---

PAGE 2 | 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – JULY 2017 | BASEBALLCLASSICS.COM

• Fahttps://www.facebook.com/BaseballClassicscebook
• Twitthttps://twitter.com/playanymlbteamser

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Dear loyal Major League Baseball enthusiasts, contributors, and dedicated Baseball Classics® team,

Our mission has always been to enlighten, inspire, and educate baseball fans. Since launching on July 1, 2016, we’ve focused on expanding your knowledge of MLB facts from 1901 to present. Because time is the tangent for busy fans, our digital magazine has meaningful articles that you can read in under 10 minutes.

Like expanding a dangerous-sized leadoff from first base against a crafty left-hander, we give our opinion on controversial issues. Other articles feature inspiring insights behind players and teams that you either love or might never have heard of. Nonetheless, you’ll never forget after reading about them. Baseball Classics magazine debunks myths with facts and visuals as colorful as a 1980’s Astros uniform.

We have invested many hours in researching every topic to ensure our thousands of monthly readers have insightful baseball stories to share.  It’s an honor to join in sharing the journey of our National Pastime with MLB fans of all ages.

In order to help further your MLB experience each month, we’ve added some fun surprises over the past year like including two free Baseball Classics player cards in each issue.  One of the best ways to learn about players is to manage and play them.

The next year will feature more of the same great, in-depth knowledge transfer that will stretch your mind like a head-first dive going for that extra base. Also, like a dandy swooping curveball from Hall of Fame pitcher, Bert Blyleven, we will continue to add a few surprises along the way.

Your keen interest in MLB is of utmost importance to us.  We’ll continue to best serve you and baseball fans worldwide through our free online Baseball Classics Magazine in the most inspiring and educational ways we can think of.

In celebration since publishing last year, we’ve place our top articles inside this special 1st year anniversary issue for you.  Thank you for making it all possible.

 

Enjoy our gift, the 1st Year Anniversary issue of Baseball Classics Magazine!

Dean Patino, Founder Baseball Classics® 

---

PAGE 3 | 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – JULY 2017 | BASEBALLCLASSICS.COM

Ruth

& the 1918 Boston Red Sox

 

Babe Ruth transformed from a great pitcher to an even greater outfielder on a team that might have won a fixed World Series.

It was a historic season. One never since repeated. It was the year the player named Babe Ruth achieved double-digit wins from the mound, led the league in home runs, slugging and OPS percentages, and won two games in the Fall Classic. He posted a 1.06 ERA on his way to leading the 1918 Boston Red Sox to their fifth World Series title over the Chicago Cubs.

For the first time in his career, he transitioned from a full-time pitcher to a full-time outfielder. He started 19 games as a pitcher and completed 18 of them as such. No other Major League Baseball player has ever come close to accomplishing such a jaw-dropping performance between the baselines. His 1918 Baseball Classics® pitcher card reveals an impressive story painted with a colorful sea of red (outs). There’s only one sore spot — a higher walk to strikeout ratio. However, Babe Ruth made up for it compiling a nifty 2.22 ERA. He was stingy when it came to giving up hits and merely surrendered one home run.

During his first season playing outfield, his bat did damage to American League pitching. He dwarfed his teammates and led the league in home runs. No other player on the Red Sox that year had more than a single home run. Babe had 11 round-trippers in only 95 games. This would be his first of many seasons featuring double-digit home runs. Ruth also had the team’s highest batting average — an even .300. His slugging average was 150 points higher than the next closest player. His on-base plus slugging (OPS) percentage was nearly .200 more than anyone in the starting lineup.

1918 was the season that showed how capable Babe Ruth was at pitching rubber to the plate. Of all the incredible MLB records, Babe Ruth’s performance in 1918 as a pitcher and hitter is the most unlikely ever to be broken. It’s the MLB record that no one points to in this regard, yet should be the one noted as the most difficult for any player to ever repeat or rival.

This Red Sox team had other outstanding pitchers and some solid — but not great — hitters during the 1918 MLB season which was shortened by World War I. With the war and disease, there was difficulty drawing a crowd. Attendance was just under 250,000. In today’s world, that’s not even a month at Fenway Park.

