1928,The New York Yankees won their third straight pennant by a narrow margin over the Athletics while St. Louis topped the Giants and Cubs for the National League crown. Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth combined for seven homers as the Yankees swept the Redbirds to win the 1928 World Series. Browns OF Heinie Manush (.378, 13 HR, 108 RBI, 241 H) had his finest season but lost the batting title to Washington’s Goose Goslin (.379, 17 HR, 102 RBI). Philadelphia’s Lefty Grove (24-8, 2.58 ERA, 183 K) established himself as one of baseball’s best pitchers. Rogers Hornsby led all NL hitters with a .387 average while Paul Waner and Freddie Lindstrom also topped the .350 mark in the Senior Circuit.

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1928

Al Lopez
Bill Dickey
Chuck Klein
Rollie Hemsley
Pepper Martin
Mel Harder
Carl Hubbell
George Earnshaw
Clint Brown

Awards and More

MVP Awards –

NL Jim Bottomley

AL Mickey Cochrane

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World Series – New York Yankees AL over St. Louis Cardinals NL 4 games to 0

Sort bySearch Days, Events, Players Title (A - Z)Date (Newest)

October 4, 1928

Yankees take game one vs Cardinals 4 – 1

October 5, 1928

Lou Gehrig and Yankees romp Grover Cleveland Alexander 9-3

October 7, 1928

Lou Gehrig hits two home runs to lead the New York Yankees to a 7 – 3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals

October 9, 1928

Babe Ruth hits 3 homeruns in Yankees sweep of St Louis

July 22, 2019

Sportsman’s Park III

The stories that shapped the year:

Sort bySearch Days, Events, Players Title (A - Z)Date (Newest)

January 4, 1928

1928 – The New York Yankees buy shortstop Lyn Lary and infielder Jimmie Reese from the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League for a reported $150,000.

January 9, 1928

The Giants sign Chinese-Hawaiian infielder William “Buck” Lai, to a major league contract. Lai had been signed by the Phillies in 1918 but never appeared in a game, and since then has played in the minors and for the semipro Brooklyn Bushwicks. Alas, he’ll be on the Giants for a month but never appear in a game.

January 10, 1928

New York Giants trade Rogers Hornsby to the Boston Braves for catcher Shanty Hogan and outfielder Jimmy Welsh

January 14, 1928

1928 – Alfred J. Reach, founder of the A.J. Reach sporting goods firm, dies at 87. Before 1860, Reach became the first ballplayer to receive a regular salary when he signed as a catcher with the Philadelphia Athletics for $25 a week.

January 23, 1928

Alfonso (Chico) Carrasquel is born in Caracas, Venezuela

January 28, 1928

1928 – Pete Runnels is born in Lufkin, TX. The two-time American League batting champion is dealt to Houston for Roman Mejias but is a disappointment in two seasons with the Colts, losing his first base job to Rusty Staub then Walt Bond.

February 1, 1928

Managing standout and 400 hitter Hugh Jennings dies at the age of 58

February 5, 1928

Jimmy Walker NY Mayor wants a piece of dodgers

February 11, 1928

New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates swap pitchers: Burleigh Grimes for Vic Aldridge

February 14, 1928

major leagues agrees to allot $50,000 to develop a national championship program for amateur players

April 6, 1928

Playing in the Philadelphia city series between the A’s and the Phillies‚ Ty Cobb makes an unassisted double play.

April 11, 1928

Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker both start on Opening Day for the A’s. The 8-3 loss to New York at Shibe Park marks the first time the future Hall of Famers have played as teammates in a game.

April 11, 1928

John McGraw of the Giants and Jack Slattery from the Boston Braves on opening day

April 12, 1928

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander opens his 18th season by shutting out the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5 – 0.

April 16, 1928

Boston Braves pitcher Charlie Robertson has his glove removed from the game by umpire Charlie Moran after the Brooklyn Robinscomplain the ball is acting strangely. The Boston hurler still manages to win, 3 – 2.

April 19, 1928

The New York Yankees are out of first place for the first time in 2 years 

May 10, 1928

1928 – The Giants send OF George Harper to the Cardinals for C Bob O’Farrell. O’Farrell, who managed the Birds in 1927, will never regain his effectiveness behind the plate after an arm injury. The trade makes room for 18-year-old Mel Ott to take over the RF position, a spot he will hold for 18 years.

