BASEBALL'S DYNASTIES AND THE PLAYERS WHO BUILT THEM Omitted Bios (Chapter 7 New York Yankees 1926-1928)

Today's post deals with the so-called "Murderer's Row" Yankee squads of the late-twenties. Only three clubs collected more wins than the '27 Yankees (in a 154-game schedule). Of those three, none came close to matching the number of Hall of Famers produced by the Bombers. In that era, manager Miller Huggins had enough talented players sitting on his bench to give any team in the majors a run for the money. Statistics from the '27 season are mind boggling. At one point, the Yankees were 66 games above .500. They shut out opponents eleven times and won 43 games by five or more runs. They finished eighteen and a half games ahead of their closest competitors and held onto first place from opening to closing day. Talk about complete domination!    
The problem with this chapter of my book was that it was a bit too long. As I said before, my original premise was to focus on the lesser known players who made significant contributions to their clubs. When my publisher asked me to concentrate on Hall of Famers as well, I was left with over a dozen thumbnail bios for this chapter. Four of those bios didn't make the final cut. All of them are worth reading (at least in my opinion)--especially Urban Shocker, a pitcher who might have ended up in the Hall of Fame if not for a congenital heart defect.  

NEW YORK YANKEES
(1926-1928)
Number of Pennants: 3
Number of Championships: 2 
Best Record: 110-44 (1927)
Hall of Famers: Miller Huggins (Mgr), Lou Gehrig (1B), Tony Lazzeri (2B), Babe Ruth (OF), Earle Combs (OF), Herb Pennock (P), Waite Hoyt (P), Leo Durocher (Utility) 

OMITTED BIOS

Urban Shocker

Pitcher

            Shocker began his career as a catcher at the semi-pro level. He logged his minor league experience in Ontario with teams from Windsor, Ottawa and Toronto. Between 1913 and 1916, he assembled a 60-28 record on the mound. The Yankees acquired him in September of 1915 then sent him to the minors to prove himself the following year. He did exactly that, going 15-3 while stringing together 54 consecutive scoreless innings.

            Shocker was used sparingly in his first two major league seasons. He showed promise with a 12-8 record and 2.61 ERA in thirty-eight games. Before the 1918 slate, he was traded to the Browns with four players and cash for Eddie Plank and Del Pratt. Plank, a Hall of Famer, was forty-one years old and past his prime. He didn’t even play that season. Pratt, an infielder, had three excellent years in New York while Shocker became one of the most successful hurlers in the majors.

            Shocker was among seventeen pitchers allowed to throw the spitball after it was banned in 1920. Before every offering, he would put his glove up to his face to give the appearance that he was moistening the ball. As batters anticipated the “wet one,” he would sneak fastballs by them. He employed the spitter mostly as an out-pitch when he was in a jam.

From 1920-1924, the slender right-hander collected more wins than any pitcher in baseball (107). He peaked at 27 victories in 1921. After an off year in ’24, he was dealt to the Yankees for three players, among them fading mound star Bullet Joe Bush.

            Shocker had a congenital heart valve defect. According to multiple sources, his condition was so severe, he had to sleep sitting or standing up. Even as his health began to fail, he pitched brilliantly, developing a reputation as one of the craftiest hurlers of the era. In The Yankee Encyclopedia, researcher Mark Gallagher remarked that Shocker was “quite possibly the most courageous man in sports history. Urban bravely fought in his last few years to play baseball and indeed for life itself.”

            In 1926, Shocker won 19 games for the Yankees and recorded a 3.38 ERA. The long season took a toll on him as he was only moderately effective in the World Series, making two appearances and getting saddled with a Game 2 loss. He began to show the effects of his illness more dramatically in 1927. Though he notched an outstanding 18-6 record with a 2.84 earned run average, he made just four appearances in June and later became too ill to pitch in the World Series.