The team finished 75-51 featuring two monster months in April and July where they compiled a 31-11 record. They mostly played .500 or a smidgen better during the other months. They really beat up on the bottom feeders of the league, namely Detroit, Philadelphia, and St. Louis going 40-16. Ironically the one team below .500 they struggled mightily against was the New York Yankees losing 11 of 17 matchups.

Team Pitching

Starting pitchers was the overall strength of this BoSox team with five dominating starters. The fifth starter, Dutch Leonard had the highest ERA of all (2.72). The other four (Ruth, Carl Mays, Bullet Joe Bush, and Sad Same Jones) had ERAs south of 2.26. These five gems completed 102 of 120 games started. They won 73 of their 75 total team wins. At the plate, Mays and Bush did well with batting averages of .288 and .276 respectively and totaled 19 RBIs and 18 runs scored. 

Team Batting

Besides the aforementioned great Babe Ruth, the rest of the team was good enough in the batters’ box. Another hitting star on the team was future Hall of Famer, Harry Hooper. He batted .289, led the team in triples (13), and tied with Ruth’s 26 doubles. First Baseman Stuffy McInnis came over from the Philadelphia Athletics to play for the Red Sox. Although his usual .300 batting average dropped to .272, he still did fine. He was a career .307 hitter but never made it into the Hall of Fame. That goes to show how tough it is to make it as a first bagger.

Sean, Whitman, and Strunk had decent seasons. However, when Wally Schang could come off the bench, he served his team well with his .377 on-base percentage (OBP). His walks weren’t bad either. He could also pop a double now and then while filling in at a variety of fielding positions.

Was the World Series Fix In?

1918 was surely a time of high gambling in Major League Baseball. Fenway was known to have plenty of regular folks and professional gamblers betting on just about anything from the outcome of a game to balls and strikes. The Cubs were clearly the better team on paper. That season, they finished with an 84-45 record. Rumor has it some players on their team may have thrown the series in exchange for a boatload of cash.

Former White Sox pitcher, Eddie Cicotte who is now known as one of the infamous “Black Sox” was ultimately barred from baseball for fixing their 1918 World Series loss to Cincinnati. A 1920 court deposition later claimed how one or more of the Cubs said: “the boys on the club” mentioned they were offered $10,000 to throw the 1918 Series. Cicotte revealed, “The ball players were talking about somebody trying to fix the National League ball players or something like that.”

“Well anyway, there was some talk about them offering $10,000 or something to throw the Cubs in the Boston Series.”

He also admitted that “Somebody made a crack about getting money, if we got into the Series, to throw the Series.”

Perhaps no one will ever know for sure. What we do know about the 1918 MLB Season and the Boston Red Sox is that Ruth became a force to reckon with — both at the plate and mound. Such a performance has never been seen since. You can order this historic 1918 Boston Red Sox team, season or any others from 1901 to the present to play from Baseball Classics.

---

PAGE 4 | 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – JULY 2017 | BASEBALLCLASSICS.COM

Sadly, the only thing this brilliant staff couldn’t do was defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series. They finally surrendered in Game 7 with a 2-1 loss. However, they are one of the very best MLB teams of all-time to play against any other team from 1901 to present!

Jim Palmer was the only player on this staff who was voted into the MLB Hall of Fame (HOF). Supporting them in the field and at bat, were HOFers are Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson. Let’s not forget that legendary Manager, Earl Weaver was is also a member.

The staff was rewarded for their collective league-leading team ERA of 2.99 and .261 batting average. Orioles teams managed by Weaver were also known for their stellar defense. This team was no different and ultimately tied for second-best in the American League at defending their field positions.

They had eight players with double-digit homers, two with 9 homers, and 4 double-digit base stealers. In Earl Weaver style, they lead the MLB in walks while allowing the fewest in the AL. Enjoy playing them and all these great teams with mighty pitching staffs!

---

PAGE 5 | 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – JULY 2017 | BASEBALLCLASSICS.COM

GREAT #5 Hitters

When it comes to the heart of the batting order, these remarkable MLB sluggers in the 5th lineup spot solidified the juiciest part.

Who comes to mind when you think of jaw-dropping #5 batters throughout the decades? Well, Baseball Classics® is the only baseball board game with cards featuring 30 MLB batter and pitcher stats. With one glance at the Baseball Classics card, the color-coded results column instantly reveals how a player performed that season. We did some extensive research to supply you with a list of who’s who in this coveted spot. There are plenty of great ones who formed some of the most feared 3-4-5 batting orders in MLB history. We judged them on their per season overall home run power, batting average, on-base plus slugging (OPS), and their ability to drive in over 100 runs — even if they had two awesome hitters ahead of them.