May 15, 1928

The Giants turn six double plays against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, but lose, 10 – 7.

May 22, 1928

White Sox CF Johnny Mostil handles 12 chances against the Indians, equaling Happy Felsch’s American League record, also made against Cleveland, as the Sox win, 4 – 3. Mostil also legs it home from second base with the winning run on a wild pitch by George Uhle. Sam Langford has a home run and two doubles for Cleveland.

May 23, 1928

Jack Slattery quits as manager of the last-place Braves. Owner Emil Fuchs announces that “after much persuasion” Rogers Hornsby has consented to take over as manager.

May 23, 1928

5/23/1928 – The Washington Senators had two regulars out of the lineup as they played the Athletics in Philadelphia. This was the third contest with George Sisler substituting in left field and Joe Judge at first base. In the previous two contests, Judge batted third with Sisler after him. However, the lineup card turned in on this day had the two players reversed in the order. The first time through the lineup both players made outs. In the third inning, the Nats had the bases loaded with two out. Judge batted out of turn and walked for an apparent run. Philadelphia manager Connie Mack pointed out to umpire Bill McGowan that Judge hit in Sisler’s place. Sisler was called out and the run nullified. The Athletics won the game, 4-2.

May 23, 1928

Cleveland left fielder Charlie Jamieson starts a triple play

May 24, 1928

In the first game of a doubleheader in Philadelphia, a record 12 future Hall of Famers play in the Yankees’ 9 – 7 victory over the Athletics. This number does not include non-playing Hall of Famers Herb Pennock and Stan Coveleski, managers Miller Huggins and Connie Mack, nor umpire Tom Connolly.

May 27, 1928

Boston Braves purchase George Sisler from the Washington Senators

May 29, 1928

At Ebbets Field‚ Bill Terry hits for the cycle to lead the Giants to a 12 – 5 win over Brooklyn.

May 29, 1928

At Yankee Stadium‚ the Yankees sweep a pair from Washington‚ 3 – 2 and 12 – 3. Leo Durocher’s bases-loaded triple in the opener gives George Pipgras (8-1) the win. Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth both slug a pair of homers in the nitecap: Lou hits his 9th in the 3rd‚ off Washington starter Milt Gaston‚ then Ruth and Gehrig hit back-to-back dingers in the 4th off Lloyd Brown. Ruth adds his 18th off Brown in the 7th. Earle Combs also homers.

May 29, 1928

The Reds lose another star when CF Ethan Allen is beaned and breaks his cheek in an exhibition game in Buffalo.

June 2, 1928

St. Mary’s College football star Larry Bettencourt starts at third base for the St. Louis Browns. A future member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Bettencourt is an All-American center who will later play for the Green Bay Packers. The $6,000 bonus he received is a record for a major league rookie just out of school.

June 2, 1928

Les Bell collects 15 total bases, blasting three home runs and a triple at Braves Field. The Cincinnati third baseman’s offensive output isn’t enough when Boston bows to the Reds, 20-12.

June 11, 1928

At Boston‚ the Cards wallop the Braves‚ 8 – 1‚ collecting three homers‚ including one by winning pitcher Pete Alexander. Alex parks one in the new LF bleachers. The Braves only score is a 9th inning homer by Les Bell‚ who also hits his in the new LF stands.

June 11, 1928

At Detroit‚ Al Simmons and Jimmie Foxx belt successive solo shots in the 8th inning off Sam Gibson to break up a pitching duel with Ossie Orwoll. Orwoll and the Athletics win‚ 4 – 2.

June 12, 1928

1928 – Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees collects 14 total bases with two triples and two home runs in a 15 – 7 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

June 12, 1928

Lou Gehrig collects fourteen total bases when he blasts two triples and two homers. The Yankee first baseman’s offensive output leads the Bronx Bombers to a 15-7 win over Chicago at Comiskey Park.

June 15, 1928

1928 – Ty Cobb of the Philadelphia Athletics steals home for the 54th and final time in his 24-year career to extend his major league record. It comes in the 8th inning against the Cleveland Indians. The Athletics beat Cleveland, 12 – 5, as Lefty Grove is the winning pitcher.

