The major league team record for giving up walks was set by the 1915 Philadelphia Athletics, one of Connie Mack’s worst teams. Led by Weldon Wyckoff with 165 and Rube Bressler with 118, the staff, such as it was, gave up 827 free passes. Mack tried more than 25 different throwers that year, but it seems that none of them could get the ball over the plate. One recruit, Bruno Haas, gave up a record 16 walks in his first game.

The 1915 A’s finished deep in the cellar, but this should not be taken as a direct effect of all the bases on balls. A contrasting situation occurred in 1949 when Yankee hurlers gave up 812 bases on balls; yet that aggregation won the pennant that season, and the World Series. The bases on balls brigade was led by Tommy Byrne with 179, Vic Raschi with 138, and Allie Reynolds 123. No team ever had three hurlers with such high totals. Even the great Joe Page walked 75 batters in 135 innings, the most in a season for a relief hurler.

Baseball fans are probably aware of the legendary control problems of Wild Bill Hallahan, Rex Barney, Bob Turley, Sam McDowell, and even Nolan Ryan, but when it comes down to walks per inning, there was no one as generous as Tommy Byrne. In a couple of seasons he gave up more walks than hits. In 1951, for example, when St. Louis Brown hurlers gave up 801 bases on balls, Byrne walked 150 in 144 innings (more than 9 per 9-inning game), while giving up only 120 hits. Over his career, he issued 1037 walks in 1362 innings, the highest rate for any 10-year hurler.

The pitching staff with the best control was the quintet that pitched the Red Sox to the 1904 pennant. Yes, the BoSox used only five pitchers all season, quite a contrast to the crowd that assembled for the 1915 A’s. With Cy Young leading the way with only 29 walks, and Jesse Tannehill following with only 33, the club gave up only 233 in 157 games. Tannehill apparently had picked up some control pointers with the Pirates, for they had given up only 250 walks in 142 games in 1902. Substitute hurler Honus Wagner contributed to that total with two walks himself; however, the real leaders were Tannehill with 25, Deacon Phillippe with 26, and Sam Leever with 31. This was the lowest level of walks issued by any team trio of regular hurlers, and contrasts sharply with the Yankee trio of Byrne, Raschi, and Reynolds in 1949. The contrast is put into sharper focus by the realization that while Byrne issued bases on balls at the most frequent rate — nearly 7 per 9-inning game for his career — Deacon Phillippe of the Pirates was statistically the best control pitcher. He issued only 363 passes in 2607 career innings, or about 1.25 per 9-inning game.

The Pirates of 1902 and the Red Sox of 1904 were pennant winners. A team of more recent vintage, the Reds of 1933, with Red Lucas leading the way with only 18 bases on balls, gave up only 257 free passes. This was the best record in the last 70 years, but they finished last in the National League.

The lesson that can be learned from this brief analysis is that bases on balls are bad, but they can be cancelled out to a large degree if the same pitcher doesn’t give up many hits. This is particularly true if the man is a good strike-out pitcher. Prime examples are Bob Feller, Sam “Toothpick” Jones, Bob Turley, Sam McDowell, and again Nolan Ryan. It is remarkable that Ryan could walk 202 batters in 1974 and still have a 2.89 ERA. The key is that he gave up only 221 hits in 333 innings – and those 367 strike-outs didn’t hurt him either.

“Ruth left the game amid an ovation at the end of the Braves half of the seventh inning and after his third home run — a prodigious clout that carried clear over the rightfield grandstand, bounded into the street and rolled into Schenley Park. Baseball men said it was the longest drive ever made at Forbes Field.”

The box score of that game has been reproduced before, but a new evaluation is necessary in this anniversary year. In the first place, it was the most total bases ever achieved by Ruth in a game. He had hit three home runs before, in a May 21, 1930, tilt, but in this contest he also had a single for 13 total bases. Quite a feat for a 40-year-old literally on his last legs. Ruth’s first homer of the day came off starter Red Lucas, a crafty control pitcher. The other two both came off veteran Guy Bush. This brought in Waite Hoyt, a long-time teammate of Ruth on the Yankees. Hoyt became the winning pitcher because the Bucs won the game 11-7 in spite of the heroics of Ruth.

The player largely responsible for the Pirate victory was little Tommy Thevenow, a Ruth nemesis of the past. Always great in the field, he this time knocked in five runs with a double and triple. With a little help from the Waner Brothers, Arky Vaughan, and others, this was enough to do in the Babe-led Braves.

Having Ruth and Thevenow in the same box score was remarkable in itself, for they represented the extreme ends of the power spectrum. Here was the Sultan of Swat with 714 homers, one for every 11.8 times at bat in his career. And here was Thevenow, who played 1004 games from September 22, 1926, to the end of his career and never hit a fourbagger in 3351 at bats. He had hit only two homers, both early in his career, and both were inside-the-park fourbaggers.

But the 1935 game was not the’ first time that the normally light-hitting Thevenow had stolen some thunder from Ruth. They were unlikely rivals in the 1926 World Series between the Cardinals and Yankees. That was the Series where Ruth hit 3 homers in one game duplicated by no one but the Babe himself in the 1928 classic. But it was all to no avail in 1926. Shortstop Thevenow batted .417 to lead all Series batters — and this included such outstanding stickmen as Ruth, Gehrig, Combs, Hornsby, and Frisch as the Cards heat the Yanks 4 games to 3. Tommy’s 10 hits included one homer and (you guessed it) it was inside the park. He hit a drive that got away from the Yankee rightfielder – a guy named George Ruth.

The Babe may or may not have remembered that 1926 incident when the pesky Thevenow again threatened to rain on his power parade on Nay 25, 1935. Here is that box score.

*-Batted for Cantwell in 8th.

Boston……………………202 010 200 — 7

Pittsburgh……………………..000 430 31x – 11

R-Urbanski, Mallon 2, Ruth 3, Berger, L. Waner 2, Jensen, P. Waner 2, Vaughan 2, Young, Suhr 2, Thevenow. E-Mallon. RBI-Ruth 6, Suhr, Thevenow 5, Young 3, Grace, Lee, Vaughan. 2B-Mallon, Thevenow. 3B-Thevenow, Suhr, L. Waner. HR-Ruth 3, Young. SH-Mallon, Young, Jensen. DP-Vaughan-Young-Suhr; Urbanski-Mallon-Noore. LOB-Boston 8, Pittsburgh 5. BB-Off Lucas 1, Betts 1, Bush 2, Cantwell 2. SO-By Betts 1, Hoyt 2. HO-Lucas 3 in 1/3; Betts 9 in 4-2/3; Cantwell 3 in 2-1/3; Benton 2 in 1; Bush 8 in 6; Hoyt 2 in 2-2/3. Winner-Hoyt. Loser-Cantwell. Umpires-Reardon, Magerkurth and Moran. Time-2:14. Attendance-l0,000.

Yes, the youngest “boy manager” honor goes to Roger Peckinpaugh, who became mentor of the New York Yankees in mid-September 1914, and handled the team for the remainder of the season. He led the Yanks in 17 games, winning nine and losing eight. Although he was replaced by Bill Donovan in 1915 after the Ruppert-Huston group had purchased the club, his brief tenure assures him a page in baseball’s book of unique honors.

Living in comfortable retirement in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, the 83-year-old former shortstop recalls with precision and humor the circumstances that led to his appointment. Frank Chance, the New York manager, had become irritated with the club ownership in 1914, and decided to quit. In the process of telling President Frank Farrell what he thought of the whole business, Chance said it might be a good idea to name young Peckinpaugh his successor.

Chance confided to Peck that he had recommended him and urged him to demand more money if they offered him the job. Farrell, too, had been impressed by his shortstop, and followed Chance’s advice, tendering him the post. No mention was made of money.

“I was tickled to death to be offered the position,” Peck recalled, “but I never would have thought of asking for more money if Frank hadn’t told me to. And they never would have volunteered to give me any more,” he chuckled. “But I finally asked for another $500, and after a little bargaining I got it.”

