Game 7: Exciting World Series Finales (1960)

October 13, 1960
New York Yankees vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, PA.

It's hard to believe that this Series lasted seven games. The Yankees collected an impressive total of 55 hits (27 for extra bases) and compiled a team batting average of .338. But the resilient Pirates recovered from blowout losses in Games 2, 3 and 6 to claim their first world championship since 1925. The finale included one of the most iconic moments in baseball history.


The Series had been almost anti-climactic prior to Game 7 with just one lead change in the first six games. The final contest was a see saw battle full of high drama. The Yankees sent Game 2 winner Bob Turlery to the mound against Pirates ace Vern Law, who had collected 20 victories during the regular season. Turley lasted just one inning as the Pirates jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. The Bucs added another pair in the bottom of the second and carried a 4-1 edge into the top of the sixth before a 4-run Yankee outburst left them scrambling to catch up.

The Yankees padded their lead with 2 more runs in the eighth, but the Pirates came storming back in the bottom of the inning. With a runner on first and no outs, center fielder Bill Virdon hit a hard grounder to Tony Kubek at short that looked like a sure double play ball. The ball took a bad hop and hit Kubek in the throat. He collapsed to the ground and started coughing up blood. Rushed to the hospital, Kubek was replaced by journeyman Joe DeMaestri. The freak play opened the door for a 5-run Pirate rally that was capped off by a 3-run homer by catcher Hall Smith.

The Pirates scarcely had no time to gloat as the Yankee bats came to life again in the ninth. Mickey Mantle delivered his second RBI single of the afternoon and Yogi Berra followed with a run-scoring grounder to tie the game. Among the greatest performers in Series history, Berra and Mantle combined for 4 homers and 19 RBIs while collectively hitting .361 in the Series.

With  the game knotted at 9 apiece in the bottom of the ninth, Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski stepped in to face Yankee right-hander Ralph Terry. A lifetime .260 hitter, "Maz" was known more for his sparkling glove work around second base. On this day, he provided one of the most heroic batting feats in Pirate history, lifting Terry's second pitch--a fastball--to deep left field. Yogi Berra sprinted toward the ivy-covered wall, but ran out of room as the ball landed in the seats for a walk-off homer. Mazeroski galloped around the bases waving his helmet and was mobbed by jubilant Pittsburgh fans. It marked the first time a 7-game World Series had ever ended with a home run.  

Asked about what he had thrown to Mazeroski years after the fact, Terry commented: "I don't know what the pitch was. All I know is it was the wrong one." (He would redeem himself in the '62 Fall Classic with a 4-hit Series-clinching victory in Game 7 over the Giants.) Yankee manager Casey Stengel was widely criticized for the loss. Casey, who had celebrated his seventieth birthday during the season, ended up being fired. In Stengel fashion, he commented comically: "I'll never make the mistake of being 70 again."          

In 2013, Mazeroski auctioned off more than 200 items of personal memorabilia, including his Game 7 uniform and cleats. He told reporters that he had been approached after the game by seven or eight different fans all claiming to have caught his home run ball and asking him to pay no less than $50 for it. The 2013 auction netted Mazeroski almost $2 million.  

 

Game 7: Exciting World Series Finales (1940)

October 8, 1940
Cincinnati Reds vs. Detroit Tigers
Crosley Field, Cincinnati


The Reds were looking to redeem themselves after getting swept by the Yankees in the '39 Fall Classic.The club's primary strength was pitching. Their rotation featured the one-two punch of Bucky Walters and Paul Derringer, who won a collective total of 130 regular season games between 1938 and 1940. Offensively, the Reds were led by two-time batting champ Ernie Lombardi and All-Star first baseman Frank McCormick--winner of the 1940 NL MVP Award. It had been an extremely difficult season for Cincinnati. Lombardi, a slow-footed catcher who would later be elected to Cooperstown, was injured multiple times during the year. His backup, Willard Hershberger, had committed suicide in a Boston hotel room on August 2. When Lombardi went down with a sprained ankle in mid-September, thirty-nine year old coach Jimmie Wilson was pressed into action. Wilson had appeared in just 2 games as a catcher over the previous two seasons. His presence in the lineup helped rekindle the Reds' spirits as they captured the National League pennant by a 12-game margin over the Dodgers.

