1932 World Series
New York Yankees (4) vs Chicago Cubs (0)
Anger, emotion and controversy were the big stories of the 1932 Series and that was before the first pitch was ever even thrown. Babe Ruth, the most beloved (and hated) player in all of baseball, lived up to his reputation by ripping apart the Chicago Cubs organization in the press while sticking up for one of his former teammates.
Remembering the contributions of shortstop Mark Koenig to the Yankees' great teams of 1926-1928, several New York players berated the National League champions for only offering him a half-share of the World Series payoff. Although he had been a late-season acquisition, the former Yankee had batted .353 in thirty-three games for his new team and many felt that he was being cheated.
Chicago tempers were also flared by the return of Joe McCarthy, who had been fired by the Cubs after the 1930 season. Many around the league had felt that the Yank's new skipper had been unfairly treated after winning the pennant in '29 and taking his team to second place the following year. However, many of his supporters quickly turned on him after he accepted a position with the hated American League powerhouse. Two years later he walked back onto Wrigley Field in a New York uniform determined to get the "last laugh" over his former employer. He certainly had the advantage this time as the Yankees won the first two games back home in the Bronx and were now locked in a 4-4 stalemate. What would follow has become one of the most memorable and controversial moments in the history of baseball...
With one out in the fifth, Babe Ruth stepped up to the plate and prepared to stare down Chicago's Charlie Root. "The Bambino" had launched a three-run rocket off of the Cub's veteran in the first, but took a called strike on the first pitch. Two balls and another strike followed as "The Babe" acknowledged it with a raised hand. Confident that a "K" was coming, the Cubs fans started taunting Ruth from the stands. As the noise level rose to a deafening roar, Ruth pointed to center field (although some contest that he was pointing back at Root) and prepared his wind-up.
Whatever the gesture, it certainly silenced the fans as he delivered the next pitch over the centerfield wall for the go-ahead score. Even Lou Gehrig (who was on-deck at the time) maintained that Ruth had definitely "called his shot" although Root wasn't buying into the "Sultan of Swing" sensationalism. He was quoted as saying, "If he had, I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." Ruth never expounded upon the matter and was content with another contribution to baseball folklore. It still remains a mystery.
Gehrig and Ruth both traded two-homer days in a close Game 3 that ended 7-5 in the Yankees' favor. New York prepared the next day to close out the Cubs for their third consecutive sweep, but did not get off to a good start as they fell behind 4-1 when Chicago's Frank Demaree knocked a three-run homer in the first. Despite the Cubs' strong start, New York stormed back, thanks in part to the bat of Tony Lazzeri who had two, two-run homers during a late Yankees rally. In a game that was tied 5-5 for six innings, the Yanks wound up with a 13-6 win and another World Championship.
Although Ruth's "called shot" was the most widely contested and celebrated moment of the 1932 Series, it was Lou Gehrig who was without a doubt, the biggest hitter. Gehrig went nine-for-seventeen with a .529 average, slugged three homers, scored nine runs and tallied eight RBIs. He was backed up by Bill Dickey, who batted .438, Earle Combs, who hit .375 and Joe Sewell and "the Babe" who both finished with a .333 average. Strangely, the "called shot" would be Ruth's last homerun in World Series play.
"What do you think of the nerve of that big monkey ( Babe Ruth ) calling his shot (in Game 3 ) and getting away with it?" - Lou Gehrig (October 1, 1932 Press Conference & Paul Votano, Tony Lazzeri: A Baseball Biography , Back on Top Again , McFarland and Company, 04/30/2005, Page 113)
1932 World Series
|
||||||||||||
| 1932 World Series Game 1 Capsule | ||||||||||||
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Chicago | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
| New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | x | 12 | 8 | 2 |
| Chicago Pitcher(s) | New York Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
|
Guy Bush
(L) Burleigh Grimes (6 th ) Bob Smith (8 th ) |
Red Ruffing
(W) - - |
|||||||||||
| Chicago Home Runs | New York Home Runs | |||||||||||
| None | Lou Gehrig (4 th ) | |||||||||||
1932 World Series
|
||||||||||||
| 1932 World Series Game 2 Capsule | ||||||||||||
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Chicago | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| New York | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 5 | 10 | 1 |
| Chicago Pitcher(s) | New York Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
| Lon Warneke (L) | Lefty Gomez (W) | |||||||||||
| Chicago Home Runs | New York Home Runs | |||||||||||
| None | None | |||||||||||
1932 World Series
|
||||||||||||
| 1932 World Series Game 3 Capsule | ||||||||||||
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| New York | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1 |
| Chicago | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 4 |
| New York Pitcher(s) | Chicago Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
|
George Pipgras