June 16, 1928

Bill Regan becomes the first player in Red Sox history to homer twice in an inning when he hits two round-trippers, including an inside-the-park homer, in the eight-run fourth frame of the team’s 10-5 victory over Chicago at Comiskey Park. The feat will not be accomplished again by a BoSox player until 1990 when Ellis Burks homers twice in the fourth frame of the team’s 12-4 rout of the Tribe at Cleveland Stadium.

June 21, 1928

6/21/1928: Babe Ruth hit his 26th home run of the season in the first inning of game two at Yankee Stadium. This two-run blast tied the game with the Philadelphia Athletics, 2-2. Philadelphia scored again in the top of the third inning but the game was called because of rain and the muddy conditions.

June 22, 1928

Journeyman hurler Hank Johnson of the Yankees blanks the star-studded Athletics, 4 – 0

June 22, 1928

6/22/1928: In the top of the seventh inning at Wrigley Field, the Cardinals scored two runs on a homer by Jim Bottomley to take a 6-1 lead over the Cubs on Ladies Day. However, rain stopped the game during the top half of that frame and the score reverted back to the last complete inning, so Bottomley lost his sixteenth home run of the season.

June 24, 1928

Grover Alexander beats the Reds for the third time in eight days.

June 25, 1928

Fred Lindstrom bangs out a major league record nine hits in a doubleheader sweep of the Phillies.

June 28, 1928

Babe Ruth slugs two home runs to lead the Yankees to a 10 – 4 victory over the Athletics, and Ty Cobb appears in his 3,000th career game.

June 30, 1928

The Yankees win two from Boston and close out the month 11 1/2 games in front of the A’s. Attendance lags, as the race appears over.

June 30, 1928

6/30/1928 – In the top of the fifth of the second game, Walt Lerian who had struck out to end the fourth, came up to start the inning and singled. (Perhaps since the Robins had scored six in the bottom of the fourth, Lerian, the catcher, had lost track of things.) He eventually scored on a single three batters later. Brooklyn protested that the run should not count, but the home plate ump, Cy Rigler, correctly pointed out that the objection was made too late and the Phillies had batted in the correct order after Lerian’s hit. Since Brooklyn was ahead 12-3 at the time, they really did not care.

July 4, 1928

Ray Schalk resigns as White Sox manager; Lena Blackburne replaces him. Blackburne will last one year and in 1930 will start selling his Rubbing Mud from the Delaware River to the American League to use to take the shine off of baseballs. The National League will adopt it in the 1950s.

July 6, 1928

Urban Shocker, in poor health, is released by the Yankees after one appearance on the mound.

July 10, 1928

Milt Gaston sets a record giving up 14 hits in a 9 – 0 shutout over Cleveland

July 12, 1928

Baseball’s biggest battery is recorded, appropriately, with the New York Giants, as Garland “Gob” Buckeye, a 260-pound pro football lineman in the off-season, makes his National League pitching debut with 250-pound Shanty Hogan behind the plate. The Giants lose to the Cardinals.

July 21, 1928

Jimmie Foxx hits the longest drive ever seen out of Shibe Park 

July 22, 1928

Red Faber knocks in the winning runs with a single to center.

July 23, 1928

In a Class C Western Association minor league game against the Topeka Jayhawks, future major league player and manager Paul Richards of the Muskogee Chiefs is summoned from his shortstop position to pitch. The 19 year-old right-hander throws with both hands during his brief appearance on the mound, including an unusual confrontation with a switch-hitter, that briefly results in both the pitcher and the batter continually swapping hands and batter’s boxes, respectively, until the ambidextrous hurler becomes a left-hander and right-hander on alternate pitches, regardless of where the batter places himself.

July 26, 1928

Yankees score 11 in the 12th to break a 1-1 game wide open and Bob Meusel hits for the Cycle

July 26, 1928

The Phils buy left-handed-hitting OF Chuck Klein from the Fort Wayne Chiefs.

