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9/12/1920: In the top of the fourth inning of a game in Chicago, Washington’s Frank Ellerbe was on first base with two outs. Patsy Gharrity hit the ball into the left field bleachers for an apparent two-run homer. When Ellerbe heard the fans in those seats cheering he thought Joe Jackson had caught the ball which would have ended the inning. After rounding third base, Ellerbe turned and went to his shortstop position. Meanwhile Gharrity trotted around the bases. When he rounded third base, he was called out for passing Ellerbe. Both umpires, Bill Dinneen and Ollie Chill, made the call. Washington argued that since the ball was out of play it did not make any difference that Gharrity passed Ellerbe. The headline in the next days’ New York Times read: “Gharrity’s Homer Retires His Side.” This event had no effect on the game as the Senators beat the White Sox, 5-0.

ByTom

9/12/1920: In the top of the fourth inning of a game in Chicago, Washington’s Frank Ellerbe was on first base with two outs. Patsy Gharrity hit the ball into the left field bleachers for an apparent two-run homer. When Ellerbe heard the fans in those seats cheering he thought Joe Jackson had caught the ball which would have ended the inning. After rounding third base, Ellerbe turned and went to his shortstop position. Meanwhile Gharrity trotted around the bases. When he rounded third base, he was called out for passing Ellerbe. Both umpires, Bill Dinneen and Ollie Chill, made the call. Washington argued that since the ball was out of play it did not make any difference that Gharrity passed Ellerbe. The headline in the next days’ New York Times read: “Gharrity’s Homer Retires His Side.” This event had no effect on the game as the Senators beat the White Sox, 5-0.

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8/31/1920 – The Giants played in Pittsburgh and had one batter at the plate at the wrong time. Larry Doyle, batting in the seventh spot in the lineup, ended the seventh inning. In the bottom half of that frame the Pirates scored six times to pull ahead of New York, 6-5, for the eventual winning margin. The last two runs scored on a dropped fly ball. In the top of the eighth inning, fifth-place batter George Kelly started the inning with a single. The Bucs pointed out the fact that he was not the proper batter and Earl Smith was declared out.

ByTom

8/31/1920 – The Giants played in Pittsburgh and had one batter at the plate at the wrong time. Larry Doyle, batting in the seventh spot in the lineup, ended the seventh inning. In the bottom half of that frame the Pirates scored six times to pull ahead of New York, 6-5, for the eventual winning margin. The last two runs scored on a dropped fly ball. In the top of the eighth inning, fifth-place batter George Kelly started the inning with a single. The Bucs pointed out the fact that he was not the proper batter and Earl Smith was declared out.

Leaving Robison Field in mid-season, the Cardinals make their debut as the home team at Sportsman’s Park, also the home of the American League’s St. Louis Browns, bowing to the Pirates, 6 – 2. After signing a ten-year lease for $20,000 annually with Browns’ president Phil Ball, the team moves six blocks to be able to play its home games in a modern ballpark.

ByTom

Leaving Robison Field in mid-season, the Cardinals make their debut as the home team at Sportsman’s Park, also the home of the American League’s St. Louis Browns, bowing to the Pirates, 6 – 2. After signing a ten-year lease for $20,000 annually with Browns’ president Phil Ball, the team moves six blocks to be able to play its home games in a modern ballpark.

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The Dodgers were playing a doubleheader against the Giants at the Polo Grounds. In the bottom of the seventh inning of game 1, Lew McCarty pinch hit for Jesse Winters in the ninth place in the batting order and singled. Al Lefevre ran for McCarty and stayed in the game playing second base. The new pitcher, Bill Hubbell, entered the game in the seventh spot in the lineup. In the ninth inning, Lefevre, actually in the ninth spot, batted in the seventh spot out of order but struck out. Frank Snyder, the eighth-place hitter, then came to the plate out of order and grounded out. The next hitter should be Lefevre in the ninth-hole in the order. Benny Kauff was sent up to pinch hit for Hubbell even though it was not his turn to bat. Kauff cannot be considered as batting out of order since he is a pinch hitter. Officially, he is hitting for Lefevre not Hubbell. Kauff singled in a run but none of this matters as the Dodgers beat the Giants, 7-3.

