*Babe Ruth Thread*

[pheasant]

Ruth still hit those spitballers well. He just didn't crush them like his usual superman self. Spitballers are the epitome of junk pitchers. I cannot imagine hitting a discolored spitball with no hitters' backdrop. I wish I could time-machine Ruth to Ed Walsh's day and watch him try to hit Walsh's ball that broke two feet. Cobb eventually figured out when Walsh threw the spitter by observing the subtle movement of his cap. Ruth would have tried to hit that nasty spitter straight up. I think Ruth would figure out any pitcher eventually. He was that good.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

What a life, just another week in the life of the Bam, action. Babe and Cobb raise fists, broken up by teammates. Pitches 5 innings, ends by striking out Ty Cobb Spends 4 hours in jail. June 10-11-12 homers---June 13 two homers----June 14 two home runs.
Seven home runs in five days.

How did he swing that, or was it the judges idea. The magistrate sits in Babe's car, so he doesn't get stopped on his way to the Polo grounds, get to the game on time..................with a police escort.

Sounds like, looks like a scene out of a movie, can't really happen in real life.

[pheasant]

Made my last post before I saw yours.

EXCELLENT WORK PHEASANT !! :applaud:

I will get all the relevant dates for Grove to make your project easier.

Hey Sultan. If you get the dates for Grove vs Ruth, I will get those stats too. I am much faster at combing through box scores after the Johnson vs Ruth battle and actually had fun with it.

[bluesky5]

Has there been any talk of isolating Babe's stats in a sticky or thread. It's not like I'm contributing to the presentation of the stats [all of them: v. pitchers, v. W teams, v. L teams, big weeks, etc.] but it seems it would be beneficial for those of us who enjoy reading them and those who take the time to post them to have them easily accessible, rather than ending up buried intermittently in a thread.

[pheasant]

Babe opening day pitcher for Bosox.

1916, 4 hitter, beats Philadelphia 2-1. Pitched 8.1 innings.
1917, 3 hitter, beats Yanks 10 -3, complete game.
1918, 4 hitter, beats Athletics 7-1, complete game.
Babe knocked himself out of the box in that 1916 opener. One out in the 9th inning, gloved a hard grounder, DP ball but he made a bad throw to first base.

Hard to believe that one player could be so talented from the batters box and the mound.
I still wonder if his days on the mound added to his already great hitting skill. He saw the game like no other hitter did. There were some others who did some pitching and hitting but none piched as much as he did. Pitched in 140 games, 107 complete.
Did seeing so much of the game from the mound benefit him when he went to batting every day, couldn't hurt.

Wow! Those stats paint a very vivid picture. Ruth was the best pitcher on this dynasty, which won World Series mainly on their pitching. I had know idea that Ruth led the Sox inwins, winning pct, and ERA during that time frame. That's impressive.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

I'm hoping Shoeless or someone can look up the games with comments



9/1/26 - started, left in 2nd inning. Ruth prob 1-1, single, 2RBI before Grove left game
9/6/26 - Grove relieved in 7th, prob came in to face Ruth, walked him, then left the game

44/20/27 - Grove started and went 5 innings

9/27/27 - Grove relieved in 5th and 6th innings. Ruth hit a grand slam off him in 6th, so 1-1, HR, 4 RBI, R

4/11/28 - Grove starts and only goes 3 innings. Ruth has triple and 2 BB...need to look this one up.

Game recaps at times, don't give that much info, what inning hits came.

9-1-1926. Grove left game. Faced Babe in second inning, Babe ground out to first. Sam Gray relieves Grove second inning, Babe gets his one hit, a single.

9-6-1926. Grove in relief 7th. One game report said he walked first two batters and left, another said he walked the first batter and left.
Doesn't say who Grove walked but Babe did have one walk. Rommel 3 BB and Ehmke 1 BB.

4-20-27. No real info. Babe had one SO, don't know when. Grove 5 SO and Quinn 2 SO.

9-27-1927. Just what you have, grand slam.

4-11-1928. Game recap said Grove breezed through the first inning, how he retired Babe does not say.
Grove walked Babe in the third and hit his triple in the 9th inning off of Ike Powers, 1 for 3. Babe had no SO in the game, so we know Lefty did not get him on strikes in the first inning.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

4/27/1929
All I have is Babe forcing runner at second, Gehrig homer, Muesel single, Grove leaves game, 6th inning. Nothing on Babe's other at bats.
I think you got it right, possible 2 of Babe's strike out came before that force out, that had to be Babe's third at bat before Grove left. After Grove left Yanks had only one more strikeout in the game.


6/29/1929
Babe strikeout first inning, Babe homers in 5th and 7th inning, assuming he faced Grove only 3 times, he would be 2 for 3 off of Grove.

10/5/1929.
Babe 1 for 1 off of Grove. Grove gave up two hits, single to Babe and Durocher and faced 10 batters.
Pitched good those 3 innings but Mack wanted to pitch Grove, Earnshaw and Quinn 3 innings each, last game of the season.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Now I see why you were absent for a day Randy, lost of work, nice job.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Tough break for Lou 1931. Line home run to CF in Washington. Hard hit ball strikes concrete and bounces back to centerfielder Rice.
Yankee base runner Lyn Larry seeing Rice with ball, thought he had caught the ball, Larry rounds third thinking it was the third out, runs in to Yankee dugout.
Lou not seeing this rounds the bases, crosses home, called out for passing runner, credited with a triple.
I lay more blame on the the third base coach than on Lou or Lyn.
Coaching third on that day, manager Joe McCarthy, he never coached another game.

