Records
Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 10:43 am
'Records were made to be broken'. We've heard the phrase, ad nauseum, for years.
How about records that may have had a little help?
Back in the day, the home teams had full power to say whether a game would or would not be played as to inclement weather.
The Yankees once called a game off early in the morning due to bad weather. It may be the only rainout in MLB history without any rain. Not one drop of rain reached Gotham. By pure coincidence, Lou Gehrig was in bed fighting a flu bug.
In the ninth inning of a blow out game, Tommy Henrich laid down a bunt with one out and one on.
The purpose?
Joe DiMaggio was in the midst of his streak and Henrich did not want to ground into a double play. DiMaggio followed with a hit.
In Cal Ripken's last All Star game, Chan Ho Park grooved a fastball. This was before the All Star game 'meant something'.
No record, just smiles.
On the last day of the season, Ted Williams manager offered to sit him in order to keep his .401 average intact. Ted played. Ted ended at .406 for the season.
Don Drysdale had the bases loaded and no outs against the Giants. Drysdale was four outs from breaking Carl Hubbard's record of 45 consecutive scoreless innings. He hit Dick Dietz, the Giants catcher, with a pitch. However, the home plate umpire ruled that Dietz made no attempt to get out of the way of the pitch. Drysdale got out of the inning and went on to set the record at 58 and 2/3 innings.
Twenty years later, Orel Hershiser was on his way to breaking Drysdale's record. At 42 consecutive shutout innings, and again, against the Giants, Hershiser had the bases loaded with one out. Ernie Riles hit a slow chopper, the Dodgers tried to turn a double play but were unsuccessful. The umpire belatedly called Riles out after determining that Brett Butler, sliding into second base, went out of his way to interfere with the shortstop, Alfredo Griffin. The run was taken off the board and Hershiser would go on to run his streak to 59 scoreless innings.
In September of 1968, Denny McLain was on his way to a Cy Young, an MVP, and 31 wins. McLain had grown up idolizing Mickey Mantle. Mantle was nine days from retirement and tied on the all time list for home runs with Jimmy Foxx at 534.
McLain called out his catcher and told him to tell Mantle, that when Mantle warmed up in the batters box, to put his bat exactly where he would like the ball and that it would come in straight.
Not fully believing him, Mantle took the first pitch. It was where he had put his bat. He bat waggled at the same spot. Mantle swung and hit a blast on the next pitch.
McLain clapped as Mantle rounded the bases.
In 1961, Roger Maris had 59 home runs in 153 games. Since Babe Ruth had hit his 60 home runs during a 154 game season, a lot of folks felt that this game was the 'real' landmark for Maris. Late in the blowout game, the Orioles manager summoned his best pitcher, Hoyt Wilhelm, from the bullpen to face Maris.
Paul Richards, the Manager, felt that if Maris was going to tie the Babe's record in the same amount of games, he'd do it off his best pitcher. Maris struck out.
During DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak, Johnny Babich, the A's starter, declared to the New York press that he would let Joltin' Joe hit the first time at bat and walk him the rest of the time. Of course, this brought 'cry foul' retorts from most New Yorkers. DiMaggio solved the problem by whistling a single between Babich legs and out to center field during his first at bat.
On the last day of the 1910 season (No Joe, I didn't see it) Ty Cobb's average was .380. Napolean Lajoie was at .372
Cobb was hated by most people, even by teammates. When Joe Jackson beat Cobb out for a batting title one year, Cobb's teammates passed a hat and sent the money to Jackson by mail, thanking him.
Cleveland loved Lajoie. Even enough to actually call themselves the Cleveland Lajoie's for awhile.
Lajoie faced the St Louis Browns in a doubleheader. The Browns Manager was on a mission to get Lajoie the batting title. He instructed his third baseman to play back every time Lajoie came to the plate.
In his first at bat, Lajoie hit a triple. Noticing the third baseman after that, he laid down bunt singles again and again. He was eight for eight. But, tiring of bunting, he swung away his final at bat and made an out. It would be his undoing for the title. Cobb won by one point.
Pre-Ruth, winning the batting title was THE achievment. Winners were given a new car and bonuses.
In 1981, the commisioners office ruled that Cobb had been incorrectly given credit for a 2-4 performance during that 1910 season.
Lajoie got the belated batting championship, Cobb got the car, and, the Browns Manager and Cobb's teammates smiled from six feet below.