The Tigers were a formidable club in 1940. Slugger Hank Greenberg had a monster year at the plate, leading the American League with 41 homers and 150 RBIs. Rudy York supplied plenty of additional power at first base while Hall of Fame infielder Charlie Gehringer hit .313 and compiled an impressive on-base percentage of .428. On the mound, the Tigers relied heavily on right-handers Bobo Newsom and Schoolboy Rowe, who combined for a record of 37-8. The American League pennant race came down to the wire with Detroit sneaking past Cleveland by a single game.

After beating the Reds in Game 1, Newsom learned that his father had passed away in a Cincinnati hotel room. The Tiger ace dedicated his 3-hit shutout in Game 5 to his father's memory. A sentimental favorite among fans, Newsom was summoned to pitch  on short rest in Game 7. He turned in a gutsy performance.

The Reds front office apparently had difficulty printing and distributing tickets for the finale. A sub-capacity crowd of 26,000-plus turned out to see a tight pitching duel that was played in a mere 1 hour and 47 minutes (unheard of nowadays). The Tigers struck first in the top of the third on an RBI single by Gehringer. The Reds answered with a run in the seventh on consecutive doubles by McCormick and Jimmy Ripple. Ripple later scored on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Billy Meyers to give Cincinnati a 2-1 lead.

Reds starter Paul Derringer faced the heart of the Tiger order in the eighth inning. After yielding a leadoff single to Gehringer, he retired Greenberg on a hard liner to short and Rudy York on a towering fly to center field. On the brink of elimination in the ninth, Tiger manager Del Baker called upon aging Hall of Famer Earl Averill to bat for Newsom with 2 outs and nobody on. Averill, who had hit .280 in limited duty during the regular season, managed a harmless grounder to second base. For the Reds, it was their first championship since the ill-fated 1919 affair.

In the Tigers' dressing room, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis tried to console Del Baker with the sentiment: "Tomorrow's another day." Baker reportedly grinned at Landis and replied: "There isn't much you can say to a loser, is there?" The feel-good story in Cincinnati was outfielder Jimmy Ripple. Released by the Dodgers during the spring, Ripple had spent most of the season with Montreal of the International League. When the Reds tried to claim him off of waivers, the Royals put up a fight. With the intervention of Commissioner Landis, Ripple was transferred to Cincinnati in late-August. He hit .307 down the stretch and was among the Reds top offensive stars in the World Series (.333 BA/ 2 2B/ 1 HR/ 6 RBI). He also made 14 putouts in left field, including a game-saving catch in Game 6.           

Game 7: Exciting World Series Finales (1926)

October 10, 1926
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
New York Yankees vs. St. Louis Cardinals

The Yankees had won the pennant by three games over the Indians. Lou Gehrig had his first great season at the age of twenty-three, driving in more than 100 runs while leading the league with 20 triples. Despite Gehrig's commendable efforts, most of the headlines were captured by Babe Ruth, who paced the loop in multiple offensive categories, including homers (47), RBIs (146) and runs scored (139).

In the National League, St. Louis barely managed to fend off Cincinnati. Strong offensive performances from Jim Bottomley, Rogers Hornsby and little known third baseman Les Bell helped the Cardinals capture their first pennant of the twentieth century. The big story in St. Louis during the postseason was veteran hurler Pete Alexander.

Alexander was one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, winning six strikeout titles during his storied career. While fighting overseas during World War I, he was exposed to German mustard gas. A shell exploded near him, resulting in permanent hearing loss. Upon returning to the States, he was plagued by epileptic seizures. He also struggled with chronic alcoholism. His epileptic episodes were sometimes mistaken for drunkenness. Despite his health issues, Alexander won his third triple crown in 1920. While playing for the Cubs, he locked horns with manager Joe McCarthy, who grew tired of the hurler's lack of sobriety and discipline. "Old Pete" (as he came to be known) was traded to the Cardinals midway through the '26 slate. He won 9 games for St. Louis down the stretch, helping them capture the NL pennant.


