Babe Ruth
The 1927 Yankees, 1922 Browns, 1911 A’s and the 1941 Yankees reached the semifinals of Babe Ruth Bracket in the Press Room Pass Strat Madness Tournament.
Babe Ruth Bracket Results, Schedule and Round-Up
(1) 1927 Yankees 8, (9) 1990 Reds 5
(12) 1922 Browns 5, (4) 1946 Cardinals 2
(12) 1922 Browns at (1) 1927 Yankees
- A big third inning proved to be the difference as the New York defeated Cincinnati 8-5. With the game tied 1-1 Mark Koenig put the Yankees on top by a run with a RBI single before Babe Ruth smashed a three-run homer to widen the margin. Lou Gehrig followed with a solo shot off Reds starter Tom Browning to make it 6-1. Ruth added a two-homer in the sixth. The Reds rallied in the eighth with four runs, but it wasn’t enough. Eric Davis knocked in the first run with a single and then Paul O’Neill added a two-run single. Hal Morris produced the final tally with a single. Waite Hoyt, who hit the showers after the eighth, earned the win, while Wilcy Moore picked up a save.
- In a battle for St. Louis, the Browns came out on top 6-2 over the Cardinals. A three-run homer by Ken Williams in the top of the first set the tone against Cardinals starter Howie Pollet. He added a sacrifice fly in the fifth. George Sisler had three hits for the Browns, while Jack Tobin had a homer in the ninth. Stan Musial knocked in both runs for the Cardinals with a sacrifice fly in the fifth and a fielder’s choice in the seventh. Elam Vangilder got the win as Hub Pruitt worked the ninth to get a save.
(3) 1911 A’s 4, (6) 1941 Dodgers 2
(2) 1941 Yankees 5, (7) 1935 Cubs 2
(3) 1911 A’s at (2) 1941 Yankees
- A fast start by Philadelphia helped the A’s win 4-2 over Brooklyn. The A’s scored three times in the first inning off Kirby Higbe as Rube Oldring, Home Run Baker and Stuffy McInnis each drove in a run. Pete Reiser and Dolph Camilli cut the Brooklyn deficit to 3-2 with run-scoring singles in the third. In the bottom of the frame, Jack Barry‘s double was the final score of the contest. Eddie Plank went the distance to get the victory of the A’s.
- New York’s Tommy Henrich hit a walk off homer in the bottom of the 10th to allow the Yankees to advance with a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. After falling behind 3-0, the Yankees tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Bill Dickey and a two-run single by Joe Gordon. Gordon gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead in the eighth with a RBI single. For the Cubs, Billy Herman sent the game into extra innings with a RBI double in the ninth. Johnny Murphy worked the 10th to earn the win for the Yankees in relief of starter Red Ruffing. After replacing Lon Warneke in the ninth, Roy Henshaw took the loss as he surrendered the game-winning homer.
IN REAL LIFE:
During the 1927 season, Babe Ruth hit 60 homers as New York had one of the best seasons ever as the Yankees won 110 games and swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.
Ruth not only led the American League in homers, he topped the list with 159 runs scored and 137 walks. Amazingly, his 165 RBIs and .356 batting average didn’t lead the league. Lou Gehrig won the Most Valuable Player award as he drove in 173 runs. Harry Heilman of Detroit won the batting title with a .398 average.
Elected as charter member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, Ruth his 714 homers in his 22 seasons with the Boston Red Sox (1914-1919), Yankees (1920-1934) and the Boston Braves (1935). He still hold the major league record for slugging percentage at .690. He hit the first homer in all-star game history in 1933 and also played in the contest the following year.
Beginning his career as a pitcher with the Red Sox, Ruth posted a 94-46 overall record. In 1916, the Red Sox beat Brooklyn in the World Series and Ruth was 23-12 on the mound with a league-leading 1.75 ERA and nine shutouts. He posted a career-best 24 wins in 1917. He was 3-0 in the post-season, while finishing 5-0 over the years with the Yankees.