basemen for those who don't know) slapped the tag on Ruth to end it.

But when the two teams played 2 years later, Ruth and his mates were out for revenge. Quick revenge. New York took the first 3 games 4-1, 9-3 and 7-3.

They actually trailed 2-1 in game 4, but a 4-run 7th put the Bombers up by 3 runs. Two more runs in the top of the 8th made it 7-2, Yankees.

In the bottom of the 9th, the Cardinals scored a run to make it 7-3. But there were now two outs. However, two singles put runners on the corners. Would the Yankees lose it now?

Frankie Frisch lifted a flyball in foul territory to left. It appeared to be heading into the seats.

Well, it was. But the very man who put a lot of baseballs into the seats (fair) was there to make sure it never made it! The Bambino, who was a better fielder than given credit for (and not to mention playing with a injured ankle), raced over and caught it over the railing. Ruth continued on into the dugout. There was nothing more to say, really.

But hey, when Ruth is involved in the last out of a World Series, what fan would not be on the edge of their seats?