Babe Ruth

George Herman Ruth, (b. February 6, 1895, d. August 16, 1948), better known as Babe Ruth, also commonly known by the nicknames The Bambino and The Sultan of Swat, was an American baseball player and United States national icon. He was one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and he was the first player to hit over 30, 40 and 50 home runs in one season. His record of 60 home runs in the 1927 season stood for 34 years until it was broken by Roger Maris in 1961. He also was a member of the original American League All-Star team in 1933. In 1998, The Sporting News named Ruth as Number One in its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."

1927: A Team for the Ages

In 1927, the Ruthian Yankees reached a peak that few teams in baseball history have ever equaled. They went 110-44, winning the A.L. pennant by 19 games, and then proceeded to sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series. Only four teams have won more games. The 1906 Chicago Cubs, who won 116, the 1954 Cleveland Indians, who won 111, the 1998 Yankees, who won 114 and the 2001 Seattle Mariners who won 116 games (although the latter two played in 162-game seasons). The Cubs and Indians however both lost in the World Series, and the Mariners were defeated before even reaching the World Series, effectively removing these teams from a debate of the greatest team ever for a single season.

Related Topics:
1927 - Pittsburgh Pirates - World - Series - 1906 - Chicago Cubs - 1954 - Cleveland Indians - 1998 - 2001 - Seattle Mariners

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The '27 Yankees batted .307, slugged .489, scored 975 runs, and outscored their opponents by a record 376 runs. The Yankees did not just beat teams, they demoralized them, and the powerful line-up was again being called "Murderers' Row" (a term first used by a sportswriter to describe the 1919 pre-Ruth Yankee lineup). Centerfielder Earle Combs had a career year, batting .356 with 231 hits, leftfielder Bob Meusel batted .337 with 103 RBI's, and secondbaseman Tony Lazzeri drove in 102 runs. The pitching staff led the league in ERA at 3.20, and included Waite Hoyt, who went 22-7, and Herb Pennock who went 19-8. It was Lou Gehrig though who broke through and established himself as a great player. Gehrig had one of the greatest seasons of any hitter. He batted .373, with 218 hits, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs, 175 RBI's, slugged at .765, and was voted A.L. MVP. In time, the 1927 Yankees would send six players to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Related Topics:
Murderers' Row - Earle Combs - Bob Meusel - Tony Lazzeri - Waite Hoyt - Herb Pennock - Lou Gehrig - Baseball Hall of Fame

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It was also a magical year for Ruth. As late as August 10, Gehrig had the home run lead over him, 38-35. Gehrig hit only 9 the rest the season, but Ruth went on a home run tear. By the next to last game of the season, he was at 59 homers. On September 30, he lined a shot down the line into the right-field stands for number 60 off Washington Senators pitcher Tom Zachary. Zachary argued to umpire Bill Dinneen the ball was foul, but Dinneen upheld the home run. Ruth had set his home run record of 59 in 1921, but had been unable to even approach it until this season. After his 60th, an elated Ruth shouted in the clubhouse, "Sixty, count 'em sixty! Let's see some son of a bitch top that!" In addition to the home runs, Ruth batted .356 and drove in 164 runs.

Related Topics:
August 10 - September 30 - 60 - Washington Senators - Tom Zachary - Bill Dinneen - 1921

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The Yankees met the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series, a team that was just two years removed from a World Series title. Since then the Pirates had added high average hitting brothers Paul Waner and Lloyd Waner to a good hitting lineup that included Pie Traynor and Glenn Wright. Before game 1, it was said the Yankees smashing balls over the walls in spacious Forbes Field during batting practice had the Pirate players awestruck and beaten before the series even started. The series however was not a Yankee offensive onslaught. Two of the games were decided by one run, the Yankees batted just .279 with 2 home runs (both by Ruth), and they averaged fewer runs per game than their season average. It would be the Yankees pitching that actually dominated the series. Their team ERA was 2.00, and the Pirates batted just .223 and scored only 10 runs in the 4 games.

Related Topics:
Pittsburgh Pirates - Paul Waner - Lloyd Waner - Pie Traynor - Forbes Field

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The 1927 Yankees, as every team in history, had their weaknesses. They were just average defensively, with mediocre players at third base, shortstop and catcher, and they also had a weak bench. The pitching staff was good, but not dominating. Nevertheless, many present day baseball historians cite the 1927 Yankees as the greatest baseball team of all-time.

Related Topics:
Third base - Shortstop - Catcher

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