These feared #5 powerhouse hitters were game changers. Not only did they protect the clean-up spot ahead of them, in many cases they were considered just as dangerous. They could blast one outta the park, get that big 2-out RBI (which drove the other team mad), and extend innings by getting on base often. This naturally contributed to turning around the lineup faster and wearing down pitching staffs.

Let’s launch into the heart of the order with our list featuring five of the greatest #5 hitters ever to dominate a lineup!

Tony Lazzeri – 1927 New York Yankees

When you’re part of a lineup nicknamed Murderers Row, domination is automatic. Lazzeri surely had the benefit of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig ahead of him, but he didn’t leave it all up to them. Even though Ruth and Gehrig drove in 164 and 175 runs respectively. Tony Lazzeri drove in over 100 runs that year too! One might wonder how many more runners could be left on base with the Babe and Gehrig beating and driving in over 100 home runs (HR)! With 18 HRs and a .309 batting average, Lazzeri surely did. His performance was great because he got on base often and had 69 walks.

Jermaine Dye – 2006 Chicago White Sox

He’s likely not a top-of-mind #5 hitter. The year after his 2005 World Series win with the Chicago White Sox, Dye was named MVP and had quite the follow-up MLB season. Jim Thome (#3 hitter) and Paul Konerko (#4 hitter) had over 100 RBIs. They each also had 42 and 35 deep blasts. However, Dye outslugged both of them from the 5-hole with a higher batting average (.315), more home runs (44), and the most RBIs (120). Mercy!

Rudy York – 1937 Detroit Tigers

When it comes to Baseball Classics player cards, Rudy York is right up there with some of the most colorful ones you will ever play. Rudy could do it all! In 1937 he was the quintessential #5 hitter. Ahead of him — in the third spot — was the league’s MVP Charlie Gehringer. Hank Greenberg batted clean-up. Gehringer batted a cool .371 with 97 RBI’s which Greenberg blasted 40 round-trippers and totaled 183 runs batted in with 103, had a batting average of .307 with 35 deep blasts, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging average) of 1.026. Seriously, this is an incredible accomplishment.

Andres Galarraga – 1996 Colorado Rockies

This Rockies team put the mile in “mile high” by blasting home runs in 1996. Once again, here’s another stunning performance by the heart of the order including an eye-popping season by the #5 hitter in the lineup. Andres Galarraga mastered it by hitting over .300 with 47 home runs and gobbled 150 RBIs. To show just how amazing this feat was, the #3 and #4 hitters drove in a total of 269 RBIs before him! Galarraga had more home runs and RBI’s than either of them. That’s just how phenomenal he was that season! Let’s not forget Vinny Castilla in the lineup after them. He only contributed a .304 batting average, 40 deep flies, and 113 knocks. Whew!

Boog Powell – 1966 Baltimore Orioles

In 1966, the American League batting average was a paltry .240. The Baltimore Orioles middle of the order didn’t let that stop them. That year’s MVP, Frank Robinson rocked the #3 batting spot. Frank had a .316 batting average, missed 50 home runs with 49, and drove in 122 runs. Their teammate Brooks Robinson blasted 23 long ones and had a 100 RBIs batting clean-up. Boog Powell had a sensational season batting #5. His hitting average was a robust .287. Boog connected on 34 home runs and totaled 109 runs batted. In 1966, Boog was in the top five for batting average, home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging average, and on-base plus slugging for the American League. He was sixths in runs created. While the Orioles 3-4-5 hitters each had over 100 RBIs, only 2 other players in the AL reached over 100 that season.

Treat yourself to our Baseball Classics Player Cards or our classic Team Charts and create a fearsome lineup with any of these MLB teams!

---

PAGE 6 | 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – JULY 2017 | BASEBALLCLASSICS.COM

While highly regarded for his second base fielding, Maz was not praised for his batting; it lacked power. He captured 8 Gold Gloves but oddly enough his a single bat hit glorified him in MLB history and he was elected to the Hall of Fame.

