By Yuto Nakajima
Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, and Bob Meusel. Nicknamed the “Murderer’s Row”
Baseball: America’s Most Iconic Sport
This blog starts off with such a bold, declarative statement. Baseball is America’s most iconic sport. To a large extent, this is true. Although there are a multitude of sports within America with immense followings, baseball has truly become one of the first sports, if not, the first sport to popularize the culture behind the modern competition amongst professional athletes. Major League Baseball held the first ever World Series in 1903, and would continue to host annual championship series throughout the rest of history up to the current contemporary era. Despite the fact that baseball’s inception started at the start of the 20th century, baseball truly began to become popularized with the rise of baseball star Babe Ruth and with the success of the Yankees during the 1927 World Series. The 1927 Yankees are remembered as one of the most dominant teams in MLB history. On top of that, legacy of Babe Ruth is still talked about by experts and fans alike to this day. Serving as the face of the league for over a decade, Babe Ruth’s career not only cemented his own legacy, but the legacy of Major League Baseball as a whole.
Babe Ruth Prior to 1927
As previously mentioned, Babe Ruth had been the face of the league during the 1920s. By 1927, Ruth was already an established super star who had won four championship world series. Babe Ruth’s dominance did not stop at championships. Known as one of the most powerful baseball hitters of his time, Ruth earned a reputation as a powerhouse hitter during an era where hitting relied on strategy and speed.1
Babe Ruth’s powerhouse hitting style backed up his legacy as Ruth would go on to lead the entire league in home runs every year from 1918 to 1926. That is nearly a decade time span where Babe Ruth was the best home run hitter in the league. In 1920, Babe Ruth set the home run record in a season with 54 home runs. The very next year in 1921, Babe Ruth would break his own record with 59 home runs. This record would later be broken by himself again during the 1927 season with 60 home runs. Babe Ruth’s sheer power and ability to send the baseball out the stadium forced pitchers from other teams to innovate the way they pitched. Pitchers were forced to develop new pitching strategies in order to remain competitive when pitching to Babe Ruth.2 To say Babe Ruth was dominant is a complete understatement.
Babe Ruth’s dominance affected baseball within a cultural and economic sense as well. Babe Ruth’s sheer dominance and popularity was able to draw in casual fans who were initially not interested in the sport of baseball. Ruth’s fame transcended sports as he would be featured on newspapers, advertisements, and radio broadcasts. The 1920’s was heavily characterized by a “celebrity culture” in which celebrities were glorified within the public light.3 Babe Ruth was a major part of this trend, and as a result his fame brought in a higher attendance rates for major league baseball games. A larger fan base meant an increase in revenue, which led to increased revenue for his team as well as the construction of larger ball parks including the Yankee Stadium in 1923.4 The Yankee Stadium was dubbed, “The House That Ruth Built” in light of the fact that Babe Ruth’s impact was what helped the Yankees fund the construction of the Yankee Stadium.5 Moreover, Ruth’s influence on baseball also inspired younger players to follow his style of power hitting. Power hitting would eventually become a staple amongst all professional hitters within baseball.
All of this, the impact, the culture, the dominance, the increase in fanbase, all occurred within Babe Ruth’s career prior to 1927. As Babe Ruth approached the 1927 baseball World Series, many fans were excited to witness Babe Ruth expand on his already iconic legacy.
Baseball’s Introduction to Commercial Radio Broadcasts
The 1920s saw a major rise in industrialization and consumerism amongst Americans. Rapid industrialization allowed for the creation of innovations and technologies which became accessible to everyone within the public. Radios were a significant part of this trend as radio broadcasts became the mainstream form of media amongst Americans during the 1920s. Prior to the radio, individuals would find information or news via newspapers. However, newspapers varied based on the local region they were printed in. With the introduction of the radio, Americans all over the country were finally able to receive the same mainstream broadcasts and news, serving as a monumental step forward for mainstream media.
The modernization of mainstream media through radio broadcasts also revolutionized the world of baseball as well. Prior to the radio, fans had to attend live baseball games in person in order to witness live play-by-play action. Although fans were able to read about the game in the newspapers, these articles were not able to capture the authenticity or excitement of a baseball game. The radio changed this by providing live baseball action directly to the consumer. Fans of the game were able to tune into baseball games at the comfort of their own homes.
