With first place on the line, the 1920 Cleveland Indians got the job done against the 1927 New York Yankees, winning the first three contests to claim the series win. But in the finale, Cleveland’s eight-game winning streak came to an end as New York avoided the sweep.
The Indians (15-5), with 12 games left, now have a one-game lead over the Yankees (16-8), who have just eight games remaining.
Three Cleveland starters hit better than .400 in the series: Ray Chapman at .429 (6-for-14), Elmer Smith at .421 (8-for-19) and Steve O’Neill at .412 (7-for-17). Only one Yankee hit better than .250, and that was Babe Ruth at .300 (3-for-10). Ruth also walked eight times and hit his ninth home run, tied for the league best.
All four games were broadcast on YouTube.
Game #1: Cleveland 4, New York 0
Jim Bagby shut down Murderers Row, tossing a two-hit shutout. He didn’t allow a Yankee baserunner to make it to third base. He retired 14 straight batters at one point. The Indians got an RBI single from Steve O’Neill in the second, and sacrifice flies from Tris Speaker, Bagby and O’Neill in the third, seventh and eighth innings, respectively.
1927 NEW YORK YANKEE AB R H BI 1920 CLEVELAND INDIA AB R H BI
Earle Combs 4 0 0 0 Charlie Jamieson 4 0 2 0
Tony Lazzeri 4 0 0 0 Doc Johnston 4 1 1 0
Babe Ruth 2 0 0 0 Tris Speaker 3 1 1 1
Lou Gehrig 3 0 0 0 Elmer Smith 4 1 2 0
Bob Meusel 4 0 0 0 Steve ONeill 3 0 2 2
Pat Collins 3 0 0 0 Larry Gardner 4 0 1 0
Mark Koenig 3 0 0 0 Ray Chapman 3 1 2 0
Joe Dugan 3 0 1 0 Bill Wambsganss 3 0 0 0
Herb Pennock BZ 2 0 1 0 Jim Bagby BZ 2 0 0