The only other time he ever demanded more money occurred after Colonel Jacob Ruppert, the brewery tycoon, had acquired the club. Peck wanted $1,000 above what the new contract called for. He was ordered to present himself in the colonel’s mammoth office at the brewery. First off Ruppert extolled him as one of the finest shortstops in baseball. “But then,” Peck laughed, “I brought up the $1,000, and suddenly I wasn’t such a good shortstop.”

Peck’s lengthy career embraced two of the most unusual games in baseball history. He signed with Cleveland in 1909, straight from the Cleveland sandlots, and was shipped to New Haven in the Connecticut League for the 1910 season. He was brought back to the parent club at the tail end of the 1910 season, just as the Indians’ Larry Lajoie and Detroit’s Ty Cobb were fighting for the American League batting title. The contest was accentuated that season because the Chalmers Automobile Company was awarding cars to the top hitters in the major leagues.

It came down to the last day of the season and Cobb had a small lead. Ty had taken himself out of the lineup for a few games, reluctant to risk a bad day or two which might give Lajoie a chance. Cobb was not the most popular player in the league to begin with, but his withdrawal from the lineup in order to win the title and the car heightened the feeling toward him.

Cleveland closed the season with a doubleheader at St. Louis and the 19-year-old Peckinpaugh played both games. Lajoie started out with three solid base hits. “It then occurred to somebody,” Peck recalled, “that if Larry could get four or five more hits he might win the batting championship from Cobb.” A small conspiracy then developed. The rookie St. Louis third baseman, Red Corriden, was playing back on the edge of the outfield grass, and Lajoie began dropping bunts along the third base line, and beating them out.

Well into the second game, it was discovered that one bunted ball which Corriden had thrown to second base in an unsuccessful force attempt had been ruled a fielder’s choice. “So,” Peck went on, “they arranged to walk a flock of Cleveland hitters so Larry could come to bat again, which he did, and he bunted for another hit. There was nothing at stake in all this, and it wasn’t like throwing a game, so no one seemed to think any harm would be done if Larry got all those hits.”

But in spite of eight hits by Lajoie in the double-header, Cobb still won the batting title, .385 to .384, although the Chalmers Company gave cars to both players. The aftermath was not so pleasant, however. When league president Ben Johnson learned that the slow-footed, 35-year-old Lajoie had beaten out a bunch of bunts he wanted to know why. Following an investigation, the St. Louis manager and a St. Louis coach were fired, and Corriden was severely reprimanded.

The other famous game in which Peckinpaugh participated occurred at the Polo Grounds on August 16, 1920, when the Indians were playing the Yankees. He was the Yankee shortstop and Ray Chapman was the Cleveland shortstop. Carl Mays, the celebrated submarine spitball pitcher, was on the mound for New York. “He didn’t throw half underhand,” said Peck, “he threw entirely underhand. His knuckles scraped the dirt many times during a game.”

Ray Chapman, a fine player — whose arrival as a rookie back in 1913 had caused Cleveland to trade Peck to New York — had a very unusual batting stance. He crowded the strike zone, body bent forward, and head directly over the plate. He stepped into the box to lead off the fifth inning that day, assumed his unorthodox position, and Mays fired.

“Chappie must have frozen,” Peck recalled. “That pitch was a strike, and had anyone else been batting, there would have been no problem. Instead of pulling back, he turned his head slightly away from the field, and the ball struck him with full force above the left ear. It made a terrific crack, and out there in the field we couldn’t tell if the ball had hit the bat or the batter. It bounded out to the third baseman, who, taking no chances, threw to first for an apparent out. (Muddy Ruel, who was catching, later claimed he fielded the ball.) But it was no out. Chappie was crumpled at the plate. After awhile several of his teammates picked him up and began walking him to the clubhouse, in centerfield at the Polo Grounds. Just as they got past me a tsecond base, Ray’s legs gave way, and he collapsed. He never regained consciousness.”

Cleveland won the American League crown and World Series in 1920 despite the loss of Chapman, but in 1921 the Yankees won their first pennant in history. It was a great year for Peck and his teammates, even though they lost the Series in eight games to the Giants. One can imagine Peckinpaugh’s chagrin, therefore, when he read in the newspaper that winter that he had been traded to Washington.

“That hurt,” he said, “and it hurt more because it was not my fault. We had just come off a beautiful year, and there was no reason to trade me. The trouble was that Babe Ruth had been openly knocking manager Miller Huggins and boosting me to be manager. Since they weren’t going to get rid of Ruth, baseball’s greatest drawing card, they had to get rid of me, even though I had nothing to do with the matter. Yes, that one hurt.”

Although Peck lost out on two pennants in New York in 1922 and 1923, he picked up two others in Washington in 1924 and 1925. The Senators won the World Series from the Giants in 1924, and Peck was the leading hitter with an average of .417. The 1925 season was his greatest, leading Washington to another pennant, and winning the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award.

But things did not go well in the World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not only did the Pirates win, but it was Peck’s darkest hour. “It is lucky they picked the Most Valuable Player before the World Series began,” he smiled, “or I might not have gotten it afterwards.” The reason was that he set a record which still stands — eight errors by a shortstop.

“It upset me then, and it still does today. Because after my long career, the first thing people ask is, `What about that 1925 World Series?’ They don’t ask about the 1924 World Series, or any of the other things that went well, but only that 1925 World Series. Well, to begin with, it was not nearly as bad as it sounds. We were playing on some pretty wet ball fields then and they used the same muddy, soggy ball until somebody knocked it out of the lot.”

“About four of those errors were low throws to first base which Joe Judge would normally have eaten up. Every time I see Max Carey (Pirate captain in the 1925 Series) at the Hall of Fame game in Bradenton, Florida, he tells me `how could they give you an error on that “fifth hit” of mine? They should have given me a hit, not you an error. Five hits off Walter Johnson could have meant thousands of dollars’.”

“I told Max,” Peck continued, “that the reason for it was simply that Pittsburgh’s Honus Wagner held the World Series record of six errors by a shortstop, and that was one record the Pittsburgh scorers did not want Wagner to have. So I wound up with eight errors and broke Wagner’s record.”

Peckinpaugh finished his playing career with the White Sox in 1927, and was then brought to Cleveland to manage the Indians in 1928. He held that post until early in the 1933 season when Walter Johnson — a close friend from his Washington days — succeeded him. Peck was restored to the Cleveland spot in 1941 following the 1940 “cry baby” business, but managed for only that one year before moving upstairs to the vice presidency. He was succeeded by another “boy manager,” Lou Boudreau.

Peck remained vice president until 1946 when Bill Veeck bought the Indians and cleaned out the front office. Since leaving baseball, he has been a manufacturer’s representative a “peddler,” as he calls it — in Cleveland, and still works one account. Mrs. Peckinpaugh passed away over two years ago, while four sons are all successful attorneys and businessmen in Cleveland.

Aaron and Mays were matched because they both were born in Alabama. Of course, other great players were born there, including Heinie Manush, Satchel Paige, Billy Williams, and Early Wynn, but as expected, it was a two-way race. Aaron rode the crest of his home run popularity to a victory of 39 votes to 30 for Mays.

It was another two-way race in California where Ted Williams beat out Joltin’ Joe by 38 to 34. It was even closer in Pennsylvania where Honus Wagner edged Stan Musial 31-1/2 to 29-1/2, with Christy Mathewson coming in third.

The survey was conducted in the Spring of 1974, so performance for that season had no bearing on the vote. The Society is assessing the contribution that baseball has made in this Country and the review is keyed to the coming centennial observance of the National League and the 75^th anniversary of the American League in the Nation’s bicentennial year of 1976. Last year the Society voted on the greatest foreign-born players, with Juan Marichal of the Dominican Republic winning over Luis Aparicio of Venezuela in a very close vote.

Major league baseball players have been born in all 50 states, including one in Alaska. But in several states the representation was so small that an automatic selection was made of Roger Mans in North Dakota, Dave McNally in Montana, etc. However, ballots were issued covering 44 states.