ByTom

6/30/1920 – The Dodgers were playing a doubleheader against the Giants at the Polo Grounds. In the bottom of the seventh inning of game 1, Lew McCarty pinch hit for Jesse Winters in the ninth place in the batting order and singled. Al Lefevre ran for McCarty and stayed in the game playing second base. The new pitcher, Bill Hubbell, entered the game in the seventh spot in the lineup. In the ninth inning, Lefevre, actually in the ninth spot, batted in the seventh spot out of order but struck out. Frank Snyder, the eighth-place hitter, then came to the plate out of order and grounded out. The next hitter should be Lefevre in the ninth-hole in the order. Benny Kauff was sent up to pinch hit for Hubbell even though it was not his turn to bat. Kauff cannot be considered as batting out of order since he is a pinch hitter. Officially, he is hitting for Lefevre not Hubbell. Kauff singled in a run but none of this matters as the Dodgers beat the Giants, 7-3.

The Cardinals play their last game at Robison Field (renamed Cardinal Field in 1917), their home field since 1893, beating the Cubs, 5-2. One of Sam Breadon’s first decisions as the team’s new owner will be to agree to a ten-year lease for $20,000 annually, allowing his team to move six blocks to share Sportsman’s Park with the Browns, and allowing him to use the money from the sale of the aging ballpark to finance Branch Rickey’s idea of establishing a farm system by investing in a club affiliation with a minor league team in Houston, Texas.

ByTom

The Cardinals play their last game at Robison Field (renamed Cardinal Field in 1917), their home field since 1893, beating the Cubs, 5-2. One of Sam Breadon’s first decisions as the team’s new owner will be to agree to a ten-year lease for $20,000 annually, allowing his team to move six blocks to share Sportsman’s Park with the Browns, and allowing him to use the money from the sale of the aging ballpark to finance Branch Rickey’s idea of establishing a farm system by investing in a club affiliation with a minor league team in Houston, Texas.

Citing the abolition of the spitball as the reason for the dramatic increase of home runs, Tom Shibe denies the baseballs are livelier this season. The A’s vice president is also a member of the company which makes the baseballs.

ByTom

Citing the abolition of the spitball as the reason for the dramatic increase of home runs, Tom Shibe denies the baseballs are livelier this season. The A’s vice president is also a member of the company which makes the baseballs.

Babe Ruth bats cleanup in the Yankees’ lineup, and also gets the win when he tosses four innings as the starter in the team’s 14-7 victory over Washington at the Polo Grounds.

Babe Ruth bats cleanup in the Yankees’ lineup, and also gets the win when he tosses four innings as the starter in the team’s 14-7 victory over Washington at the Polo Grounds.

ByTom

Babe Ruth, an accomplished hurler acquired from Boston in the offseason for his hitting prowess, bats cleanup in the Yankees’ lineup, and also gets the win when he tosses four innings as the starter in the team’s 14-7 victory over Washington at the Polo Grounds. During his 15 seasons with New York, the ‘Sultan of Swat’ will take the mound just five times for the club, including a complete-game victory in 1933.

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5/29/1920: Catcher Ernie Krueger of the Dodgers lost an inside the park homer when the ball rolled under the temporary stands in center field at Ebbets Field. He was awarded a ground-rule triple on the play. The hit came off Hugh McQuillan of the Braves in the third inning of game 2 with one out.

ByTom

5/29/1920: Catcher Ernie Krueger of the Dodgers lost an inside the park homer when the ball rolled under the temporary stands in center field at Ebbets Field. He was awarded a ground-rule triple on the play. The hit came off Hugh McQuillan of the Braves in the third inning of game 2 with one out.

The Giants inform the Yankees, tenants since 1913, their lease to play at the Polo Grounds will not be renewed at the end of the season. There is speculation the National League team, which later will decide to continue sharing their home until the Yankees’ new stadium is completed in 1923, may have been reacting to the team’s recent acquisition of Babe Ruth.

ByTom

The Giants inform the Yankees, tenants since 1913, their lease to play at the Polo Grounds will not be renewed at the end of the season. There is speculation the National League team, which later will decide to continue sharing their home until the Yankees’ new stadium is completed in 1923, may have been reacting to the team’s recent acquisition of Babe Ruth.