July 26, 1928

7/26/1928 – The Reds batted out of turn in the ninth inning at Philadelphia and scored the game-winning runs during that frame. In the eighth inning, Pinky Pittinger had pinch run for Bubbles Hargrave (in the seventh spot in the lineup) and remained in the game. In the top of the ninth, the Reds had one run in and two runners on when it was Pittinger’s turn to bat. Val Picinich, who had entered the game in the eighth spot in the previous half inning, strode to the plate instead of Pittinger. After Picinich fouled out, the proper batter, Pittinger, was called out. Now it really was Picinich’s turn. Instead, Pid Purdy pinch hit for Picinich and walked. Eventually, Hughie Critz doubled home three runs to claim the contest for Cincinnati. The Phillies gained nothing by pointing out that Picinich had batted out of turn since he was already out.

July 27, 1928

41-year-old Ty Cobb of the Philadelphia Athletics makes the final regular start of his Hall of Fame career

July 29, 1928

The Indians score eight in the 1st and nine in the 2nd in a 24 – 6 win over the Yankees at home. 

August 1, 1928

Babe Ruth hits home run No. 42 and is four weeks ahead of his 1927 pace.

August 4, 1928

A visiting team from Stanford University led by Harry Wolter plays the Australian national team in front of 15,000 spectators at the Agricultural Ground in Sydney, New South Wales. This marks the first time the national team has played an opponent from outside the country.

August 6, 1928

8/6/1928 – The Yankees were in Chicago and played a 15-inning game. In the top of the eighth, Lou Gehrig reached on a force out and Cedric Durst pinch ran for the Iron Horse in the fourth spot in the lineup. Durst went to 1B in the bottom of the frame and Wilcy Moore took the mound, batting ninth. Catcher Johnny Grabowski, batting eighth, struck out to end the top of the ninth. Durst came to bat to start the tenth, but he was out of turn, as the batter should have been Moore. After Durst made an out, Earle Combs, in the first lineup spot, came to the plate, also out of turn. The Yankees continued to swap the #4 and #9 hitters into the 15th inning, when the White Sox pointed out the mistake to Umpire Bill Dinneen. However, Dinneen said Durst had a right to bat where he was, prompting the White Sox to file a protest in case the Yankees won the game. Chicago scored a run in the bottom of the 15th to end the contest, 5-4.

August 11, 1928

Carl Hubbell’s first major league victory is a 4 – 0 shutout of the Phils. He’ll be 10 – 6 down the stretch and will pitch 16 years with the Giants.

August 11, 1928

The A’s win the 22nd of their last 26 games

August 11, 1928

In Chicago‚ the Browns beat the White Sox‚ 4 – 2‚ behind Sammy Gray’s 18th victory. Gray leaves after 7 innings with the score tied‚ 2 – 2‚ but the Browns score in the 8th and 9th and Gray is awarded the win.

August 20, 1928

1928 – Art Shires of the White Sox strokes four hits, including a triple, in his major-league debut.

August 23, 1928

1928 – The Yankees pick up lefty Tom Zachary on waivers from Washington.

August 24, 1928

Rube Walberg’s shuts out the Indians 1-0 and scores the run

August 30, 1928

Tris Speaker, in his final major league at-bat, is struck out by Red Sox hurler Red Ruffing. The 40 year-old A’s outfielder known as the ‘Grey Eagle’ ends his 22-year Hall of Fame career with a .345 batting average, sixth best in major league history.

September 1, 1928

In Washington‚ Republican presidential candidate Herbert Hoover looks on as “Approximately 99 percent of the spectators wore their straw hats‚ hoping the Senators would give them a chance to get excited and hurl them away” (New York Times). Alas‚ the Yankees win‚ 8 – 3. Waite Hoyt is the winner and beneficiary of Bob Meusel’s 4-for-4 hitting. Meusel has 3 RBIs. Garland Braxton takes the loss.

September 1, 1928

Sheriff Blake is red-hot for the Cubs‚ allowing just one hit‚ in besting the Reds’ Ray Kolp‚ 1 – 0. The lone Reds hit is a 5th-inning double by Long George Kelly.

September 2, 1928

1928 – The Senators top the Yankees, 2 – 0, as Firpo Marberry does it all, shutting down the Yanks and driving in both Nat runs. Bob Meusel’s hit streak is stopped at six straight. The New York lead is now 1 1/2 games over the A’s, winners of an exhibition game in Lycoming, PA.

September 3, 1928

Pirates RF Adam Comorosky handles nine putouts, tying the record for that position.

