By Ron Griffitts
Contributing columnist
In fall 1926, the New York Yankees (91-63-1) managed by Miller Huggins met the St. Louis Cardinals (89-65-2) managed by player/manager Rogers Hornsby.
The Cards were led on offense by Jim Bottomly (.299 BA, 19 HR, 120 RBI, 98 R, 14 3b), Rogers Hornsby (.317 BA, 93 RBI, 96 R), Les Bell (.325 BA, 17 HR, 100 RBI, 14 3b), Billy Southworth (.317 BA), Ray Blades (.305 BA) and Taylor Douthit (.308 BA, 96 R, 23 SB).
Their pitching staff was led by Flint Rhem (20-7), Bill Sherdel (16-12), Jesse Haines (13-4), Grover Alexander (9-7, 2.91 ERA) and Art Reinhart in the bullpen (10-5).
The Yankees were led by Babe Ruth (.372 BA, 47 HR, 153 RBI, 139 R, 144 BB), Lou Gehrig (.313 BA, 16 HR, 109 RBI, 135 R, 20 3b, 105 BB), Tony Lazzeri (18 HR, 117 RBI, 14 3b, 16 SB), Mark Koenig (93 RBI), Bob Meusel (.315 BA) and Earle Combs (.299 BA, 113 R).
The New York pitching staff was anchored by Herb Pennock (23-11), Urban Shocker (19-11), Waite Hoyt (16-12) and Sad Sam Jones (9-8).
Game one was in Yankee Stadium in New York City with Herb Pennock opposing the left-handed Bill Sherdel. Pennock was on his game and allowed only three hits on his way to a complete game 2-1 victory. With the score tied in the sixth inning, Gehrig singled in Babe Ruth with the winning run and the Yankees took a 1-0 series lead.
In game two, the Cardinals behind 39 year old Grover Cleveland Alexander evened the series with a 6-2 win. Alexander allowed only four hits and struck out ten Yankees while a three-run home run by Billy Southworth off of Urban Shocker broke a 2-2 tie and the Cards won 6-2. Billy Thevenow added a solo home run for the Redbirds.
For game three, the teams switched to Sportsman Park in St. Louis which at that time was the farthest west of all major league teams. Montgomery County native Jesse Haines started for St. Louis and pitched a five hit, complete game shutout and helped his own cause with a three-run home run in the fourth inning as the Cards won 4-0 and took 2-1 lead in the series.
The Yankee bats came alive in game four with the help of three Babe Ruth home runs-two solo and one with one on- for a 10-5 New York win to tie the series at 2-2. Waite Hoyt gave up 14 hits but hung on for a complete game victory while Billy Southworth had three hits for St. Louis.
Game five was the only extra inning game of the series as the opening game starters Pennock and Sherdel were back and still pitching as the game went to the tenth inning tied 2-2. Tony Lazzeri drove in Mark Koenig with a sacrifice fly in the top of the inning and Pennock retired the Cards in the bottom of the inning for the victory as the Yankees went up 3-2 in the series.
The teams went back east to New York for what proved to be two of the more unusual World Series games in history.
Grover Alexander went to the mound for game six in which the Cards exploded for ten runs against the Yankee pitching while Alexander pitched a complete game allowing only eight hits for a 10-2 win to set up the seventh game.
Thinking his work in the series was over, Alexander went out and celebrated with his teammates and was sleeping off his exploits in the bullpen the next day during the game.
However in the bottom of the seventh inning with the Cards nursing a 3-2 lead, starter Jesse Haines got into trouble as he loaded the bases and had two outs when Hornsby called to the bullpen for Alexander to come into the game.
Old Alex as he was called calmly got himself together, went into the game and struck out Tony Lazzeri for the third out.
He retired the Yanks in order in the eighth and went out to try and win the World Series in the bottom of the ninth inning.
He got the first two outs on ground balls and then walked Babe Ruth. In one of the more bizarre plays in World Series history, Ruth attempted to steal second base and was thrown out for the third out and the Cards won the game 3-2 and the World Series.
In defense of Ruth, who had homered earlier in the game, the last play of the game may have been a hit and run as Bob Meusel swung and missed the pitch that Ruth tried to go to second on.
In a gauge of how much respect was given to Ruth, the Cardinal pitchers walked him eleven times which was as many as the Yankee pitchers issued throughout the entire series. He also matched the Cardinal output in home runs with four.
The Yankees were back the next year in the World Series while St. Louis returned in 1928.
Statistics for this article were from baseball-reference.com and youtube.com.
