Murderers' Row were the baseball teams of the New York Yankees in the late 1920s, widely considered some of the best teams in history. The nickname is in particular describing the first six hitters in the 1927 team lineup: Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel, and Tony Lazzeri.
The term, which mimicked the name applied to a section of the Tombs prison in New York City, [1] was applied to several different baseball teams before it became associated with the Babe Ruth-era Yankees. A 1905 newspaper article about the Yale baseball team notes that one of Yale's coaches, Billy Lush, who had been an outfielder with the Cleveland Naps the year before, was "a member of 'Murderer's Row,' as pitchers call the first six batters on the Cleveland list." [2] The term was also used for the Philadelphia Phillies, [3] the Philadelphia Athletics, [4] and for some minor league and college teams. It was first applied to the Yankees in 1918, two years before Ruth joined the team. [5]
The term was initially associated with the beginning of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig Yankee teams in the mid-1920s, and is commonly recognized to refer specifically to the core of the 1927 Yankee hitting lineup.
Owner Jacob Ruppert is the man most often credited with building the team, although general manager Ed Barrow may have had as much to do with it. In a game of a July series against the Washington Senators, the Yankees beat their opponents 21–1, and prompted Senators' first baseman Joe Judge to say, "Those fellows not only beat you but they tear your heart out. I wish the season was over." [6]
The 1927 season was particularly spectacular by baseball standards for the Yankees. After losing in the 1926 World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, they went 110–44 (.714) the next year, won the A.L. pennant by 19 games, and swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series. Only five teams have won more regular season games: the 1906 Chicago Cubs and the 2001 Seattle Mariners with 116, the 1998 Yankees with 114 and the 1954 Cleveland Indians and 2022 Los Angeles Dodgers with 111. However, the 1998 Yankees, 2001 Mariners, and 2022 Dodgers played eight more games. Both the Cubs and the Indians lost in the World Series, while the Mariners lost to the Yankees in the ALCS and the Dodgers lost to the Padres in the NLDS. The 1998 Yankees went 11–2 in the playoffs, sweeping the San Diego Padres in the World Series.
The 1927 Yankees batted .307, slugged .489, scored 975 runs, and outscored their opponents by a record 376 runs. Center fielder Earle Combs had a career best year, batting .356 with 231 hits, left fielder Bob Meusel batted .337 with 103 RBIs, and second baseman Tony Lazzeri drove in 102 runs. Gehrig batted .373, with 218 hits, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs, a then record 175 RBIs, slugged at .765, and was voted A.L. MVP. Ruth amassed a .356 batting average, 164 RBIs, 158 runs scored, walked 137 times, and slugged .772. Most notably, his 60 home runs that year broke his own record and remained the Major League mark for 34 years until Roger Maris broke it by one with 61; however, just like the 1998 Yankees and 2001 Mariners, this was done in a 162-game schedule, a fact that Commissioner Ford Frick, a close friend of Ruth, wanted noted when the single-season home run record was to be referenced. [7]
The 1927 Yankees pitching staff led the league in ERA at 3.20, and included Waite Hoyt (22–7), tied for the league lead in wins, and Herb Pennock at 19–8. Wilcy Moore won 16 as a reliever, and three other Yankee pitchers had ERAs under 3.00 that season.
After sweeping the Pirates in the Series, the Yankees repeated the feat in 1928 by sweeping the Cardinals. They remain the only MLB franchise to sweep consecutive World Series; the Yankee teams of 1938–1939 and 1998–1999 repeated the feat.
The 1927 Yankees would eventually send six players along with manager Miller Huggins and president Ed Barrow to the Baseball Hall of Fame. These were Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Hoyt, Lazzeri, Combs, and Pennock. Only the 1928 Yankees had more, with nine players (including infielder Leo Durocher, inducted based on his subsequent managerial accomplishments) along with Huggins and Barrow.
| † | Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame |
|---|---|
| # | Position in the lineup |
| AB | At-bats |
| R | Runs |
| H | Hits |
| BA | Batting average |
| OBP | On-base percentage |
| SLG | Slugging percentage |
| HR | Home runs |
| RBI | Runs batted in |
| # | Player | Position | Games | AB | R | H | BA | OBP | SLG | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Earle Combs † | CF | 152 | 648 | 137 | 231 | .356 | .414 | .511 | 6 | 64 |
| 2 | Mark Koenig | SS | 123 | 526 | 99 | 150 | .285 | .320 | .382 | 3 | 62 |
| 3 | Babe Ruth † | RF | 151 | 540 | 158 | 192 | .356 | .486 | .772 | 60 | 164 |
| 4 | Lou Gehrig † | 1B | 155 | 584 | 149 | 218 | .373 | .474 | .765 | 47 | 175 |
| 5 | Bob Meusel | LF | 135 | 516 | 75 | 174 | .337 | .393 | .510 | 8 | 103 |
| 6 | Tony Lazzeri † | 2B | 153 | 570 | 92 | 176 | .309 | .383 | .482 | 18 | 102 |
| 7 | Joe Dugan | 3B | 112 | 387 | 44 | 104 | .269 | .321 | .362 | 2 | 43 |
| 8 | Pat Collins | C | 92 | 251 | 38 | 69 | .275 | .407 | .418 | 7 | 36 |
| Player | Position | Games | AB | Hits | BA | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benny Bengough | C | 31 | 85 | 21 | .247 | 0 | 10 |
| Johnny Grabowski | C | 70 | 195 | 54 | .277 | 0 | 25 |
| Mike Gazella | IF | 54 | 115 | 32 | .278 | 0 | 9 |
| Ray Morehart | IF | 73 | 195 | 50 | .256 | 1 | 20 |
| Julian Wera | IF | 38 | 42 | 10 | .238 | 1 | 8 |
| Cedric Durst | OF | 65 | 129 | 32 | .248 | 0 | 25 |
| Ben Paschal | OF | 50 | 82 | 26 | .317 | 2 | 16 |
| Player | Role | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waite Hoyt † | SP | 36 | 256+1⁄3 | 22 | 7 | 2.63 | 86 |
| Herb Pennock † | SP | 34 | 209+2⁄3 | 19 | 8 | 3.00 | 51 |
| George Pipgras | SP | 29 | 166+1⁄3 | 10 | 3 | 4.11 | 81 |
| Dutch Ruether | SP | 27 | 184 | 13 | 6 | 3.38 | 45 |
| Urban Shocker | SP | 31 | 200 | 18 | 6 | 2.84 | 35 |
| Wilcy Moore | RP | 50 | 213 | 19 | 7 | 2.28 | 75 |
| Myles Thomas | RP | 21 | 88+2⁄3 | 7 | 4 | 4.87 | 25 |
| Bob Shawkey | RP | 19 | 43+2⁄3 | 3 | 4 | 2.89 | 23 |
| Joe Giard | RP | 16 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 8.00 | 10 |
| Walter Beall | RP | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 0 |
The term "Murderers' Row" is commonly used as a descriptor for teams with formidable talent. It has also been used outside of sports, an example being the Essex-class carriers anchored at Ulithi Atoll, which were also known as Murderer's Row. [8] [9]
During the 2006 American League Division Series, Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland referred to the 2006 Yankees as "Murderers' Row and Cano" since the entire lineup consisted of players such as Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Jorge Posada and new second baseman Robinson Canó all of whom would have multiple All-Star game appearances over their careers. Despite Leyland's nomenclature, the team did not have the success of the original 1927 team as they were defeated by the Tigers in that series.
In 2016, ESPN announced 1927: The Diary of Myles Thomas. [10] The core of the project is a historical novel in the form of a diary of Myles Thomas, written by Douglas Alden, published along the same timeline as the events unfolded almost 90 years ago. The project was an attempt to relive the 1927 season through Myles Thomas's diary entries, additional essays and real-time social-media components (including Twitter, etc). The diary runs the length of the full 1927 season, from April 13 through October 10, 1927. [11]
Walter Clement "Wally" Pipp Sr. was an American professional baseball player. A first baseman, Pipp played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Cincinnati Reds between 1913 and 1928.
Anthony Michael Lazzeri was an American professional baseball second baseman during the 1920s and 1930s, predominantly with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. He was part of the famed "Murderers' Row" Yankee batting lineup of the late 1920s, along with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Bob Meusel.
The 1923 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1923 season. The 20th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion New York Yankees against the National League champion New York Giants. The Yankees beat the Giants in six games. This would be the first of the Yankees' 27 World Series championships. The series was not played in a 2–3–2 format: as with the previous two Series the home field alternated each game, though this time it involved switching ballparks, as the first Yankee Stadium had opened this season.
The 1926 World Series was the championship series of the 1926 Major League Baseball season. The 23rd edition of the Series, it pitted the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals against the American League champion New York Yankees. The Cardinals defeated the Yankees four games to three in the best-of-seven series, which took place from October 2 to 10, 1926, at Yankee Stadium and Sportsman's Park.
The 1927 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1927 season. The 24th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion New York Yankees against the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yankees won in four games. This was the first sweep of a National League team by an American League team.