This epic fall classic had a foreshadowing beginning on October 5th, 1960. Guess who blasted the first home run of the series in game one? If you guessed Bill Mazeroski, you’re right. It turns out the Pirates really needed that 2-run shot he hit off Yankees pitcher Jim Coates. This put the Pirates up 5 to 2 in the bottom of the fourth. They went on to win Game 1 by a 6-4 score; it turned out to be the game-winning RBI.

Game 2 was a crusher by the Yanks who stormed back with a 16-3 win. They then followed that with a 10-0 whitewash of the Pirates in Game 3. Mantle took control with three homers and 7 RBIs during that feast of Pittsburgh pitches. Mercy! They outscored the Pirates 26 to 3 in those two games. The series looked gloomy heading into Game 4 at the iconic Yankee Stadium – the house that Ruth built.

Though tight, everything was going according to the Yankees’ plan. That was until the top of the fifth inning in Game 4. Ralph Terry had a 1-0 lead thanks to a Moose Skowron drive over the 344-foot wall in right field and was throwing no-hit ball heading into that frame. He was greeted by a solid lead-off single. The trouble really started with a controversial “safe” call in an attempt to force the Pirates runner at second base on an innocent ground ball to first base. This fielder’s choice left runners on first and second with nobody out. Subsequently, the Pirates batters Law and Virdon would connect for a double and single to drive in 3 runs before the inning ended. The Yankees could only muster one more run, again, thanks to Moose Skowron storming around third base to make the score 3-2 for the Pirates. That’s how it a pivotal game ended.

On Monday, October 10, things became a must-win for New York in Yankee Stadium. After all, another loss at home would really put their backs against the wall with games only remaining in Pittsburgh. However, the Pirates once again prevailed, winning 5-2. Mantle seemed helpless with 3 free passes that day and held scoreless from the fourth inning on.

This time things looked up for the Pirates. Being home at Forbes Field to enjoy the powerful vibes and backing from their fans for what could be the clincher in game six. Pittsburgh would have to overcome one gigantic obstacle. Whitey Ford who shut them out in Game 3 was back on the mound once more. In a laugher, the Yankees easily defeated Bob Friend (12-0) and send them into the Game 7 for a winner take all series.

New York had plated 46 runners through six games compared to the Pirates fourteen. Everyone in Pittsburgh knew this Yankee team could – and would – bring it once again to Game 7. No other franchise was even close to winning as many titles as the Yankees. Forbes Field was just another park to them as they proved in Game 6.

The Yanks were going to need their offensive firepower again for dicey Bob Turley was all they had left to start. The Bucs brought back 20-game winner Vern Law. Turley was on a short leash and pulled after surrendering 3 runs in the first inning. The Pirates enjoyed a somewhat comfortable 4-0 lead. By the time all was said and done in the sixth inning, the New York fought back and took a 5-4 lead.

The Yanks padded that lead with two more in the top of the eight. Now up 7-4, the game was getting out of reach for the Pirates. Their opponents had only scored max 5 runs in any game in the series thus far. Havoc struck for these Yankees; history was about to turn against them at the bottom of the eight. Disaster struck, and 5 allowed runs including a 2-out pinch hit, and a go-ahead 3-run home run by Pirate’s Catcher, Hal Smith. Smith was a journeyman with over ten MLB seasons. This was the most powerful year of his career. The Yanks didn’t see this one coming.

The Pirates brought in Bob Friend to close it out at the top of the ninth inning. The Yankees appreciated his “friendship” the last time they faced him while blowing him out and rudely repeated the same greeting. This “friend” was pulled after giving up singles to Richardson and Long to start the top of the ninth. Heading into the bottom of the ninth, a single by Mantle and RBI groundout by Berra tied this wild game at nine runs each.

Ralph Terry comes in to face the first Pirates batter, Bill Mazeroski. After throwing a high ball out of the strike zone for ball one, his next pitch is high too, but in the strike zone and Maz gets all of it. With a powerful drive, he sends left fielder Yogi Berra running back to the wall and out of the room as this 1960 World Series ending home run travels well over 400 feet for the win in front of a crazed home crowd at Forbes Field!

Mazeroski went on to be on another Pirates World Series champion team in 1971, another 4-3 nail biter. This time he only had one token at bat as his best days were behind him and they will always be greatly thought of by MLB fans forever.