            Before the 1928 campaign, he expressed displeasure with his contract and announced he would retire to work in the radio business. He changed his mind, but ended up making just one appearance before leaving the club. After his departure, he pitched in a Denver exhibition tournament. It was a rocky outing. He later caught pneumonia and was hospitalized. According to his wife, he was asking for a newspaper to find out who was pitching for the Yankees just minutes before his death. He was only thirty-seven when he passed away.

Ben Paschal

Outfield/ Pinch-Hitter

            Very stern-looking in photos, Paschal originally came up through the Indians’ organization. In his first major league appearance during the 1915 slate, he broke up a no-hitter with a pinch-hit single. It was Cleveland’s only hit of the afternoon against Tigers’ right-hander Bernie Boland. Paschal ended up in the Carolina State League in 1916 and the Central Association the following year. When the latter circuit folded, he returned to his farm and was out of baseball for two full seasons.

            Joining the Charlotte Hornets in 1920, he got another call to the majors—this time with the Red Sox. Despite hitting .357 in nine September games, he was sent back to Charlotte. Between 1921 and 1923, he was the Hornets’ most fearsome slugger, peaking in ’23 with a .351 batting average and 84 extra-base hits. Transferred to the Atlanta Crackers the following year, the Reds made him a generous offer. Had he accepted, he almost certainly would have gotten a chance to play full time. But in the end, the Yankees lured him to New York with a more lucrative bid. Paschal logged twelve at-bats for the Bombers in 1924 and would stay with the club for five more seasons.

            With Ruth, Combs and Muesel patrolling the Yankee outfield, Paschal watched a lot of games from the bench. When Babe Ruth went down with a stomach ailment before opening day of the ’25 campaign, Paschal got his first big break. In the season opener against the Senators, he hit a 2-run homer in a 5-1 Yankee win. Listening to the game on the radio, Ruth allegedly sat up in his hospital bed and said: “They don’t miss me much.” Paschal was removed from the lineup when Ruth returned on the first of June. The Yankees fared poorly that year, finishing in seventh place, but it was hardly Paschal’s fault. He hit .360 in eighty-nine games, including a pair of multi-homer performances.

            In 1926, Bob Muesel broke a bone in his foot and Paschal got another opportunity. He started thirty-four straight games from July 9 through August 11. He hit .324 in July before cooling off a bit in August. After finishing the regular season at .287, he appeared as a sub in five World Series games. His pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth inning of the fifth contest tied the score in a game the Yankees won in extra innings. Had the New Yorkers not squandered their 3-2 Series edge, Paschal’s clutch hit would have held more relevance.

            Paschal was little more than an afterthought in ’27. With Ruth’s 60 homers and Gehrig’s 175 RBIs, his presence went virtually unnoticed. But he made the most of his limited playing time, hitting .317 in fifty games. With so many talented players on the squad, his services were not required in the World Series that year.

            By 1928, it had become glaringly obvious that Paschal was never going to break through as a full time player. His name was used as potential trade bait more than once. In the end, the Yankees hung onto him through the ’29 slate, when his average slipped to .208. He continued in the minors until 1934.

            After his retirement, Paschal left baseball almost completely behind. He worked as a salesman in Charlotte, North Carolina and was reportedly very accommodating to those who recognized him. He died in 1974 at the age of seventy-nine.

George Pipgras

Pitcher

            Pipgras got his start with Madison of the Class-D Dakota League in 1921. He earned a promotion to the higher ranks the following year, fashioning a 19-9 record with Charleston of the South Atlantic League. He was property of the Red Sox in ’23 until a January trade sent him to the Yankees along with first baseman Harvey Hendrick. Hendrick would have his best seasons in Brooklyn. Pipgras would benefit from the big bats in the Bronx.

            There was no room for the right-hander on a star-studded Yankee staff when he arrived. Pipgras made just 17 appearances in ‘23/’24 then was sent back down to the minors to work on control issues. Miller Huggins refused to give up on him and, in 1927, he was called up again. Making twenty-one starts and eight relief appearances, Pipgras posted a 10-3 record. He faced the Pirates in Game 2 of the World Series that year, going the distance in a 6-2 Yankee win. There were some formidable hitters in the Pittsburgh lineup that day, including the Waner brothers and third baseman Pie Traynor. By the time it came around to Pipgras’s spot in the rotation again, the Yankees had swept the Series.