Thirty-nine years old and approaching the end of his career, Alexander erased any doubts about his pitching abilities when he emerged with complete game victories over the Yankees in Games 2 and 6. With the Series knotted at three games apiece, the Cardinals sent Hall of Famer Jesse Haines to the mound against fellow Cooperstown inductee Waite Hoyt. Before a packed house at Yankee Stadium, the Cards loaded the bases in the top of the fourth. They ended up pushing 3 runs across on an error by left fielder Bob Meusel and a clutch single by Tommy Thevenow. In the sixth inning, the Yankees cut the St. Louis lead to 3-2. They threatened again in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with two outs. Haines had developed a blister on his throwing hand and had to be removed from the game. There were several reliable pitchers to hand the ball to, but St. Louis player/manager Rogers Hornsby made a surprising decision, summoning Alexander from the bullpen.

The alcoholic hurler had allegedly spent the entire night celebrating his Game 6 victory. Historians have never been able to definitively determine whether he was drunk, hung over or suffering from symptoms of his epilepsy. Whatever the case, he climbed onto the mound to face hard-hitting Yankee second baseman Tony Lazzeri. With a 1-1 count, Lazzeri lifted a long drive to left field that looked like a grand slam until it hooked just foul. On the fourth pitch, Alexander blew a fastball by Lazzeri to end the inning.

After the Yankees went down  in order in the eighth, Hornsby left Alexander on the mound to finish the game. The Cardinals had failed to pad their lead and the score remained 3-2 going into the last of the ninth. Earle Combs and Joe Dugan grounded out, bringing Babe Ruth to the plate. Ruth had homered in the third to put the Yankees on the board then walked in each of his subsequent at-bats. Working carefully to the Babe, Alexander ran the count full before missing the strike zone. The next play has remained a topic of debate for more than eighty years. With Bob Meusel at the plate, Ruth took off running on the first pitch. Despite his considerable bulk, Ruth actually had decent speed and was above average on the base paths. Meusel swung and missed as Cardinals backstop Bob O'Farrell threw to second base. Hornsby applied the tag to end the game.The underdog St. Louis squad had captured their first championship of the modern era.

Ruth's attempted steal has puzzled the masses for years. He explained that he ran because he believed no one would expect it. Though Yankee manager Miller Huggins was not always Ruth's biggest advocate, he defended the slugger's gambit, stating that the play would have been considered heroic had Ruth ended up safe at second. As it was, the Babe had smashed 4 homers in the Series and reached base by hit or walk a total of 17 times. He had nothing to be ashamed of. Alexander wrapped up the Series with a pair of wins and a save (though the statistic was not recognized in those days). He had two more good seasons before losing his effectiveness. "Old Pete" retired in 1930 at the age of forty-three with 373 career victories on his resume.

Game 7: Exciting World Series Finales (1924)

October 10, 1924
Griffith Stadium, Washington D.C.
Washington Senators vs. New York Giants

The Giants were making their fourth straight World Series appearance while the Senators had never made it to the postseason. The Giants roster featured seven Hall of Famers, among them second baseman Frankie Frisch, first baseman Bill Terry and outfielder Hack Wilson, who would later set a single-season record for RBIs while playing for the Cubs. The Senators had rebounded from a sub-.500 record in 1923 to capture the pennant by a slender margin over the Yankees. Thirty-six year old right-hander Walter Johnson--nearing the end of his career--was the heart and soul of the Washington squad, capturing a pitching triple crown while being named AL MVP. He was not the only superstar in D.C. that year as the Senators outfield was patrolled by future Cooperstown inductees Sam Rice and Goose Goslin.