---

PAGE 7 | 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – JULY 2017 | BASEBALLCLASSICS.COM

Suffice to say, power hitters like Kingman, Killebrew, Howard, Fielder, Ott, Ruth, and others have powered monster blasts. Who will be next powerhouse home run slugger to hit a tape-measured shot beyond these?

---

PAGE 8 | 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – JULY 2017 | BASEBALLCLASSICS.COM

3 Past Greats Immediately HOF Worthy

Making a strong case for these more than deserving perennial All-Stars to finally get voted into the Hall of Fame.

Just like a trial attorney would, I’m making a case for why these three big-name MLB All-Stars should be in the Hall of Fame (HOF).

Any former great who has been found guilty of destroying their credibility or eligibility for baseball’s Hall of Fame will not be defended in this article. Meaning no case will be made for the likes of Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and so on.

Why these three perennial Major League Baseball All-Stars aren’t in the HOF is a ‘take your cap off’ head scratcher. In fact, it’s a full-blown Earl Weaver-style temper tantrum complete with yelling and screaming! Not only do they have Hall of Fame deserving numbers in their era, but their performances were also great to stand up against any since 1901 to present.

Time to step into the courtroom of public opinion and defend these three should be HOF members.

• Fahttps://www.facebook.com/BaseballClassicscebook
• Twitthttps://twitter.com/playanymlbteamser

1. Richie Allen

I was fortunate enough to grow up watching this stud play in his prime. Standing tall at the plate, he was feared and fearless. His massive broad shoulders and arms supported the huge, 42-ounce piece of lumber. His accomplishments were pretty modest. He was the National Leauge’s 1964 Rookie of the Year. Along the way to becoming the American Leauge’s 1972 MVP, he switched leagues. In both leagues, he was the home runs and on-base slugging lead twice as well as the slugging percentage lead three times!

Dick Allen’s slugging percentage ranks with the top 50 All-Time. He’s even ahead of Hall of Fame stars such as Mel Ott, Mike Schmidt, Eddie Mathews, Willie McCovey, and several others.

He was versatile too, fielding three positions – both in the infield and outfield. Though not a speedster, he was one of the smartest base runners to ever go from first to home. One look at his Baseball Classics® All-Time Greats card shows he nearly scored as many runs as he drove in. He didn’t benefit from having Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, or Hank Aaron driving him around the bases. He was just that good at taking the extra base.

Let’s sum it up. Allen is an all-time top 50 for slugging percentage; top 100 for home runs; just barely outside of the top 50 in OPS; top 200 in walks; and top 250 in runs scored. Out of well over 16,000 players who played for MLB teams since 1901, he ranks within the top one percent based on those key player categories. The top one percent!

2. Tony Oliva

This former Twins superstar outfielder was a hit machine. Like Allen, Oliva was the American Leauge’s 1964 Rookie of the Year. He went on to play with the All-Star team for eight consecutive years.

Any player who can accomplish that surely means they have a performance to back it up. Oliva led the AL in hits 5 times, 3 times in batting average, 4 seasons in doubles, and – for good measure – he once led in runs scored and slugging percentage. He nearly compiled 2,000 hits to compliment his solid .304 career batting average. In full seasons he played, he achieved or exceeded that mark 6 times. This is remarkable considering he played most of his career in the tough pitching era of the 1960’s.

Here’s how Tony Oliva compares to his peers from that decade. During that same time frame, Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente won one more batting title than Oliva. Pete Rose, the all-time MLB hits leader, won 3 batting titles in his career and would be a shoe-in if he didn’t gamble away his rightful place. The great Carl Yastrzemski collected 3 batting titles in his career – all during the 60’s. Not to say he’s in the same stratosphere Hank Aaron, but Oliva finished with nearly the same career batting average – he was bested by one point. Again, not saying he’s in the same league as the ‘Say-Hey Kid’ Willie Mays, but Oliva had a comparable batting average. Oliva had .304 and Mays had .302. It’s known that Mays could hit with the best who ever swung a bat during the sixties.

One more comparison to show he’s among the best players ever. Tony-O made the All-Star team during his first 8 seasons. The previous record holder was some guy named Joe DiMaggio who had 6 selections.

