Pounding five Boston pitchers for 22 hits, the 2nd-place Tigers outlast the Red Sox, 17 – 11. Harry Heilmann leads the cat attack with two homers and two singles.
8/20/1926 – The Tigers were in Philadelphia to play the Athletics. In the second game of a twin bill, the team did not follow Ty Cobb’s lineup at the start of the game but were not called on it the first time through the list. In the fourth inning, Harry Heilmann doubled and, with two out, scored on a hit by Charlie Gehringer. However, coach Kid Gleason asked umpire Billy Evans about the proper order and Evans negated the play and called out Gehringer for batting out of turn. Before the game, when the announcer had listed the Tigers lineup, the writers thought he had made a mistake and simply transposed the two names in their scorebooks. Apparently, so did O’Rourke, the correct batter, and Gehringer. The Tigers won in spite of the gaffe, 5-4.
In the season finale played at Sportsman’s Park, Tiger outfielder Ty Cobb and Browns first baseman George Sisler, the player-managers of their respective teams, face one another as mound opponents, making it the first time in which both sides use a position player to pitch in relief in the same game, an oddity that will not occur again until 2012. The Georgia Peach throws a perfect final frame in Detroit’s 11-7 victory over St. Louis, with ‘Gorgeous George’ facing only seven batters in his two scoreless innings.
1923 – Soon after Babe Ruth receives his World Series winner’s share of $6,160.46, insurance agent Harry Heilmann, who beat Ruth for the batting title by 10 points, sells him a $50,000 life insurance policy. Beneficiaries are Mrs. Ruth and adopted daughter Dorothy.
1923 – Yankee Sam Jones no-hits the Athletics, 2 – 0, beating Bob Hasty. Babe Ruth makes the only strikeout of the game as he slips a point behind Detroit’s Harry Heilmann in the batting race. Not till Ken Holtzman’s no-hitter in 1969 will another pitcher record a no-hitter with no strikeouts. In a twilight charity game, Babe Ruth plays 1B for Philadelphia’s Ascension Catholic Club. Ruth scores the only run in a 2 – 1 loss to the Lit Brothers.
The Tigers beat the Yanks‚ 10 – 4‚ in a series that features the top two hitters in the American League. Babe Ruth goes 3-for-8 against the Tigers‚ while Harry Heilmann is 5-for-10 against the Yanks. The two are neck and neck at .390 for the year. After the game‚ AL President Ban Johnson rules that Babe Ruth must give up his Sam Crawford bat‚ made for him by the future Hall of Famer. The bat is “four pieces of seasoned wood‚ carefully glued together.” On August 21st‚ Johnson rules that only one-piece bats will be allowed‚ a rule that also affects Ken Williams‚ who is using a plugged bat.
The Browns top Detroit‚ 9 – 6‚ paced by Ken Williams’ grand slam in the 3rd inning. Harry Heilmann and Ty Cobb get into an argument with the umpires and will be suspended‚ missing tomorrow’s twinbill.
October 21, 1921, Soon after Babe Ruth receives his World Series winner’s share of $6,160.46, insurance agent Harry Heilmann, who beat Ruth for the batting title by 10 points, sells him a $50,000 life insurance policy. Beneficiaries are Mrs. Ruth and adopted daughter Dorothy.
In Detroit, RF Harry Heilmann hits a home run that is measured at 610 feet.
6/10/1921 – Ty Cobb’s Tigers were in Washington completing a series against the Senators. Before the game, Cobb changed his lineup by reversing Harry Heilmann and Bobby Veach. However, the skipper failed to tell the players of this switch. In the top of the first inning, Heilmann batted in Veach’s spot and hit a two-run home run to left field. Umpire Billy Evans declared Heilmann out. When Veach finally got to bat in the fourth inning, he homered to right. There was also a Washington runner called out for coach’s interference later in the game. The Tigers won, 6-3.
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