The ballot included names of the top players in each of those states, including Maryland where Babe Ruth was born, and Georgia, birthplace of Ty Cobb. As it happened, Jimmy Foxx, Lefty Grove, and Al Kaline got a vote or two in Maryland, and Jackie Robinson and Bill Terry kept Cobb from sweeping the bases in Georgia. Only in Kansas did Walter Johnson get all 77 votes cast for that state, and he didn’t have very much competition.

On the other hand, members voted for 11 different players in Illinois and in Indiana. In each case a player not then in the Hall of Fame — Robin Roberts in Illinois, and Chuck Klein in Indiana — was selected over five players already enshrined at Cooperstown. There may be a message there.

Did the voters favor modern players over the old-timers? Not necessarily. Roger Connor, 19th Century slugger, won in Connecticut. In Ohio Cy Young and George Sisler snowed under Pete Rose; and Rogers Hornsby and Tris Speaker didn’t leave many votes for Frank Robinson and Ernie Banks in Texas.

Here are the full voting results:

SURVEY OF BEST BASEBALL PLAYERS BY STATES

ALABAMA — Henry Aaron 39; Willie Mays 30; Satchel Paige 4; Heinie Manush 2; Joe Sewell 1; Billy Williams 1; Early Wynn 1.

ARIZONA — Hank Leiber 42; Solly Hemus 19; Alex Kellner 12.

ARKANSAS — Brooks Robinson 38-1/2; Arky Vaughan 15; Dizzy Dean 13-1/2; Lou Brock 6; George Kell 2; Lon Warneke 1.

CALIFORNIA-   Ted Williams 38; Joe DiMaggio 34; Harry Heilmann 3; Bobby Bonds 1; Joe Cronin 1;   Tom Seaver 1/2; Duke Snider 1/2.

COLORADO —   Johnny Lindell 47; Roy Hartzell 13; Tom L. Hughes 8; Gene Packard 3.

CONNECTICUT Roger Connor 46; Jim O’Rourke 14; Jimmy Piersall 12; Tom Corcoran 4.

DELAWARE —   Vic Willis 40; Hans Lobert 25; Chris Short 7; Sadie McMahon 2.

1. C. — Maury Wills 56; Paul Hines 10-1/2; Doc White 8; Lu Blue 2-1/2.

FLORIDA —   Al Lopez 38-1/2; Bill White 16-1/2; Steve Canton 16; Boog Powell 5; Dave Johnson 1.

GEORGIA — Ty Cobb 75; Jackie Robinson 2; Bill Terry 1.

HAWAII — Mike Lum 64; Matt Wilcox 2; Prince Oana 1.

IDAHO —   Harmon Killebrew 72; Vernon Law 4; Larry Jackson 1.

ILLINOIS — Robin Roberts 25-1/2: Lou Boudreau 12; Joe McGinnity 9-1/2; Jim Bottomley 8-1/2; Red

  Ruffing 8; Fred Lindstrom 4; Ray Schalk 2-1/2; Phil Cavarretta 2; Larry Doyle 2; Red   Schoendienst 2; Ted Kluszewskji1.

INDIANA — Chuck Klein 16-1/2; Sam Rice 13-1/2; Sam Thompson 13-1/2; Mordecai Brown 7-1/2; Edd Roush 7; Amos Rusie 5-1/2; Max Carey 4-1/2; Gil Hodges 3; Babe Adams 2; Billy Herman 2; Fred Fitzsimmons 1.

IOWA —   Bob Feller 40-1/2; Cap Anson 33; Dazzy Vance 1-1/2; Fred Clarke 1; Red Faber 1.

KANSAS — Walter Johnson 77.

KENTUCKY — Earle Combs 26-1/2; Pee Wee Reese 16-1/2; Jim Bunning 13-1/2; Pete Browning 12; Bobby Veach 3-1/2; Carl Mays 3; Gus Weyhing 2.

LOUISIANA–   Melvin Ott 44-1/2; Bill Dickey 25-1/2; Ted Lyons 7.

MAINE — George Gore 37; Fred Parent 18; Bill Carrigan 15.

MARYLAND —   Babe Ruth 71-1/2; Jimmy Foxx 3; Al Kaline 2; Lefty Grove 1-1/2.

MASSACHUSETTS Pie Traynor 34-1/2; Mickey Cochrane 26-1/2; John Clarkson 7-1/2; Tim Keefe 3; Joe Kelley 1-1/2; Jack Chesbro 1; Wilbert Robinson 1; Jimmy Ryan 1; Wilbur Wood 1.

MICHIGAN —   Charlie Gehringer 62; Kiki Cuyler 5; Ed Cicotte 4; Hal Newhouser 3; Jack Fournier 1; Ed Reulbach 1.

MINNESOTA–   Chief Bender 68; Joe Bush 5; Gene DeMontreville 1; Jerry Koosman 1; Wes Westruin 1.

MISSISSIPPI Buddy Myer 28; Guy Bush 21; Claude Passeau 7; George Scott 7; Hugh Critz 4; Gee   Walker 4.

MISSOURI —   Carl Hubbell 29; Yogi Berra 20-1/2; Zack Wheat 13; Jim Galvin 4-1/2; Casey Stengel 4;   Jake Beckley 2; Clark Griffith 1; Charlie Grimm 1; Elston Howard 1; George Van Haltren 1.

MONTANA — Dave McNally (no contest)

NEBRASKA —   Grover Alexander 61-1/2; Sam Crawford 8; Bob Gibson 6-1/2; Richie Ashburn 1.

NEVADA —   Jim Nash (no contest)

NEW JERSEY-   Joe Medwick 28; Goose Goslin 27; Billy Hamilton 13; Don Newcombe 3; Johnny Vander Meer 2; George Case 1; Kid Gleason 1; Mike Tiernan 1.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Red Rolfe 58; Arlie Latham 15; George Tyler 1; Stan Williams 1.

NEW MEXICO- Ralph Kiner 62; Vern Stephens 15.

NEW YORK —   Lou Gehrig 56-1/2; Eddie Collins 6; Warren Spahn 5; Sandy Koufax 4-1/2; Dan Brouthers 2; Hank Greenberg 1-1/2; Waite Hoyt 1; Charles Radbourn 1; Frank Frisch 1/2.

NORTH —- Luke Appling 53; Hoyt Wilhelm 10-1/2; Enos Slaughter 7; Wes Ferrell 2-1/2;

CAROLINA —   Gaylord Perry 2; Jim Hunter 1.

NORTH DAKOTA   Roger Mans (no contest)

OHIO — Cy Young 39-1/2; George Sisler 29; Pete Rose 4; Ed Delahanty 3-1/2; Buck Ewing 1.

OKLAHOMA — Mickey Mantle 52; Paul Waner 21-1/2; Johnny Bench 2; Willie Stargell 1; Lloyd Waner 1/2.

OREGON  —   Ken Williams 41; Mickey Lolich 23; Johnny Pesky 8; Larry Jansen 2.

PENNSYLVANIA   Honus Wagner 31-1/2; Stan Musial 29-1/2; Christy Mathewson 10; Hack Wilson 3; Richie Allen 1; Roy Campanella 1; Eddie Plank 1.

RHODE ISLAND Nap Lajoie 65-1/2; Gabby Hartnett 9-1/2; Hugh Duffy 2.

SOUTH —-   Joe Jackson 67; Larry Doby 3; Bobo Newsom 3; Van Mungo 2; Marty Marion 1-1/2; CAROLINA —   Al Rosen 1/2.

SOUTH DAKOTA James Scott (no contest)

TENNESSEE–   Vada Pinson 17-1/2; Tommy Bridges 16; Bobby Caruthers 14; Ben Chapman 11-1/2; Clyde Milan 7; Red Lucas 4; Jim Gilliam 2; Tim McCarver 1; Claude Osteen 1.

TEXAS — Rogers Hornsby 43; Tris Speaker 24-1/2; Frank Robinson 4; Ernie Banks 3-1/2; Eddie   Mathews 2.