(W) Herb Pennock (S, 9 th ) - - |
Charlie Root
(L) Pat Malone (5 th ) Jakie May (7 th ) Bud Tinning (9 th ) |
|||||||||||
| New York Home Runs | Chicago Home Runs | |||||||||||
|
Babe Ruth
(1
st
) Lou Gehrig (3 rd ) Babe Ruth (5 th ) Lou Gehrig (5 th ) |
Kiki Cuyler
(3
rd
) Gabby Hartnett (9 th ) - - |
|||||||||||
1932 World Series
Composite Hitting Statistics
Sammy Byrd
Ben Chapman
Earle Combs
Frankie Crosetti
Bill Dickey
Lou Gehrig
Lefty Gomez
Myril Hoag
Tony Lazzeri
Wilcy Moore
Herb Pennock
George Pipgras
Red Ruffing
Babe Ruth
Joe Sewell
of
of
of
ss
c
1b
p
pr
2b
p
p
p
p-1
of
3b
1
4
4
4
4
4
1
1
4
1
2
1
2
4
4
0
17
16
15
16
17
3
0
17
3
1
5
4
15
15
0
5
6
2
7
9
0
0
5
1
0
0
0
5
5
0
2
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
3
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
8
2
2
9
0
1
4
0
0
0
0
6
4
0
6
4
0
4
8
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
6
3
.000
.294
.375
.133
.438
.529
.000
.000
.294
.333
.000
.000
.000
.333
.333
0
2
4
2
2
2
0
0
2
0
0
0
1
4
4
0
4
3
3
1
1
2
0
1
2
0
5
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1932 World Series
Composite Hitting Statistics
Kiki Cuyler
Frank Demaree
Woody English
Burleigh Grimes
Charlie Grimm
Marv Gudat
Stan Hack
Gabby Hartnett
Rollie Hemsley
Billy Herman
Billy Jurges
Mark Koenig
Pat Malone
Jakie May
Johnny Moore
Charlie Root
Bob Smith
Riggs Stephenson
Bud Tinning
Lon Warneke
of
of
3b
p
1b
ph
ph
c
c-1
2b
ss
ss-1
p
p
of
p
p
of
p
p
4
2
4
2
4
2
1
4
3
4
3
2
1
2
2
1
1
4
2
2
18
7
17
1
15
2
0
16
3
18
11
4
0
2
7
2
0
18
0
4
5
2
3
0
5
0
0
5
0
4
4
1
0
0
0
0
0
8
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
2
0
2
0
0
2
0
5
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
2
4
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
.278
.286
.176
.000
.333
.000
.000
.313
.000
.222
.364
.250
.000
.000
.000
.000
.000
.444
.000
.000
0
1
2
0
2
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
2
1
2
1
0
3
3
3
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1932 World Series
Composite Pitching Statistics
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
2
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
9.0
5.1
4.0
8.0
9.0
1.00
0.00
2.25
4.50
3.00
9
2
2
9
10
8
1
4
1
10
1
0
1
4
3
1
0
1
3
6
1932 World Series
Composite Pitching Statistics
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
2
1
2
1
1
2
2
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2.2
2.2
4.2
4.1
1.0
2.1
10.2
23.63
0.00
11.57
10.38
9.00
0.00
5.91
7
1
9
6
2
0
15
0
4
4
4
1
3
8
7
0
6
5
1
0
7
2
4
3
3
0
0
5
The called shot during Game 3 is probably one of the most hotly debated items in World Series (and baseball history for that matter) history. Here is what a couple very reputable sources wrote about the event:
The Sporting News: "The Yankees had won the first two games of the Series in New York, and this game was tied 4-4 with one out in the fifth as (Babe) Ruth positioned himself in the batter's box and awaited the first delivery from Cubs pitcher Charlie Root . The Bambino , who had smashed a three-run homer off Root in the first inning, took a called strike. Then Root missed with two pitches. Another called strike followed, and Ruth acknowledged it — just as he had strike one — with a raised hand.
By now, Cubs players and fans alike were taunting the big guy; they had fresh ammunition, too, since the Babe had missed on a shoestring catch in the previous inning. The noise level was increasing dramatically.
Ruth then seemingly gestured toward center field — as if to indicate that's where he planned to deposit Root's next pitch. Or was he merely pointing at Root ? Or addressing the Cubs' bench with an exaggerated sweeping motion? Or showing one and all that he still had one strike left?
Whatever the message, Ruth delivered on Root's next offering. He swung viciously, and the ball arced toward center field and went over the wall near the base of the flagpole. The blast put the Yankees ahead 5-4."
Total Baseball: "But the Series is best remembered for Babe Ruth's 'called' shot in Game 3, when he pointed his bat at pitcher Charlie Root in the fifth inning and broke the game's 4-4 tie a moment later with a massive home run into the center field bleachers.
Debate has raged ever since about whether Ruth intended his gesture as a home run prediction. Whether intended or not, it erased from public memory (Lou) Gehrig's home run that followed Ruth's (and the homers both men had hit earlier in the game), and made memorable an otherwise undistinguished Series."
The two main characters in the "called shot" had this to say about the legendary event: Charlie Root , "If he had (called his home run), I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." Babe Ruth , "Aw, everybody knows that game, the day I hit the homer off ole Charlie Root there in Wrigley Field , the day October first, the third game of that thirty-two World Series. But right now I want to settle all arguments. I didn't exactly point to any spot, like the flagpole. Anyway, I didn't mean to, I just sorta waved at the whole fence, but that was foolish enough. All I wanted to do was give that thing a ride... outta the park... anywhere."
The Chicago Cubs were swept making this the third American League sweep. All three (3) sweeps were dealt out by the New York Yankees . However, did you know that the 1907 Chicago Cubs were the first team from either league to sweep an opponent during a World Series ?
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