At Washington’s Griffith Stadium Lou Gehrig smashes a home run which clears the fence, but bounces back into the hands of center fielder Harry Rice. Baserunner Lyn Lary, thinking the fly ball is the third out, returns to the dugout without crossing home plate, and the ‘Iron Horse,’ trotting around the bases with his head down, is ruled out for passing a runner.
9/26/1930: Babe Ruth repeated his 4/15 drive headed into the right-centerfield stands in Philadelphia. This also hit the speaker and returned to the field. The double came off Charlie Perkins.
9/15/1930: In the bottom of the first with runners on 1b and 2b, Dodger Glenn Wright hit the ball to right-center. It looked like it might be caught so Babe Herman slowed up as he neared 2b. The ball bounced over the fence for a home run but Wright had his head down as he ran between 1b and 2b. Consequently, he passed Herman and was called out. He lost a homer but still knocked in 2 runs.
4/15/1930: Babe Ruth hit a ball headed for the right-centerfield stands in Philadelphia. It struck a loud speaker horn and bounced back into the playing field. The umpires ruled it a double. The drive came off Lefty Grove in the third inning with one man on base.
5/30/1930: In the first game of a Memorial Day doubleheader, Dodger Del Bissonette batted against Claude Willoughby of the Phillies in the bottom of the fourth inning with runners on first and second. As Bissonette’s fly ball neared the fence, Babe Herman, fearing a catch, stopped. Bissonette didn’t see Herman and passed him. He was called out by umpire Cy Pfirman and was credited with a 2-RBI single.
4/21/1929: Frank Sigafoos hit a ball into the stands for Detroit in St. Louis. However, the umpire had called a balk on the pitch and the home run was nullified. Detroit won the game, 16-9. Sigafoos finished his career with no home runs in 134 at bats.
9/8/1925: Max Carey hit a drive that bounced off a grandstand seat in right field and caromed back onto the field for a triple. The blow came off Grover Cleveland Alexander to lead off the seventh inning.
8/5/1925: Tony Kaufmann of the Cubs and Russ Wrightstone of the Phillies each hit balls into the left field bleachers at Wrigley Field which were undergoing destruction at the time. According to the ground rules, each player was credited with a double.
4/24/1925: Phillie Heinie Sand led off the bottom of the second inning against the Dodgers by hitting a Dazzy Vance pitch into the left field bleachers. Unfortunately for Sand the ball caromed back onto the playing field. He was awarded a double for his efforts.
5/31/1922: Leading off the top of the fifth in a game in Philadelphia, Bill Cunningham hit a ball into the lf bleachers which bounced off a seat back onto the field. He was allowed a double and the Giants protested to no avail. The hit came off Lee Meadows.
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