UTAH —   Duke Sims 37; Fred Sanford 19; Gordon Rhodes 10; Ed Heusser 5.

VERMONT —   Larry Gardner 37; Birdie Tebbetts 34; Ray Collins 2; Ernie Johnson 2.

VIRGINIA — Eppa Rixey 53; Deacon Phillippe 10-1/2; Willie Horton 5; Granny Hamner 3; George McQuinn 3; Steve Brodie 1-1/2.

WASHINGTON-   Earl Averill 56-1/2; Ron Santo 17-1/2; Earl Torgeson 1; Rube Walberg 1.

WEST —-   Jess Burkett 40; Bill Mazeroski 18; Lew Bundette 15; Arlie Cooper 3; Andy Seminick 1.

VIRGINIA —

WISCONSIN–   Al Simmons 48-1/2; Kid Nichols 12-1/2; Burleigh Grimes 8-1/2; Addie Joss 4-1/2; Ken   Keltner 1; Andy Pafko 1.

WYOMING —   Dick Ellsworth (no contest)

SURVEY OF BEST ALL-STAR TEAM BY STATE

In the second part of the survey, Society members were asked to pick the state that could put forth the best all-star team over the last century. New York edged out Pennsylvania and California, while Ohio trailed in fourth place. Texas finished fifth and would have received more votes except that its battery was weak. If Nolan Ryan has a few more good seasons, that would help remedy that situation. Here are the state all-star teams.

*Points are based on 6 for a first place vote; 5 for 2^nd; 4 for 3^rd, etc. Other states receiving 10 or fewer points include Alabama, Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. Some voters substituted players, such as Jake Daubert for Mickey Vernon; Tom Seaver for Lefty Gomez, etc.

In the ninth inning, with Worcester leading 7-4, Roger Connor, a 24-year-old giant from Waterbury, Conn., strode to the plate and found three teammates occupying the three bases — a full house of Trojans. Buck Ewing had reached first with a single, went to second on another single by Frank Hankinson and when Tim O’Keefe, famous as a pitcher but playing right field that afternoon, walked, the bases were full. The Worcester pitcher was John Lee Richmond, a 24-year-old left-handed hurler who had gained fame the previous summer by pitching the first perfect game, beating Cleveland, 1-0 at Worcester on June 12, 1880.

The equally left-handed batting Connor proceeded to make history when he batted a home run and Troy scored four runs on the play, winning the game, 8-7 for Holyoke’s Smiling Mickey Welch. So what’s so historic about that, say you — it’s being done every day. Ah, but it wasn’t being done every day way back then. In fact, from the time the National League played its first game on April 22, 1876, until that September day five years later, there had not been any grand slam homer decorating the batting records of a National League player. Connor, who would bat a total of 138 homers before retiring in 1897, thus made history by batting the first grand slam in the records. Not until Babe Ruth hit #139 on July 18, 1921, would Connor’s life-time total be eclipsed. But that’s another home run story.

As so often happens with spectacular events, after five years and more elapsed before the first grand slam was batted, only 19 days elapsed before the feat was repeated. This time it was a Worcester player who batted baseball’s second grand slam. Harry Stovey hit a round-trip blow in the first inning of a game with Chicago at Worcester on September 29. Stovey, who gained fame as one of the great base stealers of his era, but whose home run prowess has, been ignored by baseball’s historians, was the fourth batter in the game to face Chicago’s ace right-hander Larry Corcoran. Lou “Buttercup” Dickerson, Pete Hotaling, and John Richmond, the hurler who gave up Connor’s slam earlier in the month, had managed to fill the bases as the first three men up, and Stovey’s drive promptly gave Worcester four quick runs.

During the next season, `1882, Charles Foley of the Buffalo Nationals batted two grand slams, the first to accomplish that feat. Foley, born in Milltown, Ireland, 26 years earlier, batted his slams on May 19 and 25. He would bat only six home runs during his five-year major league career!

Over the next 30 years, a dozen or more players were able to equal the Foley display of power, but none could come up with three slams in one season. Two players had even batted grand slams in two consecutive games – Jimmy Bannon with the Boston Reds on August 6 and 7, 1894, and Jimmy Sheckard with the Brooklyn Superbas on September 23 and 24, 1901.

In 1911, Frank “Wildfire” Schulte was one of the Chicago Nationals’ star outfielders. Then 29 years old, the left-handed hitter had been with the Cubs some seven seasons and in 1910 had batted 10 homers in an era when reaching double figures was quite unusual. But in 1911, Wildfire really went haywire — he batted no less than 22 home runs and he made four of them with the bases full. His new seasonal record for grand slams would stand until 1955 when another Chicago star, Ernie Banks, hit five grand slams. Strangely enough, this 1911 mark was Schulte’s complete major league grand slam activity, although he wound up his career with 94 fourbaggers, a very respectable total in the pre-Ruthian era.

The record of four grand slams in one season was not equaled in the American League until the immortal Babe came by in 1919 and, in his first year as a full-time outfielder for the Red Sox, also batted four grand slams on his way to a new home run mark of 29. Although his home run totals went up dramatically after that, those with the bases loaded were not so easily attained as in 1919. Several other players hit four in a season – Lou Gehrig in 1934, Rudy York in 1938, Vince DiMaggio in 1945, Tommy Henrich 1948, Ralph Kiner l949, Sid Gordon 1950, Al Rosen 1951, and Ray Boone 1953. Then Banks hit five in 1955, and Jim Gentile set the record in the American with five in 1961. Gentile was able to bat two of them in a single game, on May 9, 1961, a feat performed only six times in the American and once in the National.

The first two-a-game performer was that wonderful Yankee of yesteryear, “poosh-am-up” Tony Lazzeri who, even though he was batting eighth in. the order, picked on the poor old Athletics of 1936 to hit duplicate drives with the bases jammed at Shibe Park on Sunday, May 24. The A’s were hosting the Yanks in a weekend pair of doubleheaders, and the Yankees feasted with 13 homers in the four games. The Lazzeri slams served to ice the cake as they came in the Sunday second game. They also helped give Tony. 11 RBI’s, which is still the American League record.

Jim Tabor, playing third for the Red Sox, duplicated the Lazzeri feat in the second game of a July 4th holiday twinbill, also at Shibe Park, in 1939. Another Red Hose slugger, Rudy York, hoisted a pair of slams on July 27, 1946. Then after Gentile, came Jim Northrup in 1968 and Frank Robinson when he was with the Orioles in 1970. The only time two slams were hit by a player in the National League, the feat was performed by a pitcher — believe it or not. Tony Cloninger of the Atlanta Braves startled the baseball world with two jackpot wallops at San Francisco on July 3, 1966. Needless to say, Tony won his game 17-3.

No club ever hit more than two grand slams in one game. However, two times it was accomplished in the same inning. In the first inning of the Minnesota game with Cleveland on July 18, 1962, Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew both delivered with the bases loaded. This feat was duplicated July 30, 1969, when Denis Menke and Jim Wynn of Houston both unloaded in the 9th inning against the New York Mets.

The individual club record, for most grand slams in one season is held by the Detroit Tigers who batted a total of 10 in 1938 — York 4, Greenberg 2, Laabs 2, Fox 1, Tebbetts 1. The famous Chicago Cubs of 1929 hold the top National mark with 9 — Hornsby, Grimm, and Hack Wilson 2 each, and 1 apiece for Stephenson, McMillan, and Cuyler. Only one other club has been able to bat 9 slams in a season and the Red Sox have gained the heights twice – in 1941 and 1950.

Since 1881, the National League has never failed to bat a grand slam in each season. In 1974, there were 38 home runs hit with the bases full in the National, which brings the National total to 1427. Appropriately, the Chicago Cubs, the only NL team to play continuously since 1876, have hit the most slams in the Senior Circuit. They hit 188, including 22 before the American League joined the fun in 1901. Next in line are the New York Nationals — comprising the Giants from 1883 through 1957 and the Mets from 1962 through 1974 — who have accumulated 178 homers with the sacks crowded.