The Series was marred by controversy when Phillies shortstop Heinie Sand reported that Giants outfielder Jimmy O'Connell had offered him a bribe to throw a September 27 game between the two clubs. O'Connell admitted his indiscretion and fingered New York coach Cozy Dolan along with three other players. Both Dolan and O'Connell were run out of baseball.

Another scandal broke when rumors surfaced that thirty percent of the '24 World Series tickets had fallen into the hands of scalpers, who were charging outrageous prices. The Series was not expected to go seven games and, when Washington evened the affair at three games apiece on October 9, the Senators had not even printed tickets yet for the following day's contest. Fans camped outside Griffith Stadium all night and there was mass confusion when the box office opened.

Those who were lucky enough to gain admission witnessed a marathon twelve inning encounter that ended on a bizarre note. President Calvin Coolidge and his wife were on hand. The Senators scored first in the bottom of the fourth on a homer by player/manager Bucky Harris. In the top of the sixth, the Giants took advantage of some sloppy infield play by the Senators. Consecutive errors by first baseman Joe Judge (one of the most gifted defensive players in baseball) and third baseman Ossie Bluege led to a 3-run New York outburst. The Senators answered with a pair of runs in the eighth and the score remained knotted at three into the twelfth inning.

With one out in the bottom of the twelfth, Senators catcher Muddy Ruel hit a pop-up near home plate. The sure-handed Hank Gowdy settled under it, but dropped the ball after stepping on his own discarded catcher's mask. Given a second chance, Ruel drilled a double to left field. The comedy of errors continued for the Giants when Walter Johnson, summoned in relief on short rest, reached on a bobble by Hall of Fame shortstop Travis Jackson. Earl McNeely then hit a potential double play ball to Fred Lindstrom at third. The ball hit a pebble and took a weird hop over Lindstrom's head, scoring the winning run and giving the Senators their first championship.

The Giants had been heavily favored to win and most sportswriters were stunned. "This is non-fiction," an incredulous Shirley Povich wrote. "It happened in 1924. I was there." The error would haunt Lindstrom for the rest of his career, though he would eventually be enshrined at Cooperstown. Many years after the fact, he insisted that if that ball hadn't bounced over his head, most people would have forgotten him. "You know the old saying, 'That's the way the ball bounces'?" He joked. "Well, it was never more appropriate than in the seventh game of the 1924 World Series." 
        

Game 7: Exciting World Series Finales (1912)

October 16, 1912
Red Sox vs. Giants
Fenway Park, Boston

The location of this game was determined by a coin flip. It was a makeup for Game 2, which had been declared a 6-6 tie on account of darkness after the eleventh inning. Having committed five errors in that game, the New Yorkers were fortunate to salvage a tie.


The 1912 Giants were managed by the pugnacious John McGraw, who would spend more than thirty years at the helm in New York, guiding the club to ten pennants and three World Series titles. The Gotham pitching staff was anchored by Hall of Famers Rube Marquard and Christy Mathewson. With 373 career victories, Mathewson is considered by many to be the greatest pitcher of his time. Marquard, a left-hander, led the NL with 26 wins in 1912 as the Giants finished ten games ahead of the second place Pirates.

The Red Sox carried one of the most talented outfield tandems in history with Hall of Famers Tris Speaker (CF) and Harry Hooper (RF) patrolling the outer perimeter. Left fielder Duffy Lewis was no slouch either, leading the club with 109 RBIs during the 1912 slate. Before the "Green Monster" was erected at Fenway Park, there was a steep ten foot embankment in front of the left field wall. Lewis became so adept at playing the caroms, the hazard came to be known at "Duffy's Cliff." The Boston pitching staff was dominated by twenty-two year-old flamethrower Smoky Joe Wood. He led the American League in wins (34) and shutouts (10). Boston cruised to a pennant, placing fourteen games ahead of the runner-up Senators.

The Red Sox held a 3-to-1 advantage before McGraw's Giants scratched out a 5-3 win in New York. When the Series moved back to Boston, Wood (who had prevailed in his first two starts) suddenly lost his effectiveness, coughing up 6 runs on 7 hits before being getting the hook after just one inning. The Giants evened the Series with an 11-4 romp that day.

