There are few people alive that can speak of Babe Ruth's 1927 season. Even a 10 year-old back then, would be 100 years old this year.
And no, I was not around.
That year was the year the Babe hit 60 homers. The year by which all home run hitters were measured afterwards.
Except for those players who took steroids.
Roger Maris proved that the record was obtainable with a dream of a home run season. He was ridiculed by many. Former Yankees even rooted against Maris in breaking the Babe's record.
They did not think the record should be broken. Deeming it a record that was 'owned' by the Babe.
A silly mentality in which Ford Frick, the commisioner of baseball agreed, and suggested that Maris should forever have an asterisk for having eight more games to break Ruth's record.
It is not surprising. Frick was a good friend of the Babe and was bedside at Ruth's passing.
When folks ask me who the best baseball player in history was, I always answer Babe Ruth.
I can't compare generations of ball players to other generations.
It's not fair.
I know in my heart that Mike Trout could probably outplay Babe Ruth.
At the same time, Trout does not dominate his generation of players as the Babe did his.
He was a dominant 20 game winner before becoming the home run king.
At one time, the Babe had 300 homers more than any other player.
Since this is the 90 year anniversary of his 1927 season, let's look at some of the Babe's greatness from that season.
51 of his 60 homers came in Wins by 'Murderers Row'.
He hit two more homers in the Yankees four game sweep of the Pirates in the World Series.
A World Series, some said, was won by the Yankees before a single pitch was thrown.
The Pirates watched the Yankees take batting practice and were in awe.
The Babe hit 12 walkoff homers during his career. Only one came during 1927.
It was 'celebrated' with a handshake at home plate with Lou Gehrig.
No pies, no Gatorade, no point to the Heavens. Just a handshake.
One of his homers was inside-the-park.
10 of the Babe's 714 homers were of this variety.
Though generations afterwards remember Ruth as a hot dog-eating plump player, he was actually blessed with above average speed.
Perhaps the largest advantage for Ruth was familiarity of pitchers. There were only eight teams in the league.
While some may say that that would mean he was facing 'the best of the best', it also meant that the Babe saw each pitcher a lot.
Ruth hit at least six homers vs. every team in the league.
He hit 11 off his former team, the Red Sox.
1927 was Ty Cobb's next to last season of his career and his last full year in baseball.
Cobb hit .357
Babe hit .356
This one is fascinating to me, for some reason....
The Babe never got hit by a pitch.
22 year old, Leo Durocher was a utility player for the '28 Yankees.
He would later say that Willie Mays was the greatest player he ever saw.
The Yankees utilized just 15 offensive players in 1927.
At 32, the Babe was the oldest.
Gehrig's 52 doubles would lead the league in '27
Earle Combs 23 triples led the league
Ruth's 60 homers led the league
The only time that three different teammates would lead the league in those categories.
Almost every year, it'll be said that a player is 'on pace' to beat Babe Ruth's record of 60 homers in a season.
Or that a player has more homers on a certain date than Ruth had on that same date.
Ruth hit an amazing 17 homers in September. Including two on the second to the last day of the season.
19 of Ruth's homers came against southpaws.
He averaged a homer every 10 at bats or less against both lefties and righties in 1927.
Surprisingly, he hit 32 of his 60 homers on the road.
Away from the 'House that Ruth Built'.
And away from the short right field porch.
10 games was the longest that Ruth went without a homer in 1927.
Although Ruth was known for striking out often at the time, he never struck out more than two times in any game during the season.
He did lead all players by striking out the most.
His total?....89.
Gehrig, second with 84.
He averaged over an rbi a game. Finishing with 164.
He would, however, finish second to teammate Gehrig for league honors. Gehrig had 175 rbi.
Ruth, 138, and Gehrig with 109 walks, drew the most base on balls in baseball.
Demonstrating his 'Man among Boys' time...
Ruth out-homered 12 of 15 teams that season, by himself.
He doubled four team's home runs output.
Edit- I'll have to do a little more research on those times and the hit by pitch.
As a team, the Yankees were hit by a pitch just 22 times.
Last year there were two players that were hit that often.
Urban Shocker, a pitcher who threw in 31 games for the Yankees was one of the leaders in getting hit by a pitch, struck three times.
Edit Again-
I researched a little of the hbp history of the times.
There was no retaliation for home runs. There was no 'owning' the inside of the plate. And there was a healthy respect for the batter by the pitcher and vice versa.
Carl Mays had felled Chapman with a pitch a seven years before 1927, killing Roy Chapman.
No pitcher wanted to have that guilt.
Edit Again, again-
Here is one more thing that is astounding compared to todays game.
I mentioned before about the familiarity that Ruth enjoyed in facing the same pitchers again and again......
Babe Ruth hit 43 of his 60 homers off just 16 pitchers.