Thursday, January 12, 2017

World Series: Did You Know?

The Iron Horse sure had a strong glove in 1927. No doubt Lou Gehrig had a big bat, but his fielding was excellent. The New York Yankees didn't exactly have easy opposition in the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Fall Classic that year.

The World Series opened at Forbes Field that year, and Gehrig got them off on the right foot. Following a single by Babe Ruth in the top of the first, Lou Gehrig hit a triple to score him. Did that deflate Pittsburgh? No. They tied it in the bottom of the frame. The Pirates kept coming back. They could not, however, take the lead.

The Pirates might have in the next inning. The score was still knotted at one, and Pittsburgh had a man on first and only one out. Joe Harris hit a grounder to Tony Lazzeri who got the force by tagging out George Grantham, the runner. His throw to Gehrig at first was low. Right in the dirt. No matter, a nice scoop by The Iron Horse and the inning was over.

The Yankees won the game 5-4. Gehrig finished with 2 RBIs. But he made another good play on a bad toss to first in the bottom of the fourth. The home team was looking to tie it again, down only 3-2.

The Yankees really woke up the next two games. Held to just six hits in game one, they pounded out 11 in game 2 (A decisive 6-2 win) and 9 (Compared to the Pirates' 3) in the third contest. The Yankees, following their 8-1 win at Yankee Stadium in game three, needed just one more win.

Pittsburgh played much better in game four. They even scored in the top of the first, as they had in game two. Sadly for the Bucs, it was 3-1 in not too long a time. The Babe knocked home one in the bottom of the first, then added a two-run home run in the fifth. Gehrig fanned in the bottom of the first, grounded out in the third, and again grounded out in the fifth. But how about his glove the next inning?

Well, Pittsburgh needed some runs. With two down George Grantham sent one Gehrig's way. A fine play by Lou made sure it didn't leave the infield. Grantham beat it out, however. The Pirates did not score as Joe Harris sent one to Earle Combs in centre for the third out.

But Pittsburgh did tie it in the top of the second. Earl Smith hit a grounder to first that Gehrig got to and threw to pitcher Wilcy Moore covering first. Moore couldn't hold on to the ball. Tony Lazzeri then made an error of his own. Two on via errors. Gehrig fielded a bunt for the first out, but both runners scored later that inning on a sacrifice fly and a single. 2 runs, 1 hit, 2 errors. Ouch.

Gehrig was the last out as New York batted in the bottom of the frame. Johnny Miljus got him to fly to left, after Ruth hit into a double play. The Yankees put two on the next inning, but Miljus got out of that jam, too. Moore retired the Bucs in order in the ninth.

In the bottom of the frame, the home team won it. A walk. A bunt beaten, A wild pitch. An intentional walk (By Ruth). Gehrig fanned. So did Bob Meusel. What an inning!

Miljus' 0-1 pitch to Tony Lazzeri ended up being his second wild pitch of the frame. Earle Combs, who walked to start this inning, trotted on home! 4-3, New York. Sweep. How sweep it must have been to be a Yankee fan back then.

Gehrig ended up .308. Babe Ruth blasted two home runs. Mark Koenig led the way with a .500 batting average. The Iron Horse, though, did it all. He fielded well. He ran well, hitting a series-leading two doubles and two triples. He walked a series-leading three times. He got four RBIs in four games. And he ended up with 41 putouts, also tops on both teams (His counterpart on the Pirates, Joe Harris, made 35). 

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