September 3, 1928

A’s player-manager Ty Cobb collects the last hit of his career

September 4, 1928

The Braves start a streak of playing nine consecutive doubleheaders, establishing a major league record. Boston will drop 14 of the 18 contests played during the twin bill marathon.

September 5, 1928

1928 – Boston sweeps today’s twinbill with Brooklyn winning the opener, 9 – 2. The Robins collect 13 hits in the loss, but make eight errors. The Braves are paced by George Sisler’s four hits. Bob Smith pitches a 2-hitter to win the nitecap.

September 7, 1928

The stumbling Yanks drop a pair to the Senators, losing 11 – 0 and 6 – 1. Bump Hadley tosses the shutout and adds three singles. Fred Marberry wins the nitecap over Waite Hoyt, for his second win over New York in five days. New York, which led by 13 1/2 games on July 1st, is now tied with the A’s.

September 7, 1928

The A’s take two from Boston, winning 1 – 0 and 7 – 3, and move into a first-place tie with the Yankees. Lefty Grove is magnificent in the opener, allowing four hits and striking out 11 to win his 14th straight. Red Ruffing takes the tough loss, allowing an unearned run. Ed Rommel outguns Danny MacFayden in the nitecap.

September 7, 1928

In Philly, the Braves tally 11 hits and three walks but still get shut out by the Phils’ Ray Benge, 4 – 0. In the nitecap, the Braves are hitless until two are out in the 7th, then take the lead, but the Phils tie it in the 9th on Cy Williams’ homer. Boston wins in 11, 4 – 3.

September 8, 1928

The Phils take two from the Braves, winning 10 – 6 and 4 – 0. Earl Caldwell, who reported to the Phils yesterday, tosses the shutout in his first major league start.

September 8, 1928

In Boston, the A’s get cheered by the Sox fans as they sweep a pair from the Crimson Hose and take over first place in the American League by a half game.

September 8, 1928

Behind Babe Ruth’s 3-run homer, the Yankees take the Senators, 6 – 3, but it is not enough as the Yanks drop to 2nd place.

September 9, 1928

At Ebbets Field, the Robins come from behind to edge the Giants, 3 – 2, behind Dazzy Vance. Harvey Hendrick dinks a 2-run homer in the 8th, off Larry Benton, to tie, and Jake Flowers singles with two out in the 9th to drive home the winner. The ecstatic fans respond by covering the field with straw hats.

September 9, 1928

Yankees sweep two from the A’s, 3 – 0 and 7 – 3, to move back into first place to stay

September 9, 1928

Chicago’s Alex Metzler breaks up a pitching duel between Ted Lyons and Willis Hudlin by cracking an 8th-inning pinch homer to tie Cleveland, 1 – 1. The Sox get one more, then explode for eight runs in the 9th inning to coast, 10 – 1. This is Metzler’s 3rd and last roundtripper of the year and he will tie Bill Barrett for the team lead. His 55 RBIs will be 2nd on the Sox.

September 9, 1928

The Cards blow a 7 – 3 lead and lose to Pittsburgh, 8 – 7. Their lead is cut to 2 1/2 games. Pete Alexander blows the lead, but the loss goes to reliever Art Reinhart. Chick Hafey and Jim Bottomley homer for the Cards, but the Bucs answer with the seven hits from the Waners. Paul, leading the National League with a .381 batting average, has four of them.

September 9, 1928

New York Yankees pitcher Urban Shocker dies from pneumonia at the age of 38

September 10, 1928

1928 – The Giants gain 1 1/2 games on the Cards and Cubs by winning two from Boston while the leaders lose. Fred Fitzsimmons wins the opener for the Giants, 4 – 1, and Joe Genewich wins the nitecap, 11 – 0.

September 11, 1928

Ty Cobb of the Philadelphia A’s pops out in final plate appearance

September 11, 1928

At the Polo Grounds, the Giants take two games from the Braves, 11 – 6 and 7 – 6. Freddie Lindstrom goes 8 for 10 to pull New York into 2nd place, 2 1/2 games behind St. Louis. The Giants will continue to feast on Braves pitching, winning doubleheaders from Boston on the 13th and the 14th to tie the National League record for twinbills won on consecutive days.

September 15, 1928

In a doubleheader with the Phils, the Cardinals leave 29 runners on base but still manage to win both games, 3 – 2 and 8 – 6. Stranding 29 is a record for two regulation-length games.

