On May 6, 1915, Boston Red Sox rookie Babe Ruth hits his first major league home run. Ruth connects against Jack Warhop of the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds. Ruth will go on to hit 714 home runs, a mark that will stand until surpassed by Hank Aaron.
1915 – The New York Yankees purchase Wally Pipp and Hugh High from the Detroit Tigers for a reported $5,000 each. Baseball historian Lyle Spatz (Yankees Coming, Yankees Going) writes that this was the first of some promised funneling of ball players to the recently-sold Yankees franchise.
1915 – Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast L’Hommedieu Huston buy the New York Yankees from Frank Farrell and Bill Devery for $460,000. Ruppert, who owns a brewery, is thinking of renaming the team the “Knickerbockers” to promote his product, but is dissuaded by newspaper men.
1915 – The Detroit Tigers waive Wally Pipp to the New York Yankees. Pipp hit .161 in 12 games, but he’ll eventually anchor first base in New York for a decade until Lou Gehrig’s appearance.
1914 – Ban Johnson’s efforts to strengthen the New York Yankees succeed when he arranges the purchase of the team by Colonel Jacob Ruppert and Captain Tillinghast L’Hommedieu Huston for $460,000 from Bill Devery and Frank Farrell. After Detroit Tigers owner Frank Navin refuses to let manager Hugh Jennings go, the new New York owners will name longtime Detroit pitcher Bill Donovan to manage the team. Under the new regime, the Yankees will make the most important trade in franchise history when they purchase Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox in 1920.
On November 25, 1914, future Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio is born in Martinez, California. The son of Italian immigrants, DiMaggio will make his major league debut in 1936 after starring in the Pacific Coast League. He will spend his entire big league playing career with the New York Yankees. One of three brothers who…
On September 27, 1914, Napoleon Lajoie of the Cleveland Indians becomes only the second player of the modern era to reach 3,000 hits. He joins Honus Wagner, at the time Cap Anisin was also thought to have achieved 3,000 hits. Lajoie doubles against Marty McHale of the New York Yankees in the Indians’ 5-3 victory…
On September 16, 1914, 23-year-old Roger Peckinpaugh becomes the youngest manager in major league history. The New York Yankees name Peckinpaugh, their starting shortstop, as manager, to replace Frank Chance as the skipper of the team. During his 20-game tenure as the player-manager, the young infielder will finish the season with a 10-10 record…
In the seventh inning of the 4-1 loss to Detroit at the Polo Grounds, Yankees’ catcher Les Nunamaker is has three assists to become the first catcher to accomplish the feat since 1887. The 25 year-old guns down Sam Crawford and Bobby Veach trying to steal, and picks off Hugh High leading off second base in the frame, marking the only time this century a backstop will be credited with three assists.
Earl Hamilton‚ in his last start of the year‚ pitches the Browns to a 6 – 4 win over the Yankees. Hamilton is 3-0 against New York this year‚ two of them one-hitters.
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