Bottom line, that cost Lou the home run crown in 1931, tied for the league with Babe Ruth, 46 home runs.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

(Babe Ruth and young Frank Lavery during 1926 barnstorming game in Wilkes-Barre)
[ATTACH]121135[/ATTACH]
Along the way, I also heard from Mrs. Joan Lavery. After the third inning during the game in 1926, a group of boys came out of the right field stands to gather around Babe Ruth. As was often the case, their excitement led to unintentional unruliness. Ruth was knocked to the ground, and several policemen raced over to rescue him. When they sorted through the pile of humanity, Babe popped up grinning and holding onto a four-year-old child. Most of the kids were much older and bigger than the youngster, and Ruth’s primary concern was to protect the little guy from being trampled. His name was Frank Lavery, and, when he grew up, he married Joan. Mrs. Lavery had also read about my visit to Wilkes-Barre and decided to contact me. By sheer good luck and the effort of an enterprising photographer, a photo was taken of Babe and Frank as the two untangled from the pile. A copy of that picture became Frank Lavery’s most cherished possession until the day he died. -- "Recrowning Baseball's Greatest Slugger" - Bill Jenkinson

Read so many stories about Babe and the kids, not just hospital visits, rides to private homes to pay a visit.
One article covering his trip to Japan. One Japanese official commented on being so impressed with Babe's love of children.
Noticed when Babe was in a crowd, right away he would pick up two of the smaller children and joke with them, one under each arm.
Seen articles and photos of him with children only months before he passed away in 1948.
I'm sure he was very tired and weak at that time to put in mildly, suffering from that terminal disease but still found the strength to see the kids

I get the impression that after his first love, playing the game was his love for children, not even sure which was first.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

(Babe Ruth and young Frank Lavery during 1926 barnstorming game in Wilkes-Barre)
[ATTACH]121135[/ATTACH]
Along the way, I also heard from Mrs. Joan Lavery. After the third inning during the game in 1926, a group of boys came out of the right field stands to gather around Babe Ruth. As was often the case, their excitement led to unintentional unruliness. Ruth was knocked to the ground, and several policemen raced over to rescue him. When they sorted through the pile of humanity, Babe popped up grinning and holding onto a four-year-old child. Most of the kids were much older and bigger than the youngster, and Ruth’s primary concern was to protect the little guy from being trampled. His name was Frank Lavery, and, when he grew up, he married Joan. Mrs. Lavery had also read about my visit to Wilkes-Barre and decided to contact me. By sheer good luck and the effort of an enterprising photographer, a photo was taken of Babe and Frank as the two untangled from the pile. A copy of that picture became Frank Lavery’s most cherished possession until the day he died. -- "Recrowning Baseball's Greatest Slugger" - Bill Jenkinson

One more duplicate

[SHOELESSJOE3]

(Babe Ruth and young Frank Lavery during 1926 barnstorming game in Wilkes-Barre)
[ATTACH]121135[/ATTACH]
Along the way, I also heard from Mrs. Joan Lavery. After the third inning during the game in 1926, a group of boys came out of the right field stands to gather around Babe Ruth. As was often the case, their excitement led to unintentional unruliness. Ruth was knocked to the ground, and several policemen raced over to rescue him. When they sorted through the pile of humanity, Babe popped up grinning and holding onto a four-year-old child. Most of the kids were much older and bigger than the youngster, and Ruth’s primary concern was to protect the little guy from being trampled. His name was Frank Lavery, and, when he grew up, he married Joan. Mrs. Lavery had also read about my visit to Wilkes-Barre and decided to contact me. By sheer good luck and the effort of an enterprising photographer, a photo was taken of Babe and Frank as the two untangled from the pile. A copy of that picture became Frank Lavery’s most cherished possession until the day he died. -- "Recrowning Baseball's Greatest Slugger" - Bill Jenkinson

Duplicate post deleted

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Many accounts and article dealing with an early part of Babe's life, at St. Mary's.
Here it is, the real story, from Babe.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Your post reminded me of this picture:

The sister Kenny Foundation held a Christmas party for children with Infantile Paralysis at the Astor Hotel on December 10, 1947. Despite being ill, Babe dressed as Santa Claus to help cheer children up.
[ATTACH]121164[/ATTACH]

I have seen that pic, some where I have one of Babe visiting a young boy, I believe around April or May 1948, only a few months before he passed away. that had to take some effort, some heart that late in the game, terrible disease.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

I don't think there is any doubt, that at the least Babe hit as many long ones, and as far as any hitter in the game.
When they double decked Comiskey over the winter of 1926, Charles Comiskey commented, no one is going to hit one out of here now.
Didn't take Babe long, first season of the the change, August 1927 he cleared the 50+ foot roof.
Old, tired and worn out and he clears the roof at Forbes Field, 1935.

Out of the game 3 years 1938 and 43 years old, heavier and out of shape. He wins a long distance hitting contest at Sportsmans Park against 3 of the National League heaviest hitters, still active and in their prime.
Some numbers of those three hitters, two years before and after that 1938 contest.

I could only come to one conclusion. There have been great hitters and great sluggers.
Babe just happened to be the best combination of both, great eye, reflexes, strength and knowing the art of hitting.
If there was no written word of what he did, I would have diffficulty believing any one player could have done what he did hitting and far better than average pitcher as a pitcher only 1915-16-17.
Most of what I have posted on Babe were not hand me down stories, subject to dimmed memories or exaggeration. They are from the newspaper archives printed the day after the events, the games.
Some kind of a freak.