United Press. “Today’s Radio Programs.” The Brattleboro Daily Reformer, October 6, 1927.
Newspapers suddenly became a resource for fans looking to tune into baseball games. The image above depicts a section highlighting the times for radio broadcast in a 1927 newspaper called The Brattleboro Daily Reformer. Rather than reading about baseball games in the newspaper, fans all over the nation would flip to the “Today’s Radio Programs” page in order to see when the World Series was being broadcasted. After examining this newspaper segment, it becomes clear that radio broadcasts attracted fans from various cities throughout America. Cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Hartford, Kansas City, Louisville, and New York City all participated in broadcasting the 1927 World Series to local fans.6 Despite the fact that most of these cities did not have a participating baseball team within the 1927 World Series, there was still an active effort from fans everywhere to listen in on this highly anticipated championship series featuring the already legendary Babe Ruth. Once again, this trend highlights the growing popularity behind baseball and Babe Ruth as a celebrity during the 1920s. In an unprecedented manner, fans everywhere were able to tune into the same mainstream sport.
Team Loyalty
Leading up to the 1927 series, fans often remained loyal to a specific team which was usually dictated by the region a fan lived in. While many supported Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees, a plethora of fans showed their support for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1927 championship series. Fan loyalty becomes apparent when analyzing the various newspaper articles on the 1927 World Series. Within the newspaper, The Evening Star published in Washington D.C., one article starts off by stating in big bold letters “Yanks should win or be arrested”. This article proceeds to acknowledge the superstar athletes playing for the Yankees and displays full confidence in their ability to win. Another article within the same newspaper is titled “Yank Twirlers Have Big Edge On Bucs in Series Experience”. This article dives into the previous successes of this Yankees team and explains the advantages they hold coming into the 1927 World Series. To end off the sports section of The Evening Star, a chart displaying Babe Ruth’s home runs for the season is displayed. This chart serves to bring excitement to the fans as many are anticipating a legendary performance from the hitter within the league.7
However, newspapers from other rival cities do not hold this optimism towards Babe Ruth and the Yankees going into the 1927 World Series. Within an article titled “King of Sluggers Has Sunk to Depths and Scaled Glorious Heights in Previous Battles For Championship” published by The Boston Globe, the writer of this paper actively slanders Ruth as a baseball player. This article claims that Babe Ruth is overrated and highlights how Babe Ruth chokes in high pressure moments. The Boston Globe even goes as far as to publish a cartoon which tarnishes Babe Ruth’s legacy.8
Considering that Ruth no longer played for Boston’s team the Red Sox, it would make sense that fans from Boston would no longer view Ruth as a favorite and instead would see him as a rival.
The Pittsburgh Press, the local newspaper for fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates, displayed excitement for the Pirates prior to the 1927 World Series. In a newspaper article titled “Pirates’ ‘Inner Works'”, this page displays excitement for the players representing the Pirates by highlighting how talented this roster is. The author of this article talks about the strengths of each player on the Pirates and how their skills and athletic ability will lend itself to success during this championship series. The front of this article features images of the hitters playing for the Pirates with hall of famer Pie Traynor being showcased in the center of this newspaper.9 This newspaper seems to disregard the excitement behind Babe Ruth’s return to the big stage, and instead promotes the Pirates’ success leading into the World Series.
A Timeline Featuring Babe Ruth’s Career
The 1927 World Series
Heading into the 1927 World Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees both boasted very strong regular season records with the Yankees holding a record of 110-44 and the Pirates holding a record of 94-60. Despite the fact that both teams were strong regular season performers, the Yankees were the clear favorites leading into this series. The Yankees held a strong line of hitters called the “Murderers’ Row” which decimated the rest of the league during the 1927 season.10
Game 1: October 5, 1927, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh
Yankees win 5-4
The Pirate’s top performer for this game was center fielder Lloyd Waner. The Pirates initially took the lead to start the game. Despite his success during the game, Waner’s efforts would fall short as the Yankees would prevail with the win. Yankees’ pitcher Waite Hoyt would have a fantastic game, displaying elite pitching throughout the matchup. The Yankees showed off a deep roster full of strong hitters which helped them close the lead and eventually secure the win.