            1928 was Pipgras’s finest season. He led the league with 24 wins and 300.2 innings pitched. He also posted the lowest ERA of his career at 3.38. In the World Series, Huggins handed him the ball in Game 2 once again. He yielded just 4 hits and struck out 8 in a 9-3 win. On his way to victory, he held Hall of Famers Frankie Frisch, Chick Hafey, Jim Bottomley and Rabbit Maranville to a combined 3-for-14 showing at the plate.

            Over the next four seasons, Pipgras would win 56 games for the Yanks. He appeared in the ’32 Series against the Cubs, getting a tough Game 3 win. He coughed up 5 runs in 8 frames, but the Bombers spotted him 7 runs thanks to Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, who belted two homers apiece. That was the infamous “called shot” game. Pipgras retired with a 3-0 record and 2.77 ERA in postseason play.

            In his heyday, Pipgras had one of the liveliest fastballs in the league, but he couldn’t always spot it. He struggled with wildness throughout his career, averaging nearly four walks per nine innings. He was among the leaders in hit batsmen and wild pitches several times. With a 4.09 lifetime ERA, it’s doubtful he would have been as successful on a non-contending club.

            Traded to Boston in ’33, he broke his arm in a freak accident. While delivering a curveball, he felt a bone snap. He began a rapid descent to the minors after that. Pipgras later embarked on an umpiring career. He reportedly had a hot temper and could be rather hasty with his ejections. In one game between the Browns and White Sox, he ejected a total of seventeen players. One biographer noted that he had a narrow strike zone, which made him a “batter’s umpire.” He definitely enjoyed the job, commenting to a reporter in 1938: “I’ve had my share of thrills during my years with the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, but I get just as much kick out of baseball in the umpiring ranks. You don’t get any newspaper headlines, but it’s great work nevertheless.”

            After quitting umpiring, he worked as a scout. He passed away in Florida at the age of eighty-six.

Pat Collins

Catcher

            Between 1917 and 1929, Collins had five stints in the minors. He played for the Browns on and off from 1919 through 1924, serving as back-up to the capable Hank Severeid, who was among the best all around catchers in the majors during that span. In August of 1925, Collins was dealt by St. Paul of the American Association to the Yankees.

            When first-stringer Benny Bengough developed a sore arm in 1926, Collins assumed the bulk of the catching responsibilities. He was up to the task, placing among the league leaders in assists and runners caught stealing. He was pretty reliable with a bat as well, hitting .286 in 102 games. Demonstrating patience at the plate, Collins drew 73 walks during the ’26 slate for a dazzling .433 on-base percentage. By late season, however, he had come down with a sore arm of his own, prompting the Yankees to acquire his former teammate, Hank Severeid. Severeid played in all seven World Series games, leaving Collins to serve as a substitute in three contests.

            With Severeid’s release at seasons’ end, Collins returned as the Yankees’ top catcher in ’27. He appeared in 92 games and hit .275 with 36 RBIs. He continued to wear out opposing pitchers, accruing a .handsome .407 on-base percentage. In the ’27 Fall Classic, Miller Huggins employed a rotating three-man catching platoon that featured Collins, Bengough and Johnny Grabowski in that order. Collins was the only member of the group to hit safely, going 3-for-5 with a double in Game 4.

            Huggins maintained the platoon system during the regular season in ’28. Bengough went down for a spell with a hand injury and the younger Grabowski saw a bit more playing time than Collins. In a diminished role, Collins fared somewhat poorly at the plate, hitting just .221. Bengough started all four games of the ’28 Series and Collins didn’t see any action until the late innings of Game 4. He doubled in his only at-bat, finishing his career with a .500 batting average in postseason duty.

            When Bill Dickey came up in 1929, Collins was deemed expendable. He was traded to the Braves that year and eventually demoted to the minors. His made his last professional appearance with the Kansas City Blues during the 1932 slate. He developed a heart condition in later years and died in his Kansas City apartment after attending an A’s game. He was sixty-three years old.   