In 2015, Oliva was added to the Hall of Fame’s Golden Era Committee ballot. However, he lost the honor by just one vote. The committee meets every three years. Oliva should become a Hall of Famer by their next meeting. Any player mentioned by comparison to so many of the elites in baseball history surely deserves to be among them.

3. Luis Tiant

He never looked batters in the eye during his wind up. Instead, he chose to face the opposite way, but he wasn’t shy about getting them out. Over the course of his illustrious career, he allowed 400 fewer hits than innings pitched. Tiant led his league in earned run average (ERA) twice. He was south of 2.00 each time. He posted 20+ win seasons 4 times and 3 seasons he earned more shutouts than any other pitcher in the AL.

His body-twisting, contorting motions with hesitations worked. Batters we confounded by his genius moves. This three-time All-Star was among the greats of his era. His pitching career was a lengthy 20 seasons. Starting from his electric rookie season in 1964 and winding up in 1982. Only 4 times during his career did he surrender more hits than innings pitched in a season. Hall of Fame legends of that era such as Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, Jim Palmer, and Fergie Jenkins only accomplish that 3 times over their careers.

His 49 career shutouts are good enough to rank in the top 25 All-Time. Luis is in the company of Hall of Famer like Drysdale, Jenkins, and Early Wynn. Of course, in today’s game, shutouts by a starter are rarer than ever before; especially with bullpens being prominently featured game after game. To put this into perspective, Hall of Fame hopeful Clayton Kershaw is 9 MLB seasons into his career but only has 15 shutouts. He has virtually no chance of getting close to Tiant’s 49.

Luis stockpiled 12 winning MLB seasons. Only 69 pitchers since 1901 have tossed more innings than his 3,485. This means he’s pitched more than Koufax, Drysdale, Ford, Newhouser, Bob Lemon many others in the HOF. When it comes to besting other Hall of Fame pitchers, his was lower than Blyleven, Jenkins, and Lefty Gomez.

It’s time for these three great MLB All-Stars to join their peers and be elected into the halls of Cooperstown. Compared to those already enlisted, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be!

---

PAGE 9 | 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – JULY 2017 | BASEBALLCLASSICS.COM

If Ruth, Williams, Gehrig, or Aaron couldn’t do it, then no one else will. Do you know this nearly 100-year-old MLB record which only one player has ever achieved?

Rogers Hornsby is the only player in MLB history to win MLB’s Triple Crown twice. Both times his batting average was greater than .400. He’s perhaps the greatest infielder (second, third, and shortstop) ever to play. It’s perhaps also why his first name is plural; he’s a double winner!.

Hornsby won his first Triple Crown in 1922 while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. That year he batted .401, belted 42 home runs, and drove in 152 runs. That’s the same number of home runs 2 Clubs totaled during the 1921 season – possibly more. He also led all of MLB in on-base plus slugging (OPS) at 1.18 and a .722 slugging percent. In total, he scored 141 runs, 250 hits, and 450 bases.

Still, with the Cardinals, Rogers earned his second Triple Crown in 1925 by batting .403, belting 39 home runs, and driving in 143 runs. Once again Hornsby had a dominating performance; he was far ahead of any others in the National League in these categories. The next closest players to finish these categories are Jim Bottomley (.367 batting average), Jack Fournier (130 RBIs), and Gabby Hartnett (24 home runs). Never since 1925 has any player in the American League topped Rogers Hornsby in any of those areas.

Standing at 5’11” and 175 pounds, Rogers Hornsby was a marvel. With a career batting average of .358, he’s second only to Ty Cobb who batted .367. In 1922 Hornsby was the first player to score 40 home runs and hit over .400 in the same season. No player has done this since. Legends such as Ted Williams and Frankie Frisch raved about Hornsby’s hitting and power. In baseball circles, he’s is called the greatest right-handed hitter in MLB history. Rogers Hornsby was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1942.

---

PAGE 10 | 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – JULY 2017 | BASEBALLCLASSICS.COM

Tragic Event That Forever Changed MLB Play

A bad pitch once led to an MLB Player’s death. Read what happened since to prevent tragedy.

It was a dreary looking, partly cloudy day in New York at the Polo Grounds on August 16, 1920. The weather was fitting for what would be the darkest day in MLB history. Some 21,000 fans watched the New York Yankees host the first place Cleveland Indians who held a slim half-game margin their beloved team heading into the action that day.