Game 2: October 6, 1927, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh
Yankees win 6-2
The Yankees took the lead early and would continue to dominate for the rest of the game. Star hitter Lou Gehrig was the star of this game as he made his mark with his own home run.
Game 3: October 7, 1927, at Yankee Stadium, New York
Yankees win 8-1
The Yankees dominated this game as Babe Ruth hit two home runs to help the Yankees secure a strong lead. Herb Pennock pitched a perfect no-hitter that game which contributed to the Yankees supremacy in Game 3.
Game 4: October 8, 1927, at Yankee Stadium, New York
Yankees win 4-3
The Pirates fought hard during their final game. However their efforts were unable to prevent the clean sweep for the New York Yankees. Lou Gehrig would score the winning run to clinch the win for New York.11
Best Players
Babe Ruth: Babe Ruth had a slow start during Games 1 and 2. However his superstardom would flash during Game 3 as he was able to hit two home runs which secured a strong lead for the Yankees.
Lou Gehrig: Gehrig was the star of this series and an offensive juggernaut for the New York Yankees during this series. He contributed to some of the most vital hits and runs during this series.
Herb Pennock: Herb Pennock would pitch a no-hitter in Game 3 which would contribute to the dominance displayed by the Yankees in Game 3.12
The Yankees Dominate the Pirates
The 1927 World Series was an extremely lopsided matchup with Yankees clearly being the stronger team. Although the Pirates had a well constructed roster, the Yankees were just a deeper team. Various players such as Pennock, Hoyt, Gehrig, and Ruth stepped up during key moments within this series to help the Yankees secure the 1927 championship title. With a strong supporting cast surrounding Babe Ruth, it became clear during the series that the Yankees would decimate Pirates. With a strong regular season record and a clean sweep during the World Series, 1927 New York Yankees would solidifie themselves as one of the greatest teams in MLB history.
The overwhelming success of the New York Yankees would set a tone for the MLB and the culture behind Yankees baseball. The 1927 baseball World Series reinforced the Yankees dynasty of the 1920s. This same championship series further advanced Babe Ruth’s already legendary career with his fifth World Series championship.
Furthermore, the Yankee’s dynasty aligns with the themes of the “Roaring 20s”. A seemingly prosperous time filled with economic prosperity, rise in consumerism, and growing popularity amongst celebrities, the winning culture of the Yankees fed this trend of success which characterized the 1920s in America. Although the 1927 baseball World Series may seem like a friendly competition amongst elite baseball athletes, there is a deeper story of culture and achievement behind this championship series.
Citations
Bibliography
- Magazine, Smithsonian. “How Babe Ruth Changed Baseball.” Smithsonian.Com, Smithsonian Institution, 16 Aug. 2011, www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-babe-ruth-changed-baseball-51810018/#:~:text=In%20his%20first%20season%20with,the%20new%20live%2Dball%20era. ↩︎
- Magazine, Smithsonian. “How Babe Ruth Changed Baseball.” Smithsonian.Com, Smithsonian Institution, 16 Aug. 2011, www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-babe-ruth-changed-baseball-51810018/#:~:text=In%20his%20first%20season%20with,the%20new%20live%2Dball%20era. ↩︎
- Dumenil, Lynn. The Modern Temper: American Culture and Society in the 1920s. Hill and Wang, 2007. ↩︎
- Leavy Jane (October 8, 2018). “How Babe Ruth Became the Model for the Modern Celebrity Athlete”. Sports Illustrated. ↩︎
- Arbuckle, Alex (July 10, 2012). “Babe Ruth, On and Off the Field”. The New Yorker. ↩︎
- United Press. “Today’s Radio Programs.” The Battleboro Daily Reformer, October 6, 1927. ↩︎
- “Keller B., John “Yanks Should Win or Be Arrested.” The Evening Star, October 4, 1927.” ↩︎
- Lardner, Ring “World Series Crowds Gather in Rain at Pittsburg” The Boston Globe, October 4, 1927 ↩︎
- Higgins, Miller “Pirates’ ‘Inner Works'” The Pittsburgh Press, October 4, 1927 ↩︎
- “Babe Ruth.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Feb. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babe_Ruth. ↩︎
- 1927 World Series at WorldSeries.com via MLB.com ↩︎
- 1927 World Series at WorldSeries.com via MLB.com ↩︎