             

             

BASEBALL'S DYNASTIES AND THE PLAYERS WHO BUILT THEM- Omitted Bios (Chapter 6 New York Giants 1921-1924)

The bios in this post come from Chapter Six of my latest book, which chronicles the exploits of the the New York Giants in the early-'20s. The Giants are of particular interest to me because they produced so many Hall of Famers yet lost so many World Series. Between 1905 and 1924, the New Yorkers made nine appearances in the Fall Classic, winning only three of them. Including manager John McGraw, there were eight Cooperstown-bound individuals on the 1924 squad alone. How they managed to lose to the Senators is anyone's guess. Though it wasn't an easy decision, I cut loose one of my favorite bios from the final draft of my book--Casey Stengel. "The Ol' Perfessor" was a player in the 1920s and a colorful one at that. Details of his career with the Giants are well worth reading here. I excluded the Jesse Barnes bio because he was traded away early in the 1923 campaign. He's one of those players who has been largely forgotten over the years. 

NEW YORK GIANTS

(1921-1924)

NUMBER OF PENNANTS: 4

NUMBER OF CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 

BEST RECORD: (95-58/1923)

HALL OF FAMERS: John McGraw (MGR), Dave Bancroft (SS), George Kelly (1B), Frankie Frisch (2B/3B), Ross Youngs (OF), Travis Jackson (SS), Casey Stengel (OF), Bill Terry (1B), Hack Wilson (OF)

OMITTED BIOS

CASEY STENGEL

Outfield

            Most people know a little something about Casey Stengel. Much has been written about his days at the helm of the Yankees—how he piloted the club to seven world championships and created his own lingo: an obtuse, rambling dialect known to sportswriters as “Stengelese.” Inducted to Cooperstown as a manager in 1966, his contributions as an outfielder have been virtually ignored.

            Casey got his start with the Brooklyn Dodgers in September of 1912. He earned a regular roster spot with a .316 batting average in 17 games. In the minors, he had developed a reputation as an eccentric. During a Southern Association game, he had hidden in a shallow hole in the outfield. The hole had a lid over it and Stengel waited until a ball was hit his way to pop out and make a catch. He would later become famous for hiding a sparrow under his cap and letting it fly out when he tipped his hat to the crowd. Both stories sound apocryphal though numerous sources claim otherwise.

            Stengel was not always popular with management because he engaged in frequent salary disputes. But he was a competent player all around and capable of performing exceptionally for periods of time. During his fourteen-year playing career, he established himself in four cities. He was Brooklyn’s starting right fielder from 1913-1917. In that time, he hit .270 or better on three occasions and led the NL in on-base percentage during the ’14 slate. He also finished among the top ten in triples and homers three times apiece. Traded to Pittsburgh for the 1918 slate, he was used primarily as a reserve player over the course of two seasons. He spent the entire 1920 campaign as a regular in Philly and was off to a .305 start in July of ’21 when McGraw imported him to New York.

            Casey started his Giants career mostly as a pinch-hitter, but injuries to key players in 1922 elevated him to first-string status. He rose to the challenge, hitting .368 in 84 games with a .436 on-base percentage before pulling a leg muscle near season’s end. Limited to a pair of World Series appearances, he went 2-for-5 at the plate.

            In 1923, Stengel began to learn the ropes of managing. McGraw let him coach one of the B-Squads during spring training and even invited Casey to his home for lengthy discussions about strategy. Stengel was off on a .379 tear at the plate when he was suspended for fighting with Philly pitcher Phil Weinert in early-May. Seldom used in June, he was later inserted as a substitute for centerfielder Jimmy O’Connell, whose bat had gone cold. Making his presence known, Stengel hit safely in twenty-three of twenty-six contests from July 12 through August 11. This included a run of sixteen straight games. He finished the regular season at .339. 