September 15, 1928

The Braves play their ninth consecutive doubleheader, splitting the home twin bill with the Cubs, 5-2 and 1-6. The streak, which began on the fourth of September, sees the team drop 14 of 18 decisions, including losing eight consecutive games to the Giants.

September 17, 1928

In the 9th against Chicago, Braves reliever Ray Boggs plunks three Cubbies, walks two and tosses one wild pitch. Chicago manages to score just one run off Boggs, but they win the away game, 15 – 5. Pat Malone picks up the win over Art Delaney.

September 17, 1928

Wilcy Moore, the Yankee pitching hero of 1927, goes home with an ailing arm after working just 60 innings.

September 18, 1928

1928 – The Braves and Cubs combine for National League-record eight double plays between them, but the Cubs win the game, 8 – 3. Sheriff Blake is the winner over Johnny Cooney.

September 21, 1928

1928 – At St. Louis, Boston’s Red Ruffing smashes a 3-run homer in the 7th and pitches the Sox to a 5 – 3 win over the Browns.

September 24, 1928

1928 – The Tigers draw 404 fans for their last meeting with the Red Sox, winning 8 – 0 behind Sam Gibson’s five-hitter. Pat Simmons is knocked out in the 7th when he gives up consecutive triples to Al Wingo, batting 9th, John Stone, and Charlie Gehringer. Harry Heilmann has a home run and double for Detroit. Jack Rothrock is busy for Boston playing LF, SS, and pitching a scoreless last inning.

September 26, 1928

The Cardinals lose to Brooklyn, 6 – 1, but still hold a half-game lead over New York. Dazzy Vance sets down the Mound Citymen on five hits and strikes out seven to beat Clarence Mitchell.

September 27, 1928

At St. Louis, Bump Hadley pitches the Senators to a 6 – 5 win over the Browns. Goose Goslin, leading the American League, is 2 for 4, while his rival Heinie Manush has one hit, a 3-run home run in the Browns’ 5-run 9th. Manush has 13 homers – all at home.

September 27, 1928

At Boston, the Cardinals erupt for seven runs in the 15th inning to win, 10 – 3, handing the loss to starter Bob Smith. Smith goes 14 1/3 innings, allowing nine hits and 12 walks. Smith and Kent Greenfield allow the seven runs, a major-league record for the 15th inning. The Cards tied the game in the 9th on Andy High’s 2-out, 2-run single.

September 27, 1928

For a remarkable 2nd time in five weeks, Lefty Grove strikes out three batters on nine pitches, this time victimizing the White Sox (Moe Berg, Tommy Thomas and Johnny Mostil) in the 7th inning. Grove also starts the A’s scoring with a solo home run and wins, 6 – 3, his 6th straight win over Chicago and his 24th of the year. Not until Jim Bunning, in 1959, will another American League hurler strike out the side on nine pitches.

September 27, 1928

With the Giants just a half game behind the Cardinals, New York loses the 1st game of a doubleheader to the Cubs, 3 – 2. On a controversial play at the plate in the 6th inning, New York’s Shanty Hogan hits a ball back to pitcher Art Nehf who throws to third to get the runner. But the runner, Randy Reese, was off with the crack of the bat and bowls over catcher Gabby Hartnett. Hartnett grabs the runner to keep from falling. and as Hartnett holds him, Reese is tagged out by the Cubs 3B. The Giants bench erupts, but umpire Bill Klem rules Reese is out. The subsequent protest will be disallowed, despite a photo clearly showing Hartnett up the line holding Reese. The Giants win the nitecap, 2 – 0, but a loss tomorrow clinches the pennant for St. Louis.

September 27, 1928

At the Polo Grounds, the Giants unveil bronze tablets in memory of two former players, Christy Mathewson and Ross Youngs. The future Hall of Famers were much beloved and respected by their manager John McGraw, a tyrant in the dugout who was known to berate his ballplayers.

September 29, 1928

At Navin Field, the Tigers establish a club record, collecting 27 hits in a 19-10 victory over the first-place Yankees. The mark will not be equaled until a 17-7 rout over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium in 2004.