Before the final contest, rumors circulated that two Boston players had been caught scalping their tickets to undercover police. Another story surfaced about an altercation between Joe Wood and staff mate Buck O'Brien. It was reported that catcher Bill Carrigan also took a swing at Wood before the fight was broken up by manager Jake Stahl. Stahl later denied that the incident had taken place and Wood bore no bruises to prove it.
 
Boston's Hugh Bedient (a twenty-game winner during the regular season) took the mound against Mathewson. Both hurlers pitched brilliantly. With the score knotted at one apiece after seven innings, Stahl called upon Joe Wood to close out the game for the Red Sox. In the end, it was the Giants defense that would determine the outcome of the Series. In the top of the tenth, a one-out double by Giants left fielder Red Murray was followed by a clutch single off the bat of first baseman Fred Merkle. Wood retired the next two batters, but the Sox were in a 2-1 hole heading into the bottom of the frame.With Mathewson still on the mound for New York, Boston's Clyde Engle ended up at second base on an error by Giants center fielder Fred Snodgrass. Snodgrass's mother, who was following the game on a telegraph scoreboard in a California theater, allegedly feinted when she got word of the play. Engle advanced to third on a sac-fly by Harry Hooper. Instead of having two outs and nobody on, Mathewson now had a runner at third with one-out. One of the strangest plays in World Series history followed.

Mathewson walked second baseman Steve Yerkes, bringing the ultra-dangerous Tris Speaker to the plate. Speaker hit a playable pop-up between first base and home plate. Mathewson called for catcher Chief Meyers to make the catch even though Fred Merkle was closer. Meyers, not the swiftest backstop in the league, couldn't get to the ball in time. It dropped untouched in foul territory. Speaker allegedly yelled: "Well, you just called for the wrong man and it's gonna cost you the ballgame!" Speaker singled home Clyde Engle to tie the game. Mathewson then walked the dangerous Duffy Lewis. Larry Gardener followed with a game-ending sac-fly as the Boston prevailed, 3-2. Only 17,034 fans were on hand (on a Wednesday night) to see the Red Sox clinch the Series in their brand new ballpark.

A headline in the New York Sun absolved Mathewson of any culpability: "Not Matty's Fault: Pitches Throughout With Superb Courage and Judgement." National League President Thomas Lynch echoed that sentiment, telling reporters: "If not for Snodgrass's muff, the Giants would have won the title. It was hard lines for Christy Mathewson, who pitched superbly." Sadly, Fred Snodgrass was never able to disassociate himself from the Giants heartbreaking loss in the 1912 finale. In a 1940 interview, he said: "Hardly a day in my life, hardly an hour goes by, that in some manner or other the dropping of that fly doesn't come up, even after thirty years." The error was even mentioned in the headline of his 1974 New York Times obituary.


     

The Bridgeport Hammer: A Parallel Baseball Universe

Readers who pick up a copy of my World War II baseball novel, The Bridgeport Hammer, will notice something radically different about the National League. I have fielded numerous questions about this already. Surprisingly, no one has inquired about the Nazi spies roaming the U.S. or the assassination plot against President Roosevelt. (Apparently, I sold that pretty well.) Instead, readers want to know why I changed the names of the players and teams.

The answer is simple: I felt that alternate history should take place in a slightly altered reality.

The book is not really a departure from the facts at all. I have taken great pains to preserve the conventions, strategies and culture of the game during the war era. But I did give the National League a bit of a facelift. Avid fans of the sport will have no difficulty tracing the origins of the team names. For baseball neophytes, here is a complete rundown of my revised NL lineup:            

Philadelphia Mustangs: The Philadelphia Phillies started out as the Quakers in 1883. The team name was quickly changed to the Philadelphias then gradually shortened to its current form. They are the oldest one-name, one-city franchise in the majors. A “Filly” is also a female horse, so I came up with the name “Mustangs” to make them sound more masculine.