When the American League opened for business in the spring of 1901, grand slams were hit early in the initial campaign. On May 1, two White Sox players — catcher Ed McFarland and outfielder Dummy Hoy — connected in the same game. Since then grand slams have been hit every year except 1918. In that war-shortened season, no AL player connected.

In 1974, American Leaguers batted 38 grand slams, the same as in the NL. This brings the AL total to 1266 in its 74-year history. It is probably no surprise that the Yankees have the highest team total for grand slams, 194, followed by the Red Sox with 188.

Grand slams were also recorded in the old 19^th century American Association (42), the Players League (6), and the Federal League (13). No home run with the bases full, was recorded in the Union Association in 1884. The result of all this statistical work on grand slams from 1876 through 1974 indicates a total of 2754 home runs with three men on base have been batted in 99 years of play. The breakdown is included in the accompanying charts.

There also follows a listing of the 19 players who have hit 10 or more grand slams in their careers. This includes Henry Louis Gehrig, the all-time leader, with an amazing total of 23, and the new NL leader, Henry Louis Aaron, with 16. The table reflects the number hit in their home park, on the road, the number as a pinch hitter, as the first batter to face a relief pitcher, and the number of games won with a grand slam.

The rundown by major league clubs follows:

Career Leaders in Grand Slam Homers

Riding the crest of the Labor Day sweep of Boston, the Orioles dealt Cleveland a double shutout on September 6. Dave McNally won the first game 2-0, and Mike Cuellar again won by 1-0. It was a great day for these two seasoned southpaws, who lend considerable class to the list of doubleheader whitewash winners.

There have been many such “double whammies” — 82 in the American and 94 in the National. This averages out to more than one in each league each season. Of course, they seem to occur in clusters — nine in 1906, and only seven in the 10-year period 1921-30. Of course, with all the runs that were being scored in the latter period, it is no wonder.

Reviewing the list of double shutout winners, you unconsciously look for the names of great team pitching duos, such as Mathewson and McGinnity of the Giants, Grove and Earnshaw of the Athletics, Ruffing and Gomez of the Yankees, Lemon and Wynn of the Indians, and Koufax and Drysdale of the Dodgers. Ironically, none of these popular duos ever worked twinbill shutouts in tandem.

Of course, doubleheader shutouts are unpredictable events. Carl Hubbell of the Giants participated in four such winning efforts, but each time with a different partner — with Bill Walker, with Hal Schumacher, and with Roy Parmelee. The latter occasion, on July 2, 1933, was one of the spectacular twinbills. Hubbell, opposing the Cardinals, dueled Tex Carleton for 16 innings and Jesse Haines for 2 before winning a 1-0 thriller in 18 innings. In the second game, teammate Parmelee beat Dizzy Dean 1-0 in the regulation 9. Roy fanned 13, a very high figure for those days.

No more spectacular double shutouts were recorded, however, than the Cub triumphs over the Dodgers on September 26, 1908. On that day, Ed Reulbach pitched both complete game victories by scores of 5-0 and 3-0, the only time this feat was ever recorded. Reulbach also played a role in two other twin blankings, so he figures pretty prominently on the accompanying list. In the American League, Herb Pennock participated in four twin shutouts, but in one of these games for the Athletics, he was relieved by Eddie Plank. In fact, multiple pitchers were used in a number of these shutouts, and they weren’t all in recent years when it has become more common for relievers to be used in shutout games.

Has there ever been a shutout combination that repeated? There have been two such occasions. In 1918 Claude Hendrix and George Tyler of the Cubs shut out the Cards twice on July 4 and the Phils twice on August 17. On August 20, 1941, Johnny Vander Meer and Elmer Riddle dealt the Phils a double shutout; two years later, on September 26, 1943, they both shut out the Braves.

Earlier we made reference to the only double 1-0 shutout in American League history. The highest scoring double shutout also was made in the Junior Circuit, on September 22, 1936, when submariner Eldon Auker of the Tigers beat the Browns 12-0 in the opener, and Tommy Bridges and Company throttled them 14-0 in the nightcap. The poor Browns, they never won a double shutout, and lost an even dozen.

Three no-hitters were pitched as a part of double shutouts. On September 6, 1905, Doc White of the White Sox whitewashed the Tigers 2-0 in the opener, and Frank Smith no-hit them 15-0 in the finale. Fans probably have forgotten that the famous Babe Ruth-Ernie Shore no-hitter over the Washington Senators on June 23, 1917, was accompanied by a nightcap shutout authored by Hubert “Dutch” Leonard, who allowed the Nats only four hits. In the opener Shore had relieved Ruth in the first inning with nobody out and pitched perfect ball the rest of the way.

On September 21, 1934, with the Cardinals beating the Dodgers, Dizzy Dean took the opener 13-0, and was somewhat chagrined when younger brother Paul pitched a no-hitter in the second game. Diz had allowed only three hits, and this is a record for fewest hits allowed in a double shutout.

The full list of twinbill shutout victories by one club since 1900 is carried below. To complete the record it should be mentioned here that there were also three “double whammies” in the Federal League. On July 4, 1914, Bob Groom and Mordecai Brown of St. Louis blanked Kansas City twice; on July 14, 1914, Earl Moore and Fred Anderson of Buffalo shut out Baltimore twice; and on August 13, 1915, Al Schultz and Fred Anderson of Buffalo held St. Louis scoreless.

In the list below, * indicates extra-inning games, and # indicates less than 9 innings but a complete game.

AL DOUBLEHEADER SHUTOUT WINS BY ONE TEAM

NL DOUBLEHEADER SHUTOUT WINS BY ONE TEAM

*Assisted by Alex Haas and Leonard Gettelson

I thought it would be interesting to find out some of the details of the exhibition game and to review the ensuing 12 games played by Gehrig as a professional under the name of Lewis. In particular, I wanted to examine this short period of Gehrig’s baseball life based on old Hartford newspaper files. Here is the way it goes:

On April 5, 1921, the Hartford Senators of the Eastern League in their first exhibition game of the season beat Columbia University 4-3. The big story was a Columbia player, Lefty Gehrig, who hit Hartford pitcher Alton Durgin for two long home runs in his only two trips to the plate. A. B. McGinley of the Hartford Times described the second home run like this: “When he came up again in the 3rd inning, Durgin the lofty Maine boy who was pitching for Hartford was all set for revenge. He got a strike on Gehrig but the next one he threw Gehrig leaned on and it went sailing out of the enclosure past a big sundial and almost into the School of Mines. It was a mighty clout and worthy of Babe Ruth’s best handiwork.”

The young player greatly impressed Hartford Manager, Arthur Irwin, a former major league player and manager. The two home runs would have cleared the center field fence at Clarkin Field, Hartford’s home park, and Irwin saw a promising future for the young baseball player.

The big first baseman, it was later reported, had promised Irwin that he would play under him if he decided to enter professional baseball. Several big league teams had been trying to sign him but all indications were he would stay at Columbia University. Subsequently, on June 2, announcement was made by Manager Irwin in the local newspapers that the hard hitting semi-pro from Brooklyn, Lefty Gehrig, had been signed to play first base for the Senators. It was assumed by some that he had decided to quit school.

The next day the newspapers were apparently requested or advised not to call further attention to the Columbia athlete’s real name and from that day on they referred only to that young player from New York, “Lewis” or “Lou Lewis.”

On June 3 the Hartford Senators beat the Pittsfield Hillies 2-1. Lou Lewis played the full game at first base. In his O. B. debut, he was 0 for 3 with one sacrifice hit against Pittsfield hurler Al Pierotti, who later went up to the Braves.

After that initial game the Hartford Courant wrote “Lou Lewis, Arthur Irwin’s latest discovery was planted on the initial sack. The youngster who is only 18 years old (actually he was still 17) appeared to be a bit nervous. After he gets used to surroundings he may develop. They seldom fail to make the grade with Irwin teaching the ways of baseball.”

