1927 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1927 major league baseball season began on April 12, 1927. The regular season ended on October 2, with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 24th World Series on October 5 and ended with Game 4 on October 8. The Yankees swept the Pirates in four games, capturing their second championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1923. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the St. Louis Cardinals from the 1926 season.
National League (NL)
- April 12 â October 2, 1927
- October 5â8, 1927
| 1927 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Games | 154 |
| Teams | 16 (8 per league) |
| Regular Season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Lou Gehrig (NYY) NL: Paul Waner (PIT) |
| AL champions | New York Yankees |
| AL runners-up | Philadelphia Athletics |
| NL champions | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| NL runners-up | St. Louis Cardinals |
| World Series | |
| Champions | New York Yankees |
| Runners-up | Pittsburgh Pirates |
The New York Yankees, whose lineup featured Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig of the famed "Murderers' Row," dominated the American League with 110 wins. No no-hitters were thrown during the season.[1][2]
This was the sixth of eight seasons that "League Awards", a precursor to the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (introduced in 1931), were issued.
Schedule
The 1927 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place since the 1904 season (except for 1919) and would be used until 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League.
Opening Day took place on April 12 with all but all but the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns playing. The final day of the regular season was on October 2. The World Series took place between October 5 and October 8.
Rule changes
The 1927 season saw the following rule changes:
- A statute of limitations in line with federal and state laws to prevent decades-old accusations of game fixing from surfacing.[3]
- One-year bans for players and managers found to have fixed games or to have bet on games in which the player or manager was not directly involved were implemented.[3]
- A lifetime ban for anyone who bet on a game in which he was directly involved was implemented.[3]
Teams
An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 110 | 44 | .714 | â | 57âââ19 | 53âââ25 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 91 | 63 | .591 | 19 | 50âââ27 | 41âââ36 |
| Washington Senators | 85 | 69 | .552 | 25 | 51âââ28 | 34âââ41 |
| Detroit Tigers | 82 | 71 | .536 | 27½ | 44âââ32 | 38âââ39 |
| Chicago White Sox | 70 | 83 | .458 | 39½ | 38âââ37 | 32âââ46 |
| Cleveland Indians | 66 | 87 | .431 | 43½ | 35âââ42 | 31âââ45 |
| St. Louis Browns | 59 | 94 | .386 | 50½ | 38âââ38 | 21âââ56 |
| Boston Red Sox | 51 | 103 | .331 | 59 | 29âââ49 | 22âââ54 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 94 | 60 | .610 | â | 48âââ31 | 46âââ29 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 92 | 61 | .601 | 1½ | 55âââ25 | 37âââ36 |
| New York Giants | 92 | 62 | .597 | 2 | 49âââ25 | 43âââ37 |
| Chicago Cubs | 85 | 68 | .556 | 8½ | 50âââ28 | 35âââ40 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 75 | 78 | .490 | 18½ | 45âââ35 | 30âââ43 |
| Brooklyn Robins | 65 | 88 | .425 | 28½ | 34âââ39 | 31âââ49 |
| Boston Braves | 60 | 94 | .390 | 34 | 32âââ41 | 28âââ53 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 51 | 103 | .331 | 43 | 34âââ43 | 17âââ60 |
Tie games
8 tie games 5 in AL, 3 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season.
American League
- Detroit Tigers, 3
- New York Yankees, 1
- Philadelphia Athletics, 1
- St. Louis Browns, 2
- Washington Senators, 3
National League
- Boston Braves, 1
- Brooklyn Robins, 1
- New York Giants, 1
- Philadelphia Phillies, 1
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 2
Postseason
The postseason began on October 5 and ended on October 8 with the New York Yankees sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1927 World Series in four games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | New York Yankees | 4 | ||
| NL | Pittsburgh Pirates | 0 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Waite Hoyt (NYY) Ted Lyons (CWS) |
22 |
| L | Slim Harriss (BOS) | 21 |
| ERA | Wilcy Moore (NYY) | 2.28 |
| K | Lefty Grove (PHA) | 174 |
| IP | Ted Lyons (CWS) Tommy Thomas (CWS) |
307.2 |
| SV | Wilcy Moore (NYY) | 13 |
| WHIP | Garland Braxton (WSH) | 1.139 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Paul Waner (PIT) | .380 |
| OPS | Rogers Hornsby (NYG) | 1.035 |
| HR | Cy Williams (PHI) Hack Wilson (CHC) |
30 |
| RBI | Paul Waner (PIT) | 131 |
| R | Rogers Hornsby (NYG) Paul Waner (PIT) |
133 |
| H | Paul Waner (PIT) | 237 |
| SB | Frankie Frisch (STL) | 48 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Charlie Root (CHC) | 26 |
| L | Jack Scott (PHI) | 21 |
| ERA | Ray Kremer (PIT) | 2.47 |
| K | Dazzy Vance (BRO) | 184 |
| IP | Charlie Root (CHC) | 309.0 |
| SV | Bill Sherdel (STL) | 6 |
| WHIP | Grover Alexander (STL) | 1.116 |
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Jim Bottomley (STL):
- Bottomley hit for his first cycle and fifth in franchise history, on July 15 against the Philadelphia Phillies.[9]
- Cy Williams (PHI):
- Williams hit for his first cycle and third in franchise history, on August 5 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.[10]
Other batting accomplishments
- Ty Cobb (PHA):
- Became the first pitcher to hit home runs prior to turning 20 and after turning 40 years old on May 16, in a 10â8 against the St. Louis Browns.