            In the 1923 World Series, Stengel hit the first postseason homer in Yankee Stadium history (robbing Babe Ruth of the honor) with an inside-the-parker in Game 1. It broke a 4-4 ninth inning tie and lifted the Giants to a 5-4 win. In Game 3, Stengel delivered the deciding blow again with another homer. He blew kisses to the crowd and thumbed his nose at the Yankee bench while rounding the bases. Commissioner Landis fined the colorful outfielder for his actions. Stengel played in all six contests and hit at a torrid .417 pace.

            In November of 1923, Casey was traded to the Braves along with Dave Bancroft and Bill Cunningham. The ’24 campaign was Stengel’s last as a prime time player. He hit .280 in 134 games with 31 extra-base hits. When his batting average plummeted to .077 in ’25, the Braves shipped him to Worcester, where he served as player/manager and team president. His six years at the helm of the Toledo Mud Hens set the stage for the brilliant major league managerial career that followed. 

JESSE BARNES

Pitcher

            Barnes compiled a lifetime ERA of 3.22—an excellent figure considering that he played a majority of his career during baseball’s offensive renaissance. Still, he managed to lead the league twice in losses. He claimed the dubious honor with the tail-ending Boston Braves in 1917 then again in 1924 with another Braves squad that dropped 100 games. Barnes’s most remarkable seasons were sandwiched in between.

            The talented right-hander caught the attention of John McGraw in 1917 and was traded to the Giants in the offseason. In his New York debut, he pitched a 7-hit shutout. He was off to a 6-1 start before being drafted into the Army. He served until February of 1919.

            Barnes was spectacular in his first full season with the Giants, leading the league with 25 wins while compiling an impressive 2.40 ERA. One of his victories was the fastest nine-inning game on record, lasting a mere fifty-one minutes. He added 20 more victories the following year as the Giants logged their third consecutive second place finish.

            Barnes began to experience arm trouble and, by 1921, he was no longer McGraw’s #1 starter. Before the season began, a New York Times writer quipped: “There arrived yesterday at the Giants’ offices the signed contract for the season of 1921 of Jesse Barnes, twirler who, save for the fact that he has no curls on his forehead, resembles that small heroine of a nursery rhyme in being very, very good when he is good and horrid when he is bad.” That statement seemed quite fitting as Barnes compiled an 5-5 record in the first half then finished the season at 15-9. He posted a 3.10 ERA.

            Barnes was highly effective in the ’21 Fall Classic, making 3 relief appearances and getting credited with a pair of wins. In Game 3, he took over for a struggling Fred Toney in the third inning and held the Yankees to 1 run on 4 hits in a 13-5 Giants’ rout. In Game 6, he bailed out Toney again when the right-hander couldn’t get out of the first inning. Barnes came in and promptly shut the door on the Bombers, working eight and one-third while striking out 10. It was a heroic performance as the Giants emerged with an 8-5 win, knotting the Series at three games apiece.

            Barnes’s regular season win totals dipped again slightly in 1922, but he finished the year at 13-8 while eating up more than 200 innings for McGraw. On May 22 of that year, he turned in the finest performance of his career, a no-hitter against Philadelphia at the Polo Grounds. The Phillies were among the top offensive clubs in the NL that year, finishing first in homers and second in doubles.

            In the ’22 World Series, Barnes was successful again. He went the distance in a 10-inning Game 2 marathon, yielding just 3 runs on 8 hits, but was robbed of a decision when the game was called on account of darkness with daylight still remaining. According to the umpiring crew, a haze had settled over the Polo Grounds, limiting visibility and making the game unplayable. Barnes never got a second start after the Giants won the next three games, capturing their second straight championship.

            In 1923, Barnes’s ERA skyrocketed to 6.25 through early-June. He was packaged in a multi-player deal that sent him back to his point of origin. The Boston Braves were a poor club, but he still managed to win 36 games for them over portions of three seasons. He ended his major league career with Brooklyn in 1927, though he continued in the minors through the 1930 slate.

            Jesse’s brother Virgil, a right-hander who was five years younger, was also a major league pitcher. They played together in New York for portions of three seasons and opposed each other on the mound several times. Together, they recorded 213 career victories—among the top totals for big league siblings.