Lewis’ first hit and first run scored came in his second game as Hartford beat the Waterbury Brasscos 5-3 at Hartford before 5,000 fans on June 4. In the second inning the youthful first sacker hit the first ball pitched by Fred Rawley to right field for three bases. He scored shortly after when the next batter Phil Neher singled to center.

On the following day, June 5, Lewis went two for five as Hartford beat Albany 10-2 at Albany; the first baseman was beginning to impress and was being touted as a “Babe Ruth.”

Hartford beat Pittsfield 10-6 on June 8, and the Times wrote: “Lewis caught hold of a fast one in the third inning and sent it against the “B” in the Buick sign on the right field fence for a double. Lewis probably won’t get a Buick for his clout but he may get a ride in one before the season runs its course.” Lou went two for five that day. One of the times he made an out he slammed a terrific drive that traveled at the proverbial mile-a-minute clip into right fielder Bill McCorry’s gloved hand. It was described as the hardest hit of the game.

Whi1e Lewis at the young age of 17 was demonstrating his ability to knock the cover off the ball there were some indications that he lacked experience. On June 10 the Senators were trailing the Bridgeport “Brown Derbies” in the last of the ninth when with one out Heinie Scheer singled. Lewis then hit one to the box carrying a lot of smoke and it bounded off pitcher Ed Lepard’s glove for a single. Lewis a moment later was trapped off first by catcher Joe Smith on a pitchout. The rally was effectively stopped and the game was lost by Hartford, 4 to 2.

The Times wrote on June 11, “Lewis the youngster just breaking into organized ball with the local club is doing as well as one can expect and his present work gives fans here hopes that he will add to the Hartford hitting average which at present is the weakest link in the pennant-winning chain. The young first sacker is a slugger.”

Lefty Lewis unexplainedly did not play in the Bridgeport game on June 13 but the next day against the Springfield Ponies he hit the second triple of his early professional experience.

In his last Eastern League game that year, on June 15, 1921, against Springfield, he showed his power even though his only hit was an infield one. In the first inning he crashed one against third baseman Jack Flynn’s shins and the ball caromed off with such force that it bounced across the diamond and the runner on third base, Harry Hesse, scored without any trouble.

No game was played on June 16 and at that point the young first baseman’s name, without explanation, ceased to appear in the Hartford papers for the remainder of the season. During his stay Hartford, winning 8 games and losing 5, had climbed into first place with a 28-17 record. Before the season was to end the Hartford Senators would drop to fifth place and its Manager, Art Irwin who had been successful in luring the young first baseman into professional baseball, if only for a short 12 games, would meet an untimely death. On July 16, 1921, he fell or jumped from the steamer Calvin Austin during a voyage from New York to Boston.

Even with a mediocre batting average of .261, Lewis had given Hartford fans an indication of things to come. The name “Lou Lewis” would not again appear in a Hartford or other professional baseball game box score! “Lou,” however, would return to the Eastern League in 1923 (as of August 2) and hit home runs at a pace which still has not been surpassed in the Eastern League, 24 home runs in only 59 games.

What the Hartford newspapers did not report was that Columbia athletic officials had learned that Gehrig was playing pro ball under an assumed name. After being advised of the possible implications of playing for money, an unhappy Lou Gehrig returned promptly to New York City. As a result of this escapade Lou had to wait an extra year, until the fall of 1922, before he could participate in Columbia inter-collegiate sports. The experience might have hurt the New York Giants as well because had it never taken place, who knows, McGraw might have been able to sign up Lou Gehrig in 1923 instead.

Among these seldom heard of batting streaks of old was a 42-game spurt by shortstop Bill Dahlen of the Chicago Cubs (Colts at that time) from June 20 to August 7, 1894. Although it remained the record high for only three years before Keeler exceeded it, Dahlen’s was the longest consecutive game hitting streak up to that time. And after being halted on August 7, Dahlen followed up with a streak of 28 games, thus hitting safely in 70 of 71 games, certainly one of the most unusual batting records of all time.

It all began in Cleveland, then a National League city, on June 20, 1894, at which time Dahlen was batting only .257. He surely did not begin his hit parade with any great fanfare, stroking but one single in four attempts as Cap Anson’s one-time pupil, John Clarkson, bested his former boss, 7-3.

The following afternoon, however, Dahlen went two for five, driving in one run with a triple as he and his teammates beat the Pittsburgh Pirates at the steel city, 10-7. After two more games at Pittsburgh, Anson’s men returned to Chicago for a long home stand, during which time Dahlen’s bat became one of the hottest in baseball. The morning of July 12 saw his batting average standing at .319, the young infielder having now hit safely during his last 20 games.

Eleven days later, his run reached 30 straight. At Louisville, August 4, Dahlen hit safely in his 40th consecutive game, bringing his average up to .329. The following afternoon, with the team back in Chicago for a series with Cincinnati, he made it 41 with a single in three at bats as the Colts’ Clark Griffith easily over-powered Frank Dwyer and the Reds, 8-1. On August 6, Dahlen’s spree reached 42 games when he went two for four and scored once off pitcher George Cross, as Chicago again took Cincinnati, this time by a score of 12-9. Finally, on August 7, Red pitchers Chauncey Fisher and Tom Parrott held him hitless in six appearances, thereby ending his streak. In spite of this, Chicago won the game, 13-11, in ten innings, to sweep the series.

Dahlen’s bat, however, was not to be silenced so quickly. Following his one hitless day he began another streak which eventually ran to 28 games before he was silenced in four at bats by Connie Lucid of Brooklyn on September 15, this being the Colt star’s first game since September 9. Interestingly enough, Chicago was the victor in this game also, walloping the Bridegrooms, as the Dodgers were then known, 10-3. With this added to his first streak, Dahlen had batted safely in 70 of 71 contests, making his stretch one of the finest examples of batting’ consistency ever displayed.

During his 42-game spell of June 20 through August 6, Dahlen collected 74 hits in 186 times at bat for a .398 batting average, including 14 doubles, 7 triples, and 4 home runs. He scored a spectacular 66 runs in the period while driving in 44, an impressive RBI total for a batter who was almost always placed second in the lineup. In his 28-game streak of August 8 through September 9, Dahlen’s totals were 49 hits in 118 at bats for a .415 mark with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, 30 runs scored and 12 batted in; however, his zero for six performance on August 7 kept his overall batting average for the 71-game period at .397. This included 65 hits in 165 at bats for a .394 average during home games and 58 safeties in 145 appearances on the road for a .400 mark. Bill’s 42-game streak was accomplished largely on his home grounds while his 28-game streak was attained primarily on the road. His most productive outing came in Chicago July 5, when he blasted Win Mercer of Washington for four hits (three of them doubles) in five at bats, scoring five runs and driving in three to lead his teammates to a 13-10 victory.

Although the Chicago Nationals of 1894 were hardly a contending team, finishing 8th in a 12-city league, there can be no question of Dahlen’s value to the club, particularly during his hot period. Chicago entered the game of June 20 — when Dahlen began his first streak – with a record of 15 wins and 30 losses. From then through August 7, when his streak was snapped, the team won 25 and lost 17, with one tie game being called on account of darkness. The Colts could not hang onto Dahlen’s coattails thereafter, winning only 11 while dropping 16 and tying one from August 8 through September 9, when his second streak reached 28 games. Nevertheless, their 36-33 record from June 20 through September 9 was far more impressive than the 21-42 showing before and after Dahlen’s streaks.

Surprisingly (or perhaps not so surprisingly, considering the way batters were whacking the cover off the ball in 1894), Dahlen’s hitting streaks attracted virtually no attention in the papers. Even after his first streak surpassed 30, then 40 games, it received no special mention, nor was it acknowledged as such after it had been broken at 42. Only the Chicago Inter-Ocean of August 8, 1894, in its coverage of the previous day’s ball game, noted in passing that “the usually reliable little stick man failed utterly in six attempts to get a hit.” That was the extent of the press coverage given to Dahlen’s hitting streak in Chicago.

