A Few Interesting Facts About The Babe

Charles Cox — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:32:55 -0400

Here are a few interesting facts about Babe Ruth which are not common knowledge:

(1) He led the A.L. in E.R.A. and won 23 games in 1916.

(2) He set a World Series record with 29 consecutive scoreless innings as a pitcher which was finally beaten by Whitey Ford over 40 years later.

(3) He is involved in the "perfect game" with an asterisk by it. He started a game in 1917 against the Senators and walked the first batter. He complained about each ball that was called and was ejected on ball 4. Ernie Shore, without warming up, replaced the Babe as pitcher for the Red Sox. The batter was caught stealing and he set the next 26 batters down in order winning 4-0! Shore faced 26 batters and got 27 outs! Amazing!

(4) The Babe stole 123 bases in his career, including 10 steals of home!

(5) I remember watching the movie The Winning Team starring Ronald Reagan as Grover Alexander. The movie ends when he is pitching for the Cardinals in the 1926 World Series against the Yankees. He pitches a complete game win in the 6th game.

In the 7th game with the Cardinals leading 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th, the Yankees loaded the bases. Manager Rogers Hornsby called Alexander in to face Tony Lazerri. Lazerri hit a deep drive just foul then struck out. The movie ends with Alexander striking out the last batter in the 9th who beats his bat into the ground.

I checked to see really what happened.

Alexander retired the Yankees in order in the 8th, then got the first 2 outs in the 9th. Pitching carefully to Ruth, he walked the Babe. Bob Muesel was the next Yankee hitter (why Huggins didn't have Gehrig in the 4th spot is a mystery). Ruth tried to steal second base on the first pitch to Muesel and was tagged out by Hornsby.

This is perhaps the strangest ending to any World Series.

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A Few Interesting Facts About The Babe