At the Polo Grounds, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Cy Williams hits his 18th home run of the season, and his 15th of May, to set a new major league record for the month. The homer comes off New York Giants pitcher Rosy Ryan.
Crossing the plate for the 1,741st time, Ty Cobb surpasses Honus Wagner’s record for most runs scored in a career. The ‘Georgia Peach’ will tally 2,245 runs during his 24-year tenure in the major leagues, a mark which will not be equaled until 2001, when Rickey Henderson breaks the record.
5/25/1923 – A second team batted out of order on this day. The Pirates confused their lineup the first time though the order in this game at home against the Cardinals. The fifth-place hitter, Pie Traynor, had ended the first inning. Johnny Rawlings should have started the second inning but Charlie Grimm (listed seventh) batted and singled to center. Then Rawlings came to the plate and singled to right advancing Grimm to second base. The Cardinals then spoke with Umpire Bill Klem and he called Grimm out and removed him from the basepath. Rawlings was allowed to stay on first base. Pirates manager McKechnie told Klem that he intended to protest the game. The next hitter was the eighth-place batter, Johnny Gooch. Thus Klem seemed to call the wrong player out and allow the wrong batter to hit. The Redbirds had scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning. In the ninth, the Pirates scored two runs to win the game and make McKechnie’s protest unnecessary.
5/25/1923 – Red Faber of the White Sox beat the Tigers in Detroit, 5-3. In the bottom of the seventh, Johnny Bassler pinch hit for pitcher Herm Pillette and walked. Les Burke then ran for Bassler and remained in the game in the ninth spot in the order at second base. The new pitcher entered the game in the seventh spot previously occupied by the second baseman. With two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Burke batted in the seventh place in the order out of turn but grounded out to end the game.
Pittsburgh sends 2B Cotton Tierney and P Whitey Glazner to the Phils for 2B Johnny Rawlings and P Lee Meadows. Meadows will win 85 games over the next 5 years as Glazner’s replacement in the Pittsburgh rotation.
Babe Ruth breaks a 1 – 1 tie between the Yanks and White Sox by clouting a two-run homer in the 15th inning. The blow breaks up a tense pitching duel between little Mike Cvengros and Herb Pennock, who goes all the way giving up just four hits. The Yanks have now won 12 of 13 contests in their western swing.
In a Negro National League game at St. Louis’ Stars Park, Chicago American Giants CF Cristobal Torriente hits for the cycle, scoring three and batting in seven runs. He finishes his offensive outburst with a homer in the top of the 9th to give the American Giants an 11 – 10 lead. In the bottom of the 9th, Jack Marshall gets into a jam and Torriente comes in with two out and runners on second and third base. With Cool Papa Bell at the plate, Torriente promptly goes from hero to goat in the space of two pitches, both of them wild, allowing the tying and winning runs to score easily.
Formal transfer of T.L. Huston’s interest in the Yankees to Jake Ruppert is completed for $1.5 million. Ten days later, Ruppert buys two more sets of uniforms so his players can wear a clean outfit every day, an unprecedented move.
At Boston, the Cards trim the Braves, 10 – 5. The Birds are led by Jim Bottomley’s three triples.
Joe Sewell of the Cleveland Indians strikes out twice in one game for the first time in his career. Washington Senators rookie Cy Warmoth is the pitcher. In a 14-year career, Sewell will have only one other multiple strikeout game.
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