In January, prior to the season’s start, the Yankees made the best deal in their franchise history by acquiring George Herman “Babe” Ruth from their rivals the Boston Red Sox. He was already a sensational player; the headlines roared with this news. Ruth was having a remarkable first full season as a Yankee. By August he was hitting a blistering .385.

The story that day wouldn’t be about the Babe. Rather, it would come from the other dugout, namely the Indians star Shortstop, Ray “Chappie” Champman.

Raymond Johnson Chapman was born in Beaver Dam, Kentucky on January 15, 1891. Chapman was known to be a jolly, happy fellow who was always laughing, talking and singing. In 1901, he played his first organized semipro ball. Standing at 5’10” and weighing 170 pounds, he was having another solid season batting around .300 – same as he did the prior season. The 1919 season turned out to be great professionally as well as personally because Ray married his sweetheart, Kathleen Daly. She was the daughter of a millionaire owner of the East Ohio Gas Company. Ray’s best man was the Indians’ outfielder and future Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Tris Speaker.

Described as having a great ability in many facets of the game, Chappie handled a bat and threw well. He was swift at base-running, bunting, and covered plenty of ground fielding these positions. He played with a good arm too.

He played many positions throughout his MLB career. In 1920 (his ninth year in the big leagues) he played mostly at shortstop. Sometimes he played second and third base. On a few occasions, he roamed the outfield. During the first of a big 3-game series against the surging home team Yankees, the Indians would face Carl Mays. Mays wasn’t well liked, even by his team due to his surly disposition.

Mays was known for aggressively pitching close to the batters. He had a daunting right-handed side underarm delivery. Baseball Magazine wrote this about him in 1918:

“[Carl Mays] has a weird looking wind-up and in action looks like a cross between an octopus and a bowler. He shoots the ball in at the batter at such unexpected angles that his delivery is hard to find, generally, until along about 5 o’clock, when the hitters get accustomed to it — and when the game is about over.”

Cleveland was leading 3-0 heading into the top of the fifth inning when would lead off. He had a rather hunched over batting stance. With Mays hurling marked, nasty spitballs coming from down under with his side-winding style this would lead to tragedy. After a ‘one ball, one strike’ count, the next pitch from Mays came in like a screaming cannonball into Chapman’s left ear. Chapman sunk to the ground as Yankees Catcher, Muddy Ruel attempted to catch him as he fell.

The ball carried out towards the mound. Mays instinctively tossed it to Wally Pipp; thinking that the ball hit the bat. Suddenly realizing that Ray Chapman was down, Pipp froze.  Grasping the situation, they stopped the game immediately. Doctors rushed in along with Tris Speaker. Somehow they were able to revive Chapman and – on his own strength – he walked towards the clubhouse located beyond center field. However, he collapsed before reaching the outfield. Fellow teammates helped carry him off the field. Babe Ruth – who was in right field when the pitch struck Ray Chapman – described the sound as ‘explosive’.

Pregnant with their first child, Ray’s wife Kathleen traveled to New York. Doctors at St. Lawrence Hospital attempted to remove featured skull pieces from Chapman’s 3-inch gash. Unfortunately, his injuries were fatal. Ray Chapman passed away on August 17th at only 29 years old.  His funeral was held a few days later at St. John’s Cathedral with thousands attending.

Shortly after the game, Miller Higgins (the Yankees skipper) and as well as an attorney escorted Mays to a local police station. Many outraged players including ‘ruthless and tough as nails’ Ty Cobb petitioned for Carl Mays to be banned from baseball.  Ultimately no action was taken as Mays was cleared of any intentional wrongdoing.

As a response to August 1920, Major League Baseball banned spitballs and required umpires to replace dirty-looking baseballs. The argument that it was it was too costly to replace balls soiled by infield dirt, tobacco juice, and other debris would no longer hold following the 1920 MLB season. 

Later, in 1937, Tigers catcher Mickey Cochrane’s near-fatal skull fracture inspired the League to implement a helmet mandate. Cochrane, a player for the Athletics from 1925 to 1933, was coincidentally struck by a Yankees pitcher. That year the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Athletics were the first players to test playing with helmets.