The season of 1894 marked the artistic high point of Dahlen’s career, the infielder finishing the year with a .357 batting average, 179 hits, 32 doubles, 14 triples, 15 home runs, 149 runs scored and 107 runs batted in. His batting average, however, ranked only 17th among players with 300 or more at bats in a league which included five hitters with a .400 or better average. He remained with Chicago through 1898, after which he was traded to Baltimore, which sent him to Brooklyn the same winter. Although Dahlen seemed to lose his batting eye after he left Chicago, he retained his reputation as one of the better fielding shortstops of his era as well as an able base runner, and was a mainstay for another decade. His one major fault as a player was his habit of deliberately getting himself ejected from games so that he could attend horse races.

In reviewing Dahlen’s hitting spree in a historical perspective, it must be noted that at this time professional baseball was undergoing its last major change prior to the advent of the lively ball. The pitching distance had been increased from 50 feet to its current measurement of 60 feet, six inches in 1893. At the same time, the old-fashioned pitcher’s box was replaced by a pitching slab or rubber. The effect of these alterations was like the blast of a shotgun on National League pitchers, some of them never being able to adjust to the changes. In 1892, the last year of the 50 foot pitching distance, the cumulative batting average of National League clubs was only .245; by 1894 it had jumped to .309, while home run production increased from 417 to 628 during the same span. On the Chicago club, the effects were even more pronounced, the team batting average leaping from .235 in 1892 to .314 in 1894, both of which figures still represent the all-time extremes in Cub records.

There can be no doubt that Dahlen was helped by the new rulings, as were most other hitters in the league. However, it was Dahlen — not Delahanty, Duffy, Brouthers, or Thompson — who set the record. The fact that his streak occurred in 1894 may tend to dull its luster a bit, but then again, such other important streaks as DiMaggio’s 56 and George Sisler’s 41 (1922) did not exactly occur in times when pitchers were the commanding factor of the game, either. The same, of course, applies to Keeler and Holmes. And while Bill Dahlen was obviously not in the same class with Keeler, Sisler, or DiMaggio, the very fact that he put together back-to-back hitting streaks of such lengthy dimensions should accord his achievement wide-spread recognition.

For example, in the book entitled “Babe, the Legend Comes to Life,” author Robert W. Creamer speculates that Ruth played with the Bayonne Athletic Club in 1913. Closer research discloses that this player was Frank Ruth, who was still with that club the following year while the Babe was having his first fling in Organized Baseball. This is made clear by the following note which appeared in the Baltimore American on August 23, 1914: “Bayonne A. C. will play St. Elizabeth at Orangeville. Murray or Kansler will pitch while Frank Ruth, the backstop, will be at his old position.”

In the book “Babe Ruth and the American Dream,” author Ken Sobel has doubts about the popular story that Jack Dunn, owner and manager of the International League Orioles, signed Ruth in 1914 after watching him skating on the ice at St. Mary’s Industrial School in Baltimore. Moreover, Sobel does not accept the tale that Dunn was interested in another southpaw by the name of Ford Meadows before he signed Ruth. He states that Dunn was more likely interested in a pitcher named Bill Morisette, who had attended Mt. St. Joseph’s and later pitched for Philadelphia and Detroit in the American League. Sobel further states that although the name of Meadows was mentioned in Ruth’s “The Babe Ruth Story,” the name never appears anywhere else.

In the first place, Morisette was not the pitcher that Dunn was after for the simple reason that he already was a member of the Orioles at the time. Dunn signed him out of Mt. St. Joseph’s in May 1913, and he pitched for the Orioles the rest of that season and was on Baltimore’s reserve list for 1914. Secondly, there really was a pitcher by the name of Ford Meadows who pitched for Mt. St. Joseph’s in 1914. There have been many versions of how Meadows fits into the picture, but one story I heard in Baltimore many years ago seems to have some merit. It concerns Brother Gilbert, who is often credited with the discovery of Ruth.

Brother Gilbert was Director of Athletics at Mt. St. Joseph’s at the time. He had an outstanding college baseball team. One of his new pitchers was Meadows, who had pitched for Rock Hill College in 1913. No doubt Dunn had Meadows scouted in 1913 and was interested in giving the youngster a chance with his team.

Dunn used to pick up several youngsters a year from the local ball diamonds. Among those he had corralled that way up to that time included “Home Run” Baker, “Butcher Boy” Schmidt, Fritz Maisel, George Maisel, Lefty Russell and Allan Russell.

As the story goes, Dunn approached Brother Gilbert about taking Meadows south with his club. Meadows was the only southpaw on the Mt. St. Joseph’s roster and Brother Gilbert was counting on him for the coming season. Brother Gilbert decided to divert Dunn’s attention away from Meadows by telling him about young Ruth down the road at St. Mary’s Industrial School.

Brother Gilbert had seen Ruth play several games and although he was impressed by his hitting and pitching he did not envision him as a big leaguer at that time. But he had heard his associates of the Xavieran Brotherhood rave about Ruth’s playing at St. Mary’s. So Brother Gilbert told Dunn that Ruth was really the one he wanted for his team. He told the Oriole magnate that besides being one of the speediest pitchers around, Ruth could play first base or the outfield as well as drive the ball a mile. That was apparently the way Brother Gilbert “discovered” Ruth while really saving Meadows for his own team.

In February 1914, Dunn went out to St. Mary’s, got a glimpse of Ruth as he was sliding on the ice, talked to Brother Mathais about the youngster and signed him to a contract. That Dunn, a shrewd operator, would sign a player in that manner has been doubted by many observers over the years. But there is some evidence that that’s the way it did happen.

Some years ago, during a spring training session of the Orioles, I happened to hear the late Fritz Maisel talking about the first time he had seen Ruth. Fritz was a Baltimore boy and a close friend of Dunn, who had sold him to the Yankees for a fancy price in 1913. Fritz was at home during the winter when Dunn asked him to accompany him to St. Mary’s to see Brother Mathais about Ruth. Maisel recalled that the snow was piled up several feet high the day they went out there. When they got to St. Mary’s they saw a bunch of kids sliding down a hill in the yard. One particularly big boy came sliding down the hill, knocked over three other boys, jumped up laughing, like it was all a big joke.

Brother Mathais turned to Dunn and Maisel and said: “That’s Ruth.” Maisel ended his story by saying that the next time he saw Ruth he was facing him in an American League game.

The recollections by Maisel seem to make sense for the first announcement on the signing of Ruth appeared in the Baltimore papers on Sunday, February 15, 1914. In checking the Baltimore weather for that period I find that the city had its first significant snowfall in two years on Friday, February 13, with more than six inches of snow. The next day was very cold and windy and caused some snow drifts in the outlying parts of the city. It would appear then that Dunn and Maisel went out to St. Mary’s on February 14, accounting for the “several feet of snow” in Maisel’ s reminiscence.

The article in the Baltimore American on February 17 stated that:

“George H. Ruth, southpaw, standing six feet one inch tall and weighing 180 pounds, is the latest Oriole.

He pitched for St. Mary’s Industrial School and among other feats he is credited with fanning 20 men in a game with Bill Byers’ All-Stars. Hefty William admits George made monkeys out of his boys, and while boasting him as a hurler took occasion to say that Dunn will make a mistake if he doesn’t play him at first or in the outfield. Ruth looks like Ben Houser and hits like he does, says the former Oriole catcher.”

The above article would indicate that although Dunn had never seen Ruth perform before he signed him, he probably did check on his ability, with Byers, a catcher with the Orioles for several seasons under Dunn, and perhaps with his own scout — Charles Steinmann.

