The Pecan Park Eagle

Babe Ruth
Who Else?

April 15, 1927. It happened in the fourth game of the season for the New York Yankees. With two outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the first inning, Babe Ruth caught up with a pitch from the tall right-handed Howard Ehmke of the Philadelphia Athletics and drove it high, far, and fast into the right field bleachers for his first home run of the 1927 season. Of course, nobody knew for sure what was in store for the HR record this early in that fabled season, but it would not later land either as a shock or great surprise. Babe Ruth already had readjusted the expectations of the baseball world prior to even the greatest season of New York’s fabled Murderers’ Row.

Here’s how one Associated Press story covered the Yankees’ 6-3 win over Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics on April 15, 1927:

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RUTH SMASHES OUT HOME RUN

Yesterday’s hero: Babe Ruth, who turned to his familiar home run role with a long drive into the right field bleachers in the first inning and started the New York Yankees off to their third straight victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. The score was 6 to 3.

There was nothing spectacular about Ruth’s home run, the bases were empty when it was made, and later developments proved it was not needed for the Yankees to win, but home runs are what the Bambino is paid for and in starting his 1927 string he brought satisfaction to the thousands who believe in his greatness.

The Yankees made one run (in) each of the first four innings and two in the seventh while Herb Pennock was holding the A’s to seven hits, several which were bunched in the seventh inning to give the Athletics their three runs.

Sidebar Article Note: Babe Ruth, the most noted victim of an appetite, consumed too many hot dogs during the opening game (of this season-opening series against the A’s) and had to retire with a stomach ache, but Ben Paschal walked up to the bat (in Ruth’s place) and smacked out a single, whereas the Babe hadn’t even smelled one.

~ Uncredited Writer, Wire Release Story, Elyria (Ohio) Chronicle Telegram, April 16, 1927, Page 10.

The uncredited writer of this game account and sidebar comment doesn’t exactly sound like a Ruth fan or the type of man who would like to risk a chance encounter with The Sultan of Swat in a New York bar or speakeasy under the onus of having to take clear responsibility for what he wrote about players in the national media.

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Baseball Almanac Box Scores:Philadelphia Athletics 3, New York Yankees 6
Game played on Friday, April 15, 1927 at Yankee Stadium I
Philadelphia Athletics ab   r   h rbi Collins 2b 4 0 0 0 Lamar lf 4 0 0 0 Cobb rf 4 0 1 0 Simmons cf 4 1 2 0 Hale 3b 2 0 0 0 Poole 1b 2 0 1 1 Perkins c 3 0 1 0   French pr 0 1 0 0   Foxx c 1 0 0 0 Boley ss 2 1 1 0 Ehmke p 2 0 0 0   Dykes ph 1 0 1 2   Pate p 0 0 0 0   Walberg p 0 0 0 0 Totals 29 3 7 3	New York Yankees ab   r   h rbi Combs cf 4 1 2 0 Koenig ss 5 0 2 1 Ruth rf 4 2 2 1 Gehrig 1b 1 1 0 0 Meusel lf 4 0 2 0 Lazzeri 2b 4 0 1 2 Gazella 3b 3 2 2 0 Collins c 3 0 1 1 Pennock p 4 0 0 1 Totals 32 6 12 6
Philadelphia 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 – 3 7 2 New York 1 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 x – 6 12 0   Philadelphia Athletics IP H R ER BB SO Ehmke  L(0-1) 6.0 9 4 4 3 1   Pate 0.0 1 2 1 2 0   Walberg 2.0 2 0 0 1 3 Totals 8.0 12 6 5 6 4   New York Yankees IP H R ER BB SO Pennock  W(1-0) 9.0 7 3 3 2 0 Totals 9.0 7 3 3 2 0 E–Perkins (1), Pate (1).  DP–New York 1. Koenig-Lazzeri-Gehrig.  2B–Philadelphia Simmons (3); Dykes (2), New York Koenig (1); Collins (2).  3B–New York Gazella 2 (2).  HR–New York Ruth (1,1st inning off Ehmke 0 on 2 out).  SH–Hale 2 (3); Poole (1); Gehrig 2 (3); Collins (1).  Team LOB–4.  Team–11.  SB–Combs (1).  CS–Koenig (1).  U–Bill McGowan, Billy Evans, George Hildebrand.  T–2:27.  A–16,000.
Game played on Friday, April 15, 1927 at Yankee Stadium I
Baseball Almanac Box Score |