September 30, 1928

In his major league debut, White Sox rookie Ed Weiland shuts out the A’s at Comiskey Park, 1-0

September 30, 1928

In Washington’s 9 – 1 win over the Browns, Washington OF Goose Goslin, for the third day in a row, gets two hits, one a 9th inning looping single, to edge Browns OF Heinie Manush .379 to .378 for the batting title. It is Goose’s only title in his 18-year career. Nats’ ace Sam Jones volunteers to pitch to stop Manush, while George Blaeholder tries the same for St. Louis. Blaeholder gets Goslin in his first two at bats, but Goose then hits a 5th-inning home run.

October 4, 1928

Yankees take game one vs Cardinals 4 – 1

October 5, 1928

Lou Gehrig and Yankees romp Grover Cleveland Alexander 9-3

October 7, 1928

Lou Gehrig hits two home runs to lead the New York Yankees to a 7 – 3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals

October 9, 1928

Babe Ruth hits 3 homeruns in Yankees sweep of St Louis

October 15, 1928

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig barn storm across Canada

October 16, 1928

Mickey Cochrane wins American League MVP honors, edging Heinie Manush by two points. Neither Babe Ruth nor Lou Gehrig is eligible, having won the award before.

October 21, 1928

Whitey Ford is born in New York City

October 29, 1928

The Giants trade Lefty O’Doul to the Phillies in exchange for an outfielder named Freddy Leach. O’Doul, who started his career as a left-handed pitcher, will lead the league in hitting with a .398 batting average next season and will be the runner-up for the MVP to Rogers Hornsby.

November 3, 1928

Voters in Cleveland approve a bond issue to build a giant municipal stadium near the lakefront to attract events for the 1932 Olympics.

November 3, 1928

Voters in Massachusetts approve Sunday baseball in Boston

November 6, 1928

Blue laws keep SOX from playing on sundays

November 7, 1928

The Boston Braves trade National League batting champion Rogers Hornsby to the Chicago Cubs for $200,000 and five players 

November 8, 1928

Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly approve a referendum that will allow professional sports to be played on Sundays

November 9, 1928

Sunday Baseball Approved in Boston

November 19, 1928

1928 – In one of their most important acquisitions ever, Cleveland Indians general manager Billy Evans sends $40,000 and two players to the San Francisco Seals (Pacific Coast League) for outfielder Earl Averill. A future Hall of Famer, Averill will play 11 years in Cleveland.

November 21, 1928

1928 – The St. Louis Cardinals sign Billy Southworth as their new manager, replacing Bill McKechnie who goes down to Triple-A Rochester.

November 28, 1928

1928 – The National League buys George Magerkurth from the Pacific Coast League for $2,000. This is the highest price paid for a new umpire.

December 1, 1928

National League President John Heydler becomes the first person to propose a baseball rule change calling for a 10th man, or a designated hitter

December 2, 1928

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Jim Bottomley is voted National League Most Valuable Player 

December 8, 1928

1928 – The Cardinals sell veteran SS Rabbit Maranville to the Braves.

December 11, 1928

Brooklyn sends P Jesse Petty to Pittsburgh for SS Glenn Wright. Wright will injure his arm in a handball accident and will play just 24 games in 1929, but in 1930 he’ll post career highs in hitting and home runs.

December 11, 1928

At the National League meeting, President John Heydler proposes the designated hitter for pitchers to improve and speed up the game. He contends fans are tired of seeing weak-hitting pitchers come to bat. Heydler refers to his idea as “the tenth regular.”

December 12, 1928

1928 – The Pirates buy lefthander Larry French from Portland (Pacific Coast League).

December 15, 1928

1928 – The Red Sox trade Buddy Myer back to Washington for P Hod Lisenbee, P Milt Gaston, IF Bobby Reeves, IF Grant Gillis, and OF Elliot Bigelow. Myer will become a top player in the 1930s.

December 17, 1928

National League President John Heydler’s designated hitter idea gets the backing of John McGraw, but the American League is against it.

December 17, 1928

At a joint meeting, a rule is changed that ends the practice of minor league teams selling star prospects to friendly Major League clubs for high prices, then getting the players back, forcing another ML club to pay the reputed price for the player. Other changes ban the signing of players under the age of 17 and set a $7,500 price tag on any first-year player.

December 19, 1928

Senators player-manager Bucky Harris is traded to the Tigers for infielder Jack Warner