Babe Ruth Is On A Tear
Tuesday, September 27, 1927: New York City
Babe Ruth is on a tear. The sort of tear that only the Babe can go on.
Last Thursday afternoon, hours before the Dempsey-Tunney “Long Count,“ Ruth came to bat at Yankee Stadium in the bottom of the 9th. At the time we were trailing the Tigers, 7–6. There were two outs, and we had a man on first.
Our runner was none other than every Yankee pitcher’s favorite, Mark Koenig.
Just minutes before, Koenig had committed his 42nd error of the year on a routine ground ball. His mistake opened the door for Detroit to score three runs in their top half of the ninth, erase a 6–4 deficit, and take the lead against us.
After the game, Ford Frick, the press box mathematician, pointed out to Schoolboy and me that “Mark has 42 errors this season, with six more games to play. He had 52 last year.”
Schoolboy thanked Frick for his latest numerical morsel, and then turned to me and said, “It’s good to know that, even though Koenig’s going to lead the league in errors for the second time — in his only two full years in the majors — that his fielding is actually improving. I’ll try to remember that next time he eats a ball while I’m on the mound.”
The Babe heads back to the plate in the ninth.
The Tigers’ starter, Ownie Carroll, has pitched Detroit through eight innings, but now Ken Holloway is on the mound.
Before he goes up to hit, Ruth asks Sailor Bob, “What’s this guy got?”
Ruth is not an overly analytical hitter, and “What’s this guy got?” is about the extent of his homework. Partially that’s because Jidge can’t remember faces, or connect them to names. For example, he knows when Lefty Grove is on the mound, and he knows that Grove’s a great fastball pitcher — but if Lefty walks up to the Babe before or after the game, there’s zero chance Ruth will recognize him. Heck, President Coolidge could walk up to Ruth and Jidge wouldn’t know who he was. Honest.
Because of this mental block, Sailor Bob always gives Jidge a rundown on the opposition’s starting pitcher, and sometimes Urban Shocker will join them, since Urban keeps copious notes on how all the pitchers and hitters around the league are doing. Then, during the game, when there’s a pitching change, Sailor Bob and Jidge will reconnect.
“This guy’s got no fastball. But a decent curve.” That’s all Sailor says to Ruth before he faces Holloway. Jidge nods his head, and smiles like a fox about to walk into the a hen house.
Three pitches later, Holloway’s last curveball of the afternoon slams into a seat just six rows from the top of the right field bleachers.
Ruth circles the bases having once again won a game for us with one swing of his bat. It’s his third home run in as many games, giving him 56, and bringing him within three of his own record, with six games remaining to play.
“You know,” says Frick in the locker room after the game, “you guys win 82 percent of your games when the Bambino homers and 66 percent in games when he doesn’t.”
“Wow!” says Benny.
“Wow!” says Hoyt. “He’s almost as good for our team as he is for your byline.”
Our next game, on Saturday, Ruth goes 2–4 and even steals second base, but all balls stay in the park.
On Sunday, Jidge walks twice — earning the Tiger pitchers a chorus of boos from the stands — and goes 1–3. But, again, nothing flies over the wall.
He’s still at 56 with four games left to play.
On Tuesday the Athletics come to town for a single game, minus Ty Cobb who’s gone hunting. Honest. That’s not a euphemism. Cobb actually left the A’s last week to go antelope hunting in Wyoming.
“That must be some special buck he wants to take down that he couldn’t wait another two weeks,” says Benny when he hears the news.
At age 40, Cobb hit .357 this season.
Dropping his lifetime average to .368.
He also seems to have mellowed. From what I can gather, only half of the Athletics hate him.
While Cobb is in Wyoming, Lefty Grove takes the mound against us. Along with Schoolboy and Ted Lyons, Lefty is in the conversation for best pitcher in the game. And so far this year, Ruth hasn’t figured him out.
Until the sixth inning, when he figures him out with the bases loaded. It’s Ruth’s first grand slam of the season. This ball flies to almost the exact same spot as Thursday’s shot, and gives us a 6–1 lead.
Final score 7–4.
In the locker room after the game, Schoolboy and I are getting another math class from Professor Frick.
“You’ll be interested in this, Waite. In his last 10 games, the Bambino has five home runs, and…”
“And what?” says Schoolboy, who can get impatient with Frick’s math lessons.
“And Mark Koenig in his last 10 games has…”
“Seven errors?” offers Schoolboy.
“Nope.”
“Eight?”
“Nope.”
“Nine?!”
“Nope.”
“Ten?!”
“Yup. Ten games. Ten errors.”
After Frick leaves, as we’re heading out to the parking lot to drive back to the city, Schoolboy says to me, “Remember back in the middle of June, when there were those rumors about Koenig and you being traded to the Red Sox for Buddy Myer?”
“Yeah,” I reply. “I have a vague recollection of not being able to sleep for three nights straight because of those rumors.”
“Well,” says Schoolboy, “Huggins came to me and asked if I thought he should make the trade. And I told him no.”
I stop as we get to Schoolboy’s convertible. I’m a little stunned.
We both settle into our seats. As Schoolboy puts his key in the ignition, I ask him.
“Did Huggins really come to you?”
“Of course not. If he had, Koenig would be eating ground balls in Boston and you’d be pitching every fourth day in Beantown. But we’d still be friends.”
He turns the key and starts the car.
“Or, at the very least, friendly.”
- “THE LONG COUNT”
- NEW YORK TIMES, September 22, 1927: “Cobb Ends His Season. Leaves For Western Hunting Trip”.
- “WAITING FOR TRADE”
- September 22, 1927: “Ruth’s 56th Homer Wins Game in Ninth”. New York Times article and Box Score.
- September 24, 1927: “Yankees Shut Out Tigers, Set Record”. New York Times article and Box Score.
- September 27, 1927: “Ruth Hits His 57th With Bases Filled”. New York Times article and Box Score.
