The 1927 New York Yankees

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig Led the Team Known as Murderers' Row

Apr 11, 2007

According to many, this was the greatest team in baseball history. Here is a brief summary of the players that led the team to eternal greatness.

The New York Yankees lost the 1926 World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Babe Ruth made the final out of the Series when he tried to steal second base with two outs in the ninth inning. The 1927 New York Yankees made sure that they wouldn’t repeat that disappointment. Instead, they became the best baseball team ever.

When the Babe hit 59 home runs in 1921, few thought that number would ever be surpassed. As the 1927 season wound to a close, Ruth was approaching his record, but seemed destined to fall short. With just four games remaining in the season, the Bambino had 56 homers. He smashed four more dingers in those last four games, culminating with his record 60th home run off Tom Zachary of the Washington Senators on the last day of the season. Babe Ruth’s home run record would stand until Roger Maris broke it by hitting *61 home runs during the 1961 baseball season.

Babe Ruth’s final numbers that year were among the best ever: a .356 batting average, 164 RBI, 158 runs and 137 walks to go along with all those home runs.

Lou Gehrig had the first of his many big seasons in 1927, posting a .373 batting average, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs and 175 RBI. Tony Lazzeri and Bob Meusel both hit well over .300 and drove in more than 100 runs. Future Baseball Hall of Fame leadoff man Earl Combs had 231 hits, 23 triples, a .356 average and scored 137 runs. All told, the 1927 New York Yankees scored 975 runs. The press dubbed the lineup "Murderers' Row," a nickname that has stuck to this day.

The 1927 New York Yankees are celebrated mostly for their hitting. But they had very good pitching as well. The staff was led by future Baseball Hall of Famer Waite Hoyt who went 22-7 with a 2.38 ERA. Herb Pennock had 19 victories and Urban Shocker won 18, but the New York Yankees' top pitcher was the 30-year old rookie Wilcy Moore, who went 19-7 with a 2.28 ERA. The staff surrendered only 599 runs, almost 400 less than the offense scored.

The Yankees finished the season with a 110-44 record, which at that time was the second most wins ever in a single baseball season. They destroyed their American League competition, beating out the second place Philadelphia Athletics by 19 games.

The team faced the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series. The Pirates,who won 94 games that season, were led by four future Baseball Hall of Famers: Pie Traynor, Kiki Cuyler, and Lloyd and Paul Waner. They proved to be no match for the New York Yankees, who swept them in four games behind the pitching of Moore and Pennock and the hitting of just about everybody.

The team had seven future Baseball Hall of Fame inductees: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Earl Combs, Tony Lazzeri, Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock and manager Miller Huggins.

Ruth and Gehrig’s combined 107 home runs were the most ever by a tandem of hitters on the same team. Their record would last until Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle combined for 115 round-trippers in 1961.

Manager Miller Huggins died suddenly just two years later when he succumbed to blood poisoning on September 25, 1929.

The 110 wins by the 1927 New York Yankees was the most ever won by an American League team, and it would not be surpassed until the 1954 Cleveland Indians won 111 games.

The 1928 Yankees won 101 games, beat out the Philadelphia A's in the American League, and then swept the Cardinals in the World Series, getting revenge for the 1926 loss.

The copyright of the article The 1927 New York Yankees in Baseball is owned by James Lincoln Ray. Permission to republish The 1927 New York Yankees in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.