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August Trivia:
What Yankee hit seven more
homeruns at Yankee Stadium than Babe
Ruth?
Answer:
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finished up with 266 when his career ended
in 1968.
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The Called Shot - October 1,
1932
by Harvey Frommer harvey.frommer@Dartmouth.EDU
Additional Articles: Harvey Frommer on Sports &
Culture
About the Author: Harvey Frommer is
the author of 33 sports books, including "The New
York Yankee Encyclopedia, "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime
Baseball," "Growing Up Baseball" with Frederic J.
Frommer and "Rickey and Robinson: The Men Who Broke
Baseball's Color Line." His "A Yankee Century: A
Celebration of the First Hundred Years of
Baseball's Greatest Team" will be published in
paperback Sept. 2003.
A heavier, slower and older Babe
Ruth had much more to prove in 1932. And prove he
did! Batting .341, driving in 137 runs, slugging 41
homers, the Sultan of Swat pushed the New York
Yankees to another pennant. The Cubs of Chicago
were the opposition in the World Series.
There was bad recent history
between the two teams. Joe McCarthy had been let go
as Chicago manager in 1930. He wanted payback.
Ruth's old buddy, Mark Koenig, now a Cub, had
helped his new team win the pennant. His Chicago
teammates voted Ruth's old buddy only a half World
Series share. The Babe was not happy about
that.
On
October 1 in Chicago during batting practice Ruth
shouted: "Hey, you damn bum Cubs, you won't be
seeing Yankee Stadium again. This is going to be
all over Sunday." The Babe was referring to the
fact that the Yanks had won the first two games in
New York. The game got underway before 49, 986.
Lemons from the stands and curses from the Cubs
were heaped upon the Yankees. Chicago fans showered
Ruth with fruits and vegetables and other
projectiles when he was on defense in the outfield.
The Babe smiled, doffed his cap, felt the fire.
...the
38-year-old Yankee legend stepped out of the
batter's box and pointed.
When he came to bat in the fifth inning, Ruth had
already slugged a three run homer into the
bleachers in right centerfield. He had more in
store. Right-hander Charlie Root got a strike on
Ruth, who as accounts go, raised up one big finger
and yelled "strike one!"
Another fast ball strike. Ruth, as
the story continues, raised two fingers and
bellowed "strike two!"
Then as the story has been handed
down, the 38-year-old Yankee legend stepped out of
the batter's box and pointed. Some said he pointed
at Root; others said the pointed at the Chicago
bench, others said at the centerfield
bleachers.
"To
tell the truth," Joe McCarthy said, "I didn't see
him point anywhere at all. But maybe I turned my
head for a moment."
"The Babe pointed out to right
field," said George Pipgras who pitched and won
that game, "and that's where he hit the ball."
The
count was 2-2 when Babe swung from his heels.
Johnny Moore, the Chicago centerfielder started
back, then stopped. The ball disappeared into the
right field bleachers, 436 feet from home plate,
the l5th and last World Series home run for Babe
Ruth, the longest home run ever hit to that point
in time in Wrigley Field.
"As
I hit the ball," Ruth would say later, "every
muscle in my system, every sense I had, told me
that I had never hit a better one, that as long as
I lived nothing would ever feel as good as this
one."
The
first pitch was a pretty good strike, and I didn't
kick. But the second was outside
Chicago fans cheered and applauded the Babe as he
rounded the bases yelling out a different curse for
each Cub infielder. When the "Sultan of Swat"
reached third base, he paused. Then he bowed toward
the Chicago dugout. Then he came across home
plate.
Through the years the debate has
continued. Did he or did he not call the home run?
Babe Ruth explained:
"I
didn't exactly point to any spot like the flagpole.
I just sorta waved at the whole fence, but that was
foolish enough. All I wanted to do was give the
thing a ride...outta the park...anywhere. "Every
time I went to the bat the Cubs on the bench would
yell ' Oogly googly.'It's all part of the game, but
this particular inning when I went to bat there was
a whole chorus of oogly googlies. The first pitch
was a pretty good strike, and I didn't kick. But
the second was outside and turned around to beef
about it. As I said, Gabby Hartnett said 'Oogly
googly.'That kinda burned me and I said 'All right,
you bums, I'm gonna knock this one a mile.' I guess
I pointed, too."
This Article is Copyright ©
1995 - 2003 by Harvey Frommer.
All rights reserved worldwide.
The Pinstripe Press:
https://www.angelfire.com/ny5/pinstripepress
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https://www.angelfire.com/ny5/thehighlander
Copyright © 2002-2003
Pinstripe Press. All Rights Reserved.
This online newsletter is not affiliated with the
New York Yankees.
The opinions expressed solely represent the
contributor's.
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The Highlander
Vol.9 October 2003
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Fast Facts:
Jim Abbott
In the heat of the 1992
pennant race, this one armed pitcher
tossed a 4-0 no-hitter against the
Cleveland Indians!
"I wish I'd never see them
again. I wish they'd disappear from the
league. Then we'd be winners."
Red Sox ace
Pedro Martinez on the Yanks
Trivia:
Whitey Ford (236 wins) is
one of three Yankees to win more than 175
games while pitching for the Bronx
Bombers. Name the other two.
Answer In Next Issue. Have
a trivia question? Email it to us and
maybe we'll use it.
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