Ladislaw Waldemar Wittkowski Was the First Yankee Batter at Baseball's Cathedral

Ladislaw Waldemar Wittkowski was the first New York Yankees batter to see a pitch at Yankee Stadium. He was the last surviving member of the Yankees first World Championship.

The date was Apr. 18, 1923. It was the day that the first game in "Baseball's Cathedral," which no longer exists, was played between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

Leadoff batter Whitey Witt went 1-for-3 and Babe Ruth hit a home run.

Witt was one of the game's best leadoff hitters. In 1923, the 5'7" Yankees center fielder batted .314/.386/.408.

At Yankee Stadium, Ruth would play right field and Bob Meusel was in left field. Witt became known as "Babe's errand boy" by the Yankees because when a ball was hit toward right center field, Ruth would yell, ''Laddie, get on your bike."

Witt said that he often chided Ruth for ''shortening my career by making me do all the running,'' but ''nobody, but nobody, could ever get mad at that guy.''

Ruth and Witt had many "adventures" off the field. The pair was once caught by private detectives in a brewery in Chicago during the Prohibition Era. Yankees owner Col. Jacob Ruppert fined Ruth $5,000 and Witt $500 for "drinking it up."

Years later, Witt revealed that Ruppert returned the money because the Yankees won the World Series. Ruppert certainly had his priorities in the right order.

In 1922, the Yankees and St. Louis Browns were embroiled in one the tightest pennant races ever. On Sept. 16, the Yankees were in St. Louis.

An enthusiastic Browns fan let his emotions get the better of him when he threw a soda bottle at Witt and hit him in the head as the outfielder attempted to catch a fly ball. Witt's head was cut badly, but he didn't miss any games.

''Lucky, Meusel got the ball back into play,'' Witt recalled, ''and we won that one by only 2-1.''

The Yankees had obtained Witt's services in 1922 from the Philadelphia Athletics. Ruth and Meusel were both suspended by baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis for illegal barnstorming following the 1921 season.

The Yankees needed outfielders. Yankees manager Miller Huggins went to Col. Ruppert to ask if he could get Witt. The Yankees paid Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack $15,000, which was a high price for a utility infielder-outfielder, but it turned out well for the Yankees.

Witt was thrilled to leave Philadelphia.

"...when they made that deal I went out to celebrate,'' Witt recalled. ''They could not find me for two days. Mack paid me $300 a month in 1916, my first year, with $500 raises each year through 1921, and then I got $9,000 with the Yankees."

It had been Mack that "changed" Wittkowski's name because he refused to write Wittkowski'' on the batting card.

''He could hardly spell his own name, let alone mine,'' Witt said.

Because he had blond hair, Mack dubbed him "Whitey Witt."

At an Old Timer's game at Yankee Stadium, Witt related an experience that is not unique to former ball players.

''I play a lot of golf,'' Witt said, ''and I don't think about baseball very much during the day. But sometimes at night, when it's so quiet I can hardly sleep. I can hear the crowds again.''

Reference:

Sardella, Carlo M. "YANKEE STAR OF OLD RECALLS GLORY DAYS." New York Times 5 May 1985. Custom Newspapers. Web. 24 Oct. 2011.