Boston Wranglers: The Atlanta Braves were originally based in Boston. They played as the Red Stockings and the Beaneaters between 1876 and 1906. After that, they went through a rapid series of ownership changes. In 1907, they altered their name to the Doves. In 1911, they became known as the Rustlers. That’s where I got the “Wranglers” handle from.

Brooklyn Superbas: Back in the day, the borough of Brooklyn was inundated with an elaborate network of trolley routes. People who lived there were jokingly referred to as “trolley dodgers.” The current team handle originated from the antiquated slang. Long before they became permanently known as the Dodgers, they played as the Atlantics, Grays, Bridegrooms, Robins and Superbas. They carried the “Superbas” handle from 1899 through 1910.

Chicago Orphans: Cap Anson was one of the greatest players of the nineteenth century. The first player to collect 3,000 hits, he led Chicago (then known as the Colts) to six National League pennants between 1876 and 1886. He was released in 1897 when the club compiled a 59-73 record and finished in ninth place. After Anson’s retirement, sportswriters began referring to the Colts as the “Orphans.” They were known as such from 1898-1902.       

St. Louis Perfectos: When streetcar moguls Frank and Stanley Robison, owners of the Cleveland Spiders, purchased the lowly St. Louis Browns after the 1898 campaign, they came up with a hare-brained scheme to strip the Spiders of their best players and ship them off to St. Louis. As a result, the 1899 Spiders compiled the worst record in major league history at 20-134. The St. Louis squad—renamed the “Perfectos,”—fared much better with an 84-67 mark. The Spiders were ousted from the league after that ill-fated season and the “Perfectos” became known as the Cardinals thereafter.   

Cincinnati Redlegs: The Reds carried this nickname from 1954-1959. Many sources agree that the name change was an effort to disassociate the team from any ties to communism. After all, it was the era of the infamous "Red Scare."

New York Titans: This one’s a no-brainer. Titan is a synonym for Giant.

Pittsburgh Bandits: Pirates…Buccaneers…Bandits—different names for the same brand of outlaw.  

In regard to the players in my novel, the names have been changed, but most are based on real people. Some are composites of multiple personalities. For instance, the novel’s chief protagonist, Emmett Drexler, is an amalgam of two war era players—Moe Berg and Rip Sewell.

---Berg spent fifteen years in the majors as a catcher for several clubs. Selected for an all-star squad that toured Japan in 1934, he took films of the Tokyo landscape that would later be used by the U.S. government to plan bombing raids during WWII. Known for his remarkable intelligence, Berg was fluent in several languages. Teammate Elden Auker referred to him as “the most fascinating” and “mysterious” man he had ever known. Upon retiring as a player in 1939, Berg became a member of the Office of Strategic Services—precursor to the CIA.

---Rip Sewell, a right-handed pitcher who spent most of his career with the Pirates, was the cousin of Hall of Fame infielder Joe Sewell. After sustaining a serious injury to his right foot in a hunting accident, he was forced to alter his mechanics on the mound. He began experimenting with a quirky blooper pitch that traveled in a high arc (roughly twenty feet or so) on its way to the plate. The novelty offering was nicknamed the “eephus” by teammate Maurice Van Robays. Supposedly, “eephus” is a variation of the Hebrew word for “nothing.” Sewell’s super-blooper quickly made him one of the hottest gate attractions of the war years. He won 59 games between 1942 and 1944 while appearing on two all-star teams.

Baseball-minded readers will undoubtedly recognize other iconic heroes in disguise, but I don’t want to give away too much. It’s all part of the fun. Unlike some works of fiction, similarities between my characters and actual people living or dead are purely intentional.   

Mudville Madness: Tales From Baseball's Rowdiest Era

Ty Cobb, who played a majority of his career in the Deadball Era, once remarked that “baseball is a red-blooded sport for red-blooded men. It’s no pink tea and the mollycoddles had better stay out.” During the early part of the twentieth century, that statement was largely accurate. To begin with, protective equipment was in its infancy. Players wore no helmets or batting gloves at the plate. The first catchers to don face masks and shin guards were ridiculed for the practice. There was no such thing as sports medicine and players often appeared in the lineup with nagging injuries.