The 1920 Indians went on to win their first pennant in Cleveland franchise history. They also become World Series Champions by defeating the Brooklyn Robins.  Word has it that Ray Chapman planned on retiring after the 1920 MLB season if the Indians won the World Series. No player has more sacrifice hits than Chapman accumulated during his illustrious career. Neither has any scored as many in a single season with his 67 in 1917.  For 3 seasons, he led the league in that category. During the 1918 campaign, he led the AL in both walks and runs scored.  Ray Chapman will be remembered as the man who forever changed MLB for the better – both on and off the field.

---

PAGE 11 | 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – JULY 2017 | BASEBALLCLASSICS.COM

EYE EXAM:

Is it Mantle or Trout?

Close-up look that will make any MLB fan do a double-take.

Last year Mike Trout completed his sixth MLB season. He was Rookie of the Year in his first full season and has since won 2 American League MVP awards while playing center field for the Angels. Today, he’s widely regarded as the best player in the game. Mickey Mantle won back-to-back MVP awards in his sixth and seventh seasons of roaming center field for the New York Yankees. At the end of his career, he’d won 3 MVP awards. He’s widely regarded as the best player in the game. The parallels of Trout and Mantle’s first 6 MLB seasons ran deeper than most MLB fan realize. Here’s an interesting ‘eye chart’ overview showing their individual batting performances during that same timeframe.

Can You Guess Which Eye Chart Shows Mantle’s Stats and Which Shows Trout?

Sixty years apart and those numbers look are as close as a Bob Gibson fastball under the chin of a batter who attempted to crowd the plate. Safe to say Trout is tracking to be a Hall of Famer with numbers that already map to legendary Mickey Mantle.

Before I reveal the answer to the eye chart comparison, let’s take a different look at their first 6 MLB seasons. Here’s how their outcomes look if they were formatted as Baseball Classics^® player cards. The ‘roll’ column on the left is based on the sum of the traditional dice. The ‘result’ column presents a graphical representation of the outcome probabilities. The most likely rolls occur at the middle numbers (10 or 11) fanning out to the least likely at the ends (3 or 18). One side-by-side glance of their cards and it’s clear that card A has a higher probability to strikeout than card B. Card B draws a walk more frequently than Card A. Other than those striking differences, their results are very similar.

Now, let’s view these stats from Mantle and Trout’s first 6 MLB seasons using a traditional graph. You instantly see their only significant differences: strikeouts and walks. What’s so amazing is that after nearly 3,500 plate appearances, these two superstars practically mirror one another in every other statistical category!

This is truly remarkable.

Besides the sixty years between their time in the major leagues, there are many factors that could have resulted in vastly different player stats. Here are a few to consider. They played for different teams and faced different pitchers. Bat design changed in those 6 decades. Even their swinging and pitching techniques were not the same. Stadium foul ground area. The distance of home run fences. Variations between east and west coast weather. Their incurred injuries. Their lifestyle and moods. What are the odds of two players sharing such similarities?!

It’s time to reveal which player eye chart A (player card A) and eye chart B (player card B) represents. Take one last guess before continuing to the results. Based on the stats presented and analyzed, the answer is discernable by knowing which player was more likely to strikeout and which more and had fewer walks.

Does that seem like Mantle or Trout?

Here’s a hint: consider the walk to strikeout ratio of the 1950’s compared to today.

In 2016, American League batters walked 7,365 times while whiffing once 19,096. That’s a 1 to 2.59 ratio. Meanwhile, American League batters from 1965 walked 5,015 times while only striking out 5,811 times. That’s a 1 to 1.15 ratio.

Answer: Trout is A and Mantle is B.

Plenty has changed over last 60 years of our great National Pastime. Our friends at Baseball Almanac show that the MLB strike zone and mound is among those changes. In 1969, MLB lowered it with the thought of increasing batting averages. Finally, during their first 6 MLB seasons, Trout’s walk to strikeout ratio was 1:1.64; Mantle’s was 1:1.10. Perhaps, if he played 60 years ago, Trout might have cut down his walk to strikeout ratio and match Mantle’s. However, outside of a few other statistical categories and wearing different uniforms, they seem to be cut from the same cloth.

Did you guess correctly? Let us know in the comment section at the end of this issue.

---

PAGE 12 | 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – JULY 2017 | BASEBALLCLASSICS.COM