BASEBALL'S DYNASTIES AND THE PLAYERS WHO BUILT THEM Omitted Bios (Chapter 5 Boston Red Sox 1915-1918)

This installment of my omitted biography series features the fifth chapter of my latest book, Baseball's Dynasties and the Players Who Built Them, which is being released in July. This is actually one of my favorite chapters since it deals with a period of Babe Ruth's career that has been somewhat overlooked--his years as a pitcher. Though I have been a fan of the Yankees for most of my life, I find the history of the Red Sox fascinating. I love the fact that they still play in the same stadium that hosted three World Series during the late-Deadball Era. Ernie Shore's thumbnail bio did not make the final cut in this chapter. Though I find his brief career to be quite interesting, his contributions to the Red Sox were somewhat minimal compared to the higher profile players around him.    

BOSTON RED SOX
(1915-1918)

BEST RECORD 101-50 (1915)
NUMBER OF PENNANTS: 3
NUMBER OF CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 (1915, 1916, 1918)
HALL OF FAMERS: Tris Speaker (OF), Harry Hooper (OF), Babe Ruth (P/OF), Herb Pennock (P)

OMITTED BIO

Ernie Shore

 Pitcher

            Baseball officials giveth—Baseball officials taketh away…

            Ernie Shore became famous for pitching a perfect game that was later downgraded. On June 23, 1917, Babe Ruth started the first game of a doubleheader against the Senators. He walked lead-off hitter Ray Morgan on four pitches and disagreed with every call. After the fourth offering was determined to be outside the strike zone, Ruth went ballistic, throwing a punch at home plate umpire Brick Owens. The Babe was ejected and Shore was summoned in relief. Ray Morgan was promptly thrown out trying to steal by catcher Sam Agnew and Shore retired all 26 batters he faced. AL president William Harridge recognized Shore’s performance as a perfect game and numerous statistical sources followed suit. But in 1991, major league baseball officially changed the game’s status to a “combined no-hitter” (an unfortunate turn of events since Ruth deserved virtually no credit). Shore wasn’t alive to learn of this development though it would have been very interesting to hear his reaction.

            A North Carolina native, Shore graduated from Guilford College and taught math in the offseason to supplement his income. Originally scouted by the Giants, he pitched just one inning for them in a 1912 mop-up assignment that went poorly. Demoted to the International League, he was sold to the Red Sox along with Oriole teammate Babe Ruth in 1914.

            For the era, Shore was considered quite tall at six-foot-four. He played for the Red Sox from 1914-1917, winning at least 10 games every year while posting earned run averages ranging from 1.64 to 2.63. His best season came in 1915, when he compiled a 19-8 record with 4 shutouts and 17 complete games. Over the next two seasons, he would add 29 more victories to his career totals.

            Shore was masterful in the postseason. He pitched in two World Series for the Red Sox, compiling a 3-1 record. His most dominant start came in Game 5 of the 1916 Fall Classic, when he held Brooklyn to 3 hits and 1 unearned run as the Sox clinched the Series.

            In December of 1918, Shore was sent to the Yankees with Dutch Leonard and Duffy Lewis in exchange for four players and cash. Shore hardly pulled his own weight, compiling a 7-10 record in thirty-four games with New York. He found himself in the Pacific Coast League during the 1921 slate and got hit hard in 19 appearances. It was the end of his professional career.  

When his playing days were over, he ran his own insurance company for awhile and was later elected Sheriff of Forsyth County in N0rth Carolina. He held that job until 1970. In later years, he groused about the smaller dimensions of ballparks and commented that under modern conditions, Babe Ruth would have hit 80 or 90 homers instead of the 60 he ended up with in 1927. During Roger Maris’s 1961 assault on Ruth’s single-season record, Shore commented: “I’d hate to see the Babe’s record get broken. I guess most of the old timers do. It’s one of the great records in baseball”

Shore lived to the ripe age of eighty-nine, passing away in 1980.