             

As far as pitching was concerned, there were no officially designated relievers and hurlers were expected to finish what they started. In 1909, Dolly Gray of the Senators walked eight men in one inning and stayed in the game. Most pitchers despised being taken out early. It was a matter of pride in those days. Pitching strategies were far different. Brush-backs and bean balls were often ordered by managers as a retaliatory gesture or to keep a batter from getting too comfortable at the plate.

             

Rough play abounded in the early part of the twentieth century. Ty Cobb allegedly sharpened his spikes before every game (though he denied doing it). Players fought on a regular basis and umpires were not above throwing fists around. Even fans were abusive. Many of them brought rotten fruit and vegetables with them to the ballpark to pepper players with. My book, Mudville Madness, captures the spirit of this violent period. 

Here is a small sampling:

Aug. 17, 1900: Reds’ hurler Bill Phillips strolls to the plate and punches Phillies’ outfielder Roy Thomas in the face for fouling off too many pitches. The altercation takes place on “Ladies Day” in Cincinnati.   

Aug. 21, 1901: In retaliation for a perceived blown call, White Sox catcher Joe Sugden deliberately allows a pitch to sail past his glove and hit umpire John Haskell. When Haskell allows the runner on third to advance, he is assaulted by Chicago’s shortstop Frank Shugart. Senators’ players rush to the umpire’s aid and a full scale brawl erupts as fans swarm the field.

Aug. 9, 1905: Umpire Bill Klem ejects every player on the Pirates’ bench—including the team mascot—for mocking him. After the Bucs lose, Klem is forced to hide in the Ladies’ Room to avoid an angry group of gamblers who put their money on Pittsburgh.

Apr. 11, 1907: Twenty thousand fans at the Polo Grounds in New York grow tired of watching the Giants lose. In the seventh inning, many spectators begin to leave the stadium, cutting right across the field with the game in progress. Umpire Bill Klem attempts to maintain order, but fans revolt, throwing cushions and debris onto the field. With snow having blanketed the city the day before, a massive snowball fight breaks out.

Aug. 3, 1909: When A’s second baseman Eddie Collins disputes a call and becomes verbally abusive, umpire Tim Hurst spits directly in his face. Hurst is fired for his actions.

May 12, 1912: Ty Cobb climbs twelve rows into the stands and beats up a physically disabled heckler named Claude Leuker. Cobb is suspended indefinitely, but reinstated after Detroit players go on strike.

July 30, 1914: Washington’s Ray Morgan throws dirt on umpire John Sheridan, who responds by punching Morgan in the face. In the ensuing melee, half a dozen players end up in the stands fighting with fans. Senators’ catcher John Henry is injured when he is hit in the back with a chair.

May 30, 1916: After a controversial ruling, fans at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia shower umpire Pete Harrison with pop bottles. Harrison stands like a statue with his arms folded as the bottles land all around him. One of them reportedly grazes his leg. He will later need the assistance of police armed with night sticks to clear a path for him out of the stadium.

June 23, 1917: Babe Ruth argues with four straight calls from umpire Brick Owens at the beginning of a game at Fenway Park. After Owens issues a walk to Senators’ lead-off man Ray Morgan, Ruth punches Owens. He is ejected from the game and Ernie Shore takes over. Morgan is thrown out trying to steal second and Shore retires each of the twenty-six batters he faces for an unofficial perfect game.

             

There is plenty more where this came from with incidents being presented in far greater detail. Mudville Madness spans three centuries of baseball oddities from the dim and distant past to the present day. While conducting my research, I was literally astounded that some of these events had taken place. If you’re looking for something beyond the standard boxscores and stats, this is the book for you. If it’s baseball fiction you prefer, pick up a copy of my first novel, The Bridgeport Hammer, which was recently released through indie-publisher Black Rose Writing.