rogers hornsby

St. Louis Cardinals player-manager Rogers Hornsby leads by example, slugging his team to a 9 – 3 thrashing of the Pittsburgh Pirates

1926 – Unfazed by Forbes Field’s ample dimensions, St. Louis Cardinals player-manager Rogers Hornsby leads by example, slugging his team to a 9 – 3 thrashing of the Pittsburgh Pirates. 3 for 3 with a single, double, sacrifice fly and tape-measure IPHR good for 5 RBI, the Rajah’s exploits are documented by Lou Wollen of the Pittsburgh Press: “Manager Rogers Hornsby is an ideal leader. Not only does he pilot the Cardinals in expert fashion, getting all the baseball possible out of his players, but he shows them on the ball field how the game should be played. Yesterday, for instance, he demonstrated the latest approved methods in clouting, leading his club in this department. He batted perfectly and saw his team vanquish the Pittsburgh world’s champions by a 9 to 3 score.” Hornsby finishes with a flourish, as Wollen can attest: “The Cardinals wound up by tallying twice in the 9th when Heinie Mueller tripled past Clyde Barnhart in left center and Hornsby smashed a home run to the (450-foot-distant) flagpole in center.”

The greatest pitchers duel in opening day history
| |

The greatest pitchers duel in opening day history

April 13, 1926, one of the greatest Opening Day pitchers’ duels ever occurs, 25,000 fans filled Griffith Stadium to see, 38-year-old Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators battle Eddie Rommel and the Philadelphia Athletics. Johnson the aging future Hall of Famer was playing in his second to last season. Johnson and Rommel matched goose eggs…

More than 45,000 fans at the Polo Grounds watch Jess Petty of the Brooklyn Robins post an Opening Day, 3 – 0, one-hitter over the New York Giants. The Giants will win seven in a row after the opener, only to be beaten again by Petty, 2 – 1, on April 24th.

More than 45,000 fans at the Polo Grounds watch Jess Petty of the Brooklyn Robins post an Opening Day, 3 – 0, one-hitter over the New York Giants. The Giants will win seven in a row after the opener, only to be beaten again by Petty, 2 – 1, on April 24th.