How about records that may have had a little help?
Back in the day, the home teams had full power to say whether a game would or would not be played as to inclement weather.
The Yankees once called a game off early in the morning due to bad weather. It may be the only rainout in MLB history without any rain. Not one drop of rain reached Gotham. By pure coincidence, Lou Gehrig was in bed fighting a flu bug.
In the ninth inning of a blow out game, Tommy Henrich laid down a bunt with one out and one on.
The purpose?
Joe DiMaggio was in the midst of his streak and Henrich did not want to ground into a double play. DiMaggio followed with a hit.
In Cal Ripken's last All Star game, Chan Ho Park grooved a fastball. This was before the All Star game 'meant something'.
No record, just smiles.
On the last day of the season, Ted Williams manager offered to sit him in order to keep his .401 average intact. Ted played. Ted ended at .406 for the season.
Don Drysdale had the bases loaded and no outs against the Giants. Drysdale was four outs from breaking Carl Hubbard's record of 45 consecutive scoreless innings. He hit Dick Dietz, the Giants catcher, with a pitch. However, the home plate umpire ruled that Dietz made no attempt to get out of the way of the pitch. Drysdale got out of the inning and went on to set the record at 58 and 2/3 innings.
Twenty years later, Orel Hershiser was on his way to breaking Drysdale's record. At 42 consecutive shutout innings, and again, against the Giants, Hershiser had the bases loaded with one out. Ernie Riles hit a slow chopper, the Dodgers tried to turn a double play but were unsuccessful. The umpire belatedly called Riles out after determining that Brett Butler, sliding into second base, went out of his way to interfere with the shortstop, Alfredo Griffin. The run was taken off the board and Hershiser would go on to run his streak to 59 scoreless innings.
In September of 1968, Denny McLain was on his way to a Cy Young, an MVP, and 31 wins. McLain had grown up idolizing Mickey Mantle. Mantle was nine days from retirement and tied on the all time list for home runs with Jimmy Foxx at 534.
McLain called out his catcher and told him to tell Mantle, that when Mantle warmed up in the batters box, to put his bat exactly where he would like the ball and that it would come in straight.
Not fully believing him, Mantle took the first pitch. It was where he had put his bat. He bat waggled at the same spot. Mantle swung and hit a blast on the next pitch.
McLain clapped as Mantle rounded the bases.
In 1961, Roger Maris had 59 home runs in 153 games. Since Babe Ruth had hit his 60 home runs during a 154 game season, a lot of folks felt that this game was the 'real' landmark for Maris. Late in the blowout game, the Orioles manager summoned his best pitcher, Hoyt Wilhelm, from the bullpen to face Maris.
Paul Richards, the Manager, felt that if Maris was going to tie the Babe's record in the same amount of games, he'd do it off his best pitcher. Maris struck out.
During DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak, Johnny Babich, the A's starter, declared to the New York press that he would let Joltin' Joe hit the first time at bat and walk him the rest of the time. Of course, this brought 'cry foul' retorts from most New Yorkers. DiMaggio solved the problem by whistling a single between Babich legs and out to center field during his first at bat.
On the last day of the 1910 season (No Joe, I didn't see it) Ty Cobb's average was .380. Napolean Lajoie was at .372
Cobb was hated by most people, even by teammates. When Joe Jackson beat Cobb out for a batting title one year, Cobb's teammates passed a hat and sent the money to Jackson by mail, thanking him.
Cleveland loved Lajoie. Even enough to actually call themselves the Cleveland Lajoie's for awhile.
Lajoie faced the St Louis Browns in a doubleheader. The Browns Manager was on a mission to get Lajoie the batting title. He instructed his third baseman to play back every time Lajoie came to the plate.
In his first at bat, Lajoie hit a triple. Noticing the third baseman after that, he laid down bunt singles again and again. He was eight for eight. But, tiring of bunting, he swung away his final at bat and made an out. It would be his undoing for the title. Cobb won by one point.
Pre-Ruth, winning the batting title was THE achievment. Winners were given a new car and bonuses.
In 1981, the commisioners office ruled that Cobb had been incorrectly given credit for a 2-4 performance during that 1910 season.
Lajoie got the belated batting championship, Cobb got the car, and, the Browns Manager and Cobb's teammates smiled from six feet below.