Still the Greatest One-Two Punch

When we think of a home run one-two punch, we must recognize that Eddie Mathews and Henry Aaron hit the most fourbaggers while they were teammates on the Braves from 1954 to 1966. Ed hit 415 in that period and Hank 442, for a total of 857.

And yet, these two outstanding long ball hitters did not establish a special reputation as a great one-two punch, such as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig from 1925 to 1934. The latter two did not play together so long-10 seasons, to 13 for Mathews and Aaron-yet still provided on a game-by-game basis more damage to a pitcher’s ego and ERA than any other duo.

This is true partly because of the fact that both batted the same way-from the port side. On the other hand, Mathews batted left and Aaron right. This explanation can also be extended to the other great home run duos, such as Willie Mays, who hit 430 homers (right) and Willie McCovey, 370 (left) for the San Francisco Giants 1959-71, and Duke Snider, who hit 384 (left) and Gil Hodges 361 (right) for the Dodgers 1947-61. Theoretically, an opposing pitcher had some advantage over one of these hitters on the basis of right vs left, etc., and was not so susceptible to being clobbered by both batters, particularly with back-to-back homers.

We have researched the full ten years of the Ruth-Gehrig association and can fully document their reputation as the games premier one-two punch. This is true even though they were 8 years apart in age, and Gehrig had a breaking in process and Ruth a fading out process that had to be factored into their decade together. Therefore, they didn’t always bat third and fourth. Bob Meusel was between them sometime and so was Tony Lazzeri. Nevertheless they hit homers in the same inning 19 times, and in the same game 72 times.

Actually, if we extend this review to World Series games, the totals would be increased to 21 and 74. In the final game of the 1928 Series with the Cardinals, Ruth hit three homers and Gehrig one, including back-to-back in the 7th off Willie Sherdel. In the third game of the 1932 Series with the Cubs, they each hit two. They were back to back in the 5th, when Ruth supposedly pointed out where he was going to belt one off Charlie Root and Lou apparently liked the spot himself. All four of those homers came off Root.

Obviously, in the 74 games, Ruth and Gehrig did not limit themselves to one homer each. There total output was 88 for Lou and 86 for the Babe. Not all their victims were name pitchers, of course, but they did connect off such worthies as Lefty Grove, Ted Lyons, Red Faber, Wes Ferrell, Earl Whitehill, Mel Harder, Jack Quinn, and Red Ruffing.

It would be too lengthy a list to run all the 74 entries where Ruth and Gehrig connected in the same game. However, the reader could get some flavor of their twin assaults by reviewing a list of the contests where they connected in the same inning as well as those games where they had multiple homers.

 

Date of Game			Opponent	Homers	Inning	Pitching Victim
Sep.	10	1925	Phil. at Phil.	Ruth	4	Sam Gray
				Gehrig	4	Sam Gray
May	10	1926	Det. at N.Y.	Gehrig	5	Sam Gibson
				Ruth	5	Sam Gibson
Sep.	19	1926	Clev. at Clev.	Ruth	7	Emil Levsen
				Gehrig	7	Emil Levsen
Sep.	25	1926 (2)	StL. at StL.	Gehrig	3	Milt Gaston
				Ruth	6	Win Ballou
				Ruth	9	Joe Giard
Apr.	23	1927	Phil. at Phil.	Ruth	1	Rube Walberg
				Gehrig	1	Rube Walberg
May	1	1927	Phil. at N.Y.	Ruth	1	Jack Quinn
				Gehrig	6	Jack Quinn
				Ruth	8	Rube Walberg
May	23	1927	Wash, at Wash.	Ruth	1	Hollis Thurston
				Gehrig	1	Hollis Thurston
June	7	1927	Chi. at N.Y.	Ruth	4	Tommy Thomas
				Gehrig	4	Tommy Thomas
June	16	1927	StL. at N.Y.	Ruth	1	Tom Zachary
				Gehrig	1	Tom Zachary
Sep.	2	1927	Phil. at Phil.	Ruth	1	Rube Walberg
				Gehrig	1	Rube Walberg
				Gehrig	2	Rube Walberg
Sep.	6	1927 (1)	Bos. at Bos.	Gehrig	5	Tony Welzer
				Ruth	6	Tony Welzer
				Ruth	7	Tony Welzer
May	29	1928	Wash. at N.Y.	Gehrig	3	Milt Gaston
				Ruth	4	Lloyd Brown
				Gehrig	4	Lloyd Brown
				Ruth	7	Lloyd Brown
June	7	1928	Clev. at Clev.	Ruth	9	Joe Shaute
				Gehrig	9	Joe Shaute
June	12	1928	Chi. at Chi.	Gehrig	1	Grady Adkins
				Ruth	5	Grady Adkins
				Gehrig	6	George Cox
May	4	1929	Chi. at Chi.	Gehrig	2	Red Faber
				Ruth	7	Harold McKain
				Gehrig	7	Harold McKain
				Gehrig	9	Dan Dugan
May	19	1929	Bos. at N.Y.	Ruth	3	Jack Russell
				Gehrig	3	Jack Russell
May	2	1930 (2)	Phil. at Phil.	Gehrig	1	Bill Shores
				Ruth	2	Jack Quinn
				Gehrig	4	Eddie Rommel
				Gehrig	7	Glenn Liebhardt
June	15	1930	Clev. at Clev.	Gehrig	3	Milt Shoffner
				Gehrig	5	Belvedere Bean
				Ruth	6	Belvedere Bean
June	25	1930 (2)	StL. at N.Y.	Ruth	3	Geo. Blaeholder
				Ruth	5	Herm Holshauser
				Gehrig	6	Herm Holshauser
July	20	1930	Clev. at Clev.	Ruth	4	Milt Shoffner
				Gehrig	4	Milt Shoffner
				Gehrig	S	Milt Shoffner
July	22	1931 (2)	Det. at N.Y.	Ruth	1	Tommy Bridges
				Ruth	6	Charles Sullivan
				Gehrig	6	Charles Sullivan
Aug.	21	1931	StL. at StL.	Ruth	3	Geo. Blaeholder
				Gehrig	3	Geo. Blaeholder
Sep.	7	1931 (2)	Phil. at Phil.	Ruth	6	Waite Hoyt
				Gehrig	6	Waite Hoyt
				Ruth	9	Waite Hoyt
Apr.	12	1932	Phil. at Phil.	Ruth	I	George Earnshaw
				Gehrig	3	George Earnshaw
				Ruth	4	George Earnshaw
May	21	1932 (1)	Wash, at N.Y.	Ruth	5	Lloyd Brown
				Ruth	6	Frank Ragland
				Gehrig	6	Frank Ragland
June	3	1932	Phil. at Phil.	Gehrig	1	George Earnshaw
				Gehrig	4	George Earnshaw
				Ruth	5	George Earnshaw
				Gehrig	5	George Earnshaw
				Gehrig	7	Roy Mahaffey
May	28	1934	StL. at StL.	Oehrig	6	Paul Andrews
				Ruth	7	Jack Knott
				Gehrig	7	Jack Knott
World		Series
Oct.	9	1928	StL. at StL.	Ruth	4	Willie Sherdel
				Ruth	7	Willie Sherdel
				Gehrig	7	Willie Sherdel
				Ruth	8	Grover Alexander
Oct.	1	1932	Chi. at Chi.	Ruth	1	Charlie Root
				Gehrig	3	Charlie Root
				Ruth	S	Charlie Root
				Gehrig	S	Charlie Root