The 1928 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1928 season. The 25th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion New York Yankees versus the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Yankees beat the Cardinals in four games to win their third championship and become the first team to do back-to-back sweeps.
The 1932 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1932 season. The 29th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion New York Yankees versus the National League champions Chicago Cubs. The Yankees won in a four-game sweep. By far it is mostly noteworthy for Babe Ruth's "called shot" home run, in his 10th and last World Series. It was punctuated by fiery arguments between the two teams, heating up the atmosphere before the World Series even began. A record 13 future Hall of Famers played in this World Series, with three other future Hall of Famers also participating: umpire Bill Klem, Yankees manager Joe McCarthy, and Cubs manager Rogers Hornsby. It was also the first World Series in which both teams wore uniforms with numbers on the backs of the shirts.
Robert William Meusel was an American baseball left and right fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eleven seasons from 1920 through 1930, all but the last for the New York Yankees. He was best known as a member of the Yankees' championship teams of the 1920s, nicknamed "Murderers' Row", during which time the team won its first six American League (AL) pennants and first three World Series titles.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1927 throughout the world.
Benjamin Edwin Paschal was an American baseball outfielder who played eight seasons in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929, mostly for the New York Yankees. After two "cup of coffee" stints with the Cleveland Indians in 1915 and the Boston Red Sox in 1920, Paschal spent most of his career as the fourth outfielder and right-handed pinch hitter of the Yankees' Murderers' Row championship teams of the late 1920s. Paschal is best known for hitting .360 in the 1925 season while standing in for Babe Ruth, who missed the first 40 games with a stomach ailment.
Mark Anthony Koenig was an American baseball shortstop who played twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played with the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants from 1925 to 1936. A switch hitter who threw right-handed, he was listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg). Although primarily playing as a shortstop, Koenig was utilized at both second base and third base as well.
The 1927 New York Yankees season was the 25th season of the New York Yankees of the American League. The team finished with a record of 110–44–1, winning their fifth pennant and finishing 19 games ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics and were tied for first or better for the whole season. New York was managed by Miller Huggins, and played at Yankee Stadium. They won the 1927 World Series, sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates. This Yankees team was known for its feared lineup, which was nicknamed "Murderers' Row", and is widely considered to be the greatest baseball team in MLB history.
The 1928 New York Yankees season was their 26th season. The team finished with a record of 101–53, winning their sixth pennant, finishing 2.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics. New York was managed by Miller Huggins. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they swept the St. Louis Cardinals. Pitcher Urban Shocker died in September due to complications from pneumonia.
The 1929 New York Yankees season was the team's 27th season. The team finished with a record of 88–66, finishing in second place, 18 games behind the Philadelphia Athletics. This ended a streak of three straight World Series appearances for the club. New York was managed by Miller Huggins until his death on September 25. They played at Yankee Stadium.
The 1932 New York Yankees season was the team's 30th season. The team finished with a record of 107–47, winning their seventh pennant, finishing 13 games ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics. New York was managed by future Hall of Famer Joe McCarthy. A record nine future Hall of Famers played on the team.
The 1935 New York Yankees season was the team's 33rd season. The team finished with a record of 89–60, finishing 3 games behind the Detroit Tigers. New York was managed by Joe McCarthy. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium.
The 1939 New York Yankees season was the team's 37th season. The team finished with a record of 106–45, winning their 11th pennant, finishing 17 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. New York was managed by Joe McCarthy. The Yankees played their home games at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they beat the Cincinnati Reds in four games. As the Yankees had won each World Series dating back to 1936, this marked the first time any team had won four consecutive World Series. This was the first season for the Yankee's radio gameday broadcasts.
Henry Louis Gehrig was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability, which earned him his nickname "the Iron Horse". He is widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He was an All-Star seven consecutive times, a Triple Crown winner once, an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player twice, and a member of six World Series champion teams. He had a career .340 batting average, .632 slugging average, and a .447 on-base average. He hit 493 home runs and had 1,995 runs batted in (RBI). He still has the highest ratio of runs scored plus runs batted in per 100 plate appearances (35.08) and per 100 games (156.7) among Hall of Fame players. In 1939, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and was the first MLB player to have his uniform number (4) retired by a team.
Paul Bernard Krichell was a French Major League Baseball catcher, best known for being the head scout for the New York Yankees for 37 years until his death. Krichell's talent evaluations and signings played a key role in building up the Yankees' run of success from the Murderers' Row teams of the 1920s to the 1950s teams led by Casey Stengel.