- Recorded his 4,000th career hit with a double in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers on July 18. He became the first player to reach this mark.[11]
- Walter Johnson (BOS):
- Set an American League record for most career wins at 417 on July 28 in a 12â2 win over the Chicago White Sox in his last career win.[12]
- Babe Ruth (NYY):
- Set a new major-league and American League record for home runs in a season by hitting his 60th home run on September 30 against the Washington Senators. Ruth broke the previous record of 59 home runs set by himself in 1921.
Pitching
- Jesse Barnes (BRO) / Virgil Barnes (NYG):
- Became the first brothers in Major League history to pitch against each other on May 3. Virgil and the Giants defeated Jesse and the Robins, 7â6.
Miscellaneous
- New York Yankees:
- Played 155 games due to a tie game against the Philadelphia Athletics on April 14, which ended in a 9â9 tie due to darkness falling.[13]
- Chicago Cubs:
- Set a major league record for most runs scored in the 18th inning, by scoring five runs against the Boston Braves on May 14.[14]
- Philadelphia Phillies:
- Four pitchers were used as pinch hitters and pinch runners against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 18. Jack Scott, Clarence Mitchell and Les Sweetland hit, while Tony Kaufmann ran for Scott.[15]
Awards and honors
- League Award: Paul Waner (PIT, National); Lou Gehrig (NYY, American)
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees[16] | 110 | 20.9% | 1,164,015 | 13.3% | 15,117 |
| Chicago Cubs[17] | 85 | 3.7% | 1,159,168 | 31.0% | 14,861 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[18] | 94 | 11.9% | 869,720 | 8.9% | 11,009 |
| New York Giants[19] | 92 | 24.3% | 858,190 | 22.5% | 11,597 |
| Detroit Tigers[20] | 82 | 3.8% | 773,716 | 8.7% | 9,919 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[21] | 92 | 3.4% | 749,340 | 12.1% | 9,367 |
| Brooklyn Robins[22] | 65 | â8.5% | 637,230 | â2.1% | 8,611 |
| Chicago White Sox[23] | 70 | â13.6% | 614,423 | â13.5% | 8,192 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[24] | 91 | 9.6% | 605,529 | â15.3% | 7,864 |
| Washington Senators[25] | 85 | 4.9% | 528,976 | â4.1% | 6,696 |
| Cincinnati Reds[26] | 75 | â13.8% | 442,164 | â34.3% | 5,527 |
| Cleveland Indians[27] | 66 | â25.0% | 373,138 | â40.5% | 4,846 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[28] | 51 | â12.1% | 305,420 | 26.9% | 3,916 |
| Boston Red Sox[29] | 51 | 10.9% | 305,275 | 7.1% | 3,914 |
| Boston Braves[30] | 60 | â9.1% | 288,685 | â4.9% | 3,901 |
| St. Louis Browns[31] | 59 | â4.8% | 247,879 | â12.7% | 3,178 |
Venues
In November 1926, following the conclusion of the previous season, Chicago Cubs owner William Wrigley Jr. renamed Cubs Park to Wrigley Field.[32]
During a Philadelphia Phillies home game against the St. Louis Cardinals at the Baker Bowl on May 14, parts of two sections of the lower deck extension along the right-field line collapsed due to rotted shoring timbers, triggered by an oversize gathering of people, who were seeking shelter from rain. While no one died during the collapse, one individual died of heart failure in the subsequent stampede that injured 50. The game was cut short in the 7th inning following the collapse. In a similar situation to a partial collapse in 1903, the Phillies rented from the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park while repairs were being made to the old structure. The Phillies played 12 home games at Shibe Park, from May 16 to May 28, before eventually returning to the Baker Bowl on June 24 after spending nearly a month on the road.[33][34]