Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 7-16-2020

Washington Herald, July 16, 1920:

With two on bases in the eleventh inning and the score tied at 10 to 10, Babe Ruth hit his twenty-ninth home run of the season [yesterday] afternoon, winning for the Yankees over the St. Louis Browns by a score of 13 to 10. The homer tied the major league record hung up by Babe last season.

And it’s still freaking mid-July. Elsewhere on the same page:

Not only does a new home run record appear to be certain in the majors, but indications are now that the Yankee slugger will run the total around fifty before the season ends.

You haven’t seen anything yet.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 7-1-2020

New York Tribune, July 1, 1920:

Before 963 snoring Quaker City fans who sprinkled Shibe Park like the garnishments of a Childs’ steak—one of the largest and most enthusiastic midweek attendances that has crossed the ken of Cornelius McGillicuddy in five years, by the way—“Babe” Ruth and his supporting cast crashed through the Athletics in both sections of a doubleheader [yesterday]...The somnambulists were twice awakened [yesterday]; rudely awakened by Babe Ruth, or Bambino the Buster. In each section of the twin bill Bambino added a home run to his wonderful 1920 collection, bringing his total for the year up to an even two dozen.

Ruth had 24 home runs by the end of June 1920. The single-season record at the time was 29.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 6-29-2020

Indiana Daily Times, June 29, 1920:

In the third inning of the game at the Polo Grounds Sunday, Mike Menoskey, the Red Sox left fielder, ran far into left center and pulled down a long high fly driven by the battering ram bat of Babe Ruth. Menoskey flung the ball in and Oscar Vitt showed it to Umpire Chill…That ball was no longer fit for service. It was fit only for the ash can. The Babe had knocked it lopsided.

Elsewhere in Babe Ruth news 100 years ago, the Toledo News-Bee reports that Babe is hoping to hit 40 home runs this season. In fairness to the Bambino, it probably would have sounded absolutely insane to say he was hoping to hit between 50 and 60 homers.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 6-26-2020

New York Tribune, June 26, 1920:

Chalk up two more for Mr. George Herman Ruth, home run king and slugger extraordinary. The “Babe” injected to prodigious circuit clouts into the pastime at the Polo Grounds yesterday afternoon and thereby increased his total for the season to twenty-two. Only eight more to break his own record, and the campaign is still in its infancy!

It’s still early in the season, but I think the conversion from pitcher to two-way player, and now to full-time outfielder has gone fairly well.

Also in the news 100 years ago today, the people of St. Anthony, Idaho are excited that Chick Gandil has accepted $10,000 to manage their team in the Yellowstone-Snake River League, and the American League is considering measures to prevent practical jokers from “making future public presentations at the ball park of such things as brown derbies.” Apparently this was a thing people did for fun, and I don’t get it. A cursory Googling turns up a bunch of stuff about the Brown Derby restaurant and not much about the hilarity of giving someone a hat. Anyone have any idea what the joke is here?

‘Jeopardy!’ contestant guesses that Babe Ruth broke baseball’s color barrier

Every so often, a video will go viral in baseball circles because a Jeopardy! contestant gave a horribly wrong answer to a question pertaining to the sport. For instance, in 2017, a contestant guessed that Hack Wilson hit 191 home runs in 1930. The clip got a Deadspin post and everyone had a laugh about it.

I have generally not a fan of shaming these contestants for their wildly wrong answers. Not everyone grew up being immersed in baseball lore, so I’m hesitant to poke fun at someone for this, even if, for example, the idea of a player hitting 191 home runs in one season is funny to think about.

With that being said, a contestant on Wednesday’s episode of Jeopardy! gave such a wrong answer to an easy baseball question that I actually feel comfortable having a laugh at her expense. In the category “Unique College Courses,” host Alex Trebek read the $1,000 clue: “One of the topics covered in a Major League Baseball course at Arizona State is this player who broke the color barrier in 1947.”

The contestant Xiaoke, wearing a USC sweatshirt, buzzed in and answered, “Who is Babe Ruth?” The wrong answer caused her to drop to negative $400. Her competitor, Marshall, could be seen shaking his head in disappointment. The other contestant, Nathaniel, correctly answered, “Who is Jackie Robinson?”

Somewhere, Jules Tygiel is very, very disappointed.