The rest of the Ruth beginning is well chronicled. The Orioles trained in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1914. On March 7, after several days in camp, the Orioles were divided into two teams, called Sparrows and Buzzards. Ruth, starting at short for the Buzzards, hit a tremendous drive to right field in the second inning, scoring Ensign Cottrell ahead of him. Ruth’s drive landed in a cornfield and he circled the bases before Billy Morisette, playing right field, picked up the ball. The local fans, amazed at the power of the rookie, agreed that the ball traveled some 20 yards farther than the previous record blow for the park made by Jim Thorpe when the famous Indian athlete played for Fayetteville in the East Carolina League in 1910. That was two years prior to the Olympic Games in Stockholm, in which Thorpe won the decathlon in record time only to have his medals taken away when his professional baseball experience was discovered.

Manager Dunn did not witness Ruth’s initial homer since he did not arrive in the Oriole camp until March 10, when he brought in the main contingent of Orioles. But when Dunn saw Ruth in uniform for the first time he was tickled with him and said he thought Ruth might be valuable at some other position than pitcher. Within another week Dunn declared that Ruth was the most promising player he ever had and predicted great things for him.

Ruth got his baptism of real competition in an exhibition game against the Philadelphia Phillies on March 18. He was the second of three pitchers used by Dunn in that game, and he proved his mettle under fire at the outset.

The Baltimore American description of the game, which included an early reference to “Babe,” follows:

“Babe Ruth made his debut in the fourth and while the Quakers tied things up it was not entirely his fault. Lobert and Luderus singled after which Magee worked a free ticket. Three on and none out made things look blue for the recruit but he steadied and would have emerged with a pure record but for a bad bounce of a ball hit to Derrick.”

Ruth pitched three innings and the Orioles won 4-3. The next day Dunn called on the youngster to stop a Philly rally in the sixth inning. Philadelphia had scored four runs and had a man on second with only one out. The Babe promptly fanned Henry Matteson and George Paskert to end the frame. In the next three innings,

Ruth struck out three more, allowed no runs and two hits. After watching Ruth hold the Phils to six hits and two runs in six and two-thirds innings in two games, Pat Moran, the Philly pitching coach who as manager the next year was to lead the Phils to their first National League pennant, declared:

“Ruth is a coming $12,000 beauty. A marvel for a kid just breaking in. He has the build, the curves and can hit quite a bit himself. I predict that within the course of a few years Ruth will be one of the best southpaws in baseball.”

Six days later, on March 25, at Wilmington, N.C., Dunn gave Ruth his first starting assignment against the world champion Philadelphia Athletics. Although nicked for 13 safeties, Ruth was magnificent in the pinches and won 6-2. The Athletics paid him a big compliment after the game, stating that he was one of the best youngsters they had seen in a long time. “Ruth is a sure comer,” said Eddie Collins, the A’s star second baseman. “He has the speed and a sharp curve, and, believe me, he is steady in the pinches.”

Incidentally, it is popularly believed that Ruth showed up Frank Baker in this game by fanning him several times but this is pure fantasy since the slugging third baseman got a double and three singles. The only time he was retired he hit a long fly to right field. Once Baker drove the ball against the top of the right field fence, but it bounced back and he got only a single out of it.

After Ruth had defeated Brooklyn in another exhibition game several weeks later, Dodgers’ manager, Wilbert Robinson, joined the growing list of Ruth admirers. “He will be one of the sensations of the baseball season,” predicted Robbie. Casey Stengel played in that game for the Dodgers and had one hit in three tries against the Babe. Many years later Stengel recalled the game and remembered Ruth hitting a terrific drive over his head in right field to drive in two runs.

When Ruth made his O. B. debut on April 22 in his home town fewer than 200 fans were in the stands. Across the street at Terrapin Park, 3200 spectators, dazzled by the lure of so-called major league baseball, watched the Federal League game.

The lack of customers didn’t bother the Babe. He blanked Buffalo 6-0, giving up but six hits and collecting two hits himself.  In his first time at bat in O. B., the Babe cracked out a single to right field off the delivery off George McConnell, a tall righthander who had pitched for the Yankees the year before.

Ruth went on to a fabulous career, first as one of the outstanding pitchers in baseball and then as the game’s greatest slugger. But what ever happened to the other young lefthander in this story — Ford Meadows?

Well, for one thing, he was an outstanding college pitcher for Mt. St. Joseph’s in 1914 and 1915. After the 1915 college season, Meadows, who was known as Rube, signed with Dunn’s Richmond International League club. (After selling his stars, including Ruth, Dunn had to move his franchise out of Baltimore after the 1914 campaign.)

Meadows made an auspicious start for Richmond. In a relief role at Jersey City on June 15, he pitched two innings and struck out five of the six batters to face him. That earned him a starting assignment the next day but Dunn had to yank him after he gave up four hits and six walks in four innings. Meadows appeared in 13 games and was 0 and 2 for the season. He gave up 27 hits in 23 innings, and was forever plagued with wildness, giving up 45 bases on balls while fanning 23. He had shown enough promise, however, for the Yankees to purchase him for $5,000. Meadows joined the New York club on September 3, but Manager Bill Donovan did not use him in a championship contest. At the time Meadows joined the club, Donovan had an unusually good crop of young pitchers to look over. Among them were Dazzy Vance, George Mogridge,

Neal Brady, Allan Russell, Cliff Markle and Dan Tipple — all with good minor league credentials.

Meadows accompanied the Yankees to spring training at Macon, Georgia, in 1916. He pitched in one Regular-Yanigan game but pitched so poorly that he was returned to Dunn for more seasoning. Dunn had returned to Baltimore in 1916 after the Federal League folded. The Oriole pilot was not impressed with Meadows and suspended him until he got into better shape. Even after he reinstated him, Dunn would not trust the erratic southpaw in a game. Meadows complained to the head of the minor league association, and Secretary John Farrell contacted Dunn and told him that it was up to him to let Rube work or release him.

On June 30, 1916, in a game against Richmond at Oriole Park, Dunn finally thought he had found the proper spot to give the unhappy lefthander a chance to pitch. Two Oriole pitchers had been treated rather roughly and Dunn called on Meadows. Rube lasted only two innings and might have set a record for walks had not Dunn seen enough. Meadows had given up 11 bases on balls in the two innings when he was removed from the game. That night Dunn handed him his unconditional release.

Since Meadows did not appear in a championship major league game his name is not to be found in any of the baseball encyclopedias. However, if anyone should doubt that Meadows actually joined the Yankees, I have a copy of the contract he signed on August 26, 1915. The contract between the Base Ball Club of New York and B. B. (Ford) Meadows was approved by Ban Johnson, President of the American League on August 30, 1915. The contract, beginning on or about the 1st day of September, 1915, and ending on or about the 14th day of October, 1915, called for a total compensation for each month of the season contracted for $500.

The list of pitchers who hit grand slams is embellished also by the names of great American League hurlers such as Walter Johnson, Babe Ruth, Lefty Grove, Wes Ferrell, Red Ruffing, and Early Wynn. Burly Early did it as a pinch hitter, and we thought those instances should be included because calling on a hurler to pinch hit with the bases loaded is quite a compliment. In Wynn’s case, he hit his slam in the fifth and then pitched the rest of the way to win the game.

Seven hurlers hit two grand slams in their careers. In addition to Cloninger, there was Schoolboy Rowe and Tommy Byrne, each of whom hit one as a pinch batter, and Dizzy Trout, Camilo Pascual, Bob Gibson, and Rick Wise.

Byrne and Al Hollingsworth were the only grand slam hitters who also gave up slams to other pitchers. Lon Warneke, who never hit one himself, suffered the embarrassment of giving up two jackpot wallops to fellow pitchers.

What were the most exciting grand slams? Well, any bases loaded homer by a pitcher is dramatic, but Ruffing hit his full-house homer in the bottom of the ninth with the score tied 2-2. Clay Bryant hit one in the tenth to win a game for the Cubs in 1937. This was the only extra-inning slam by a pitcher and was unusual because Bryant was pitching in relief of Charlie Root, who had homered earlier in the game.

*Assisted by Leonard Gettelson

GRAND SLAM HOMERS HIT BY PITCHERS SINCE 1900

American League

GRAND SLAM HOMERS HIT BY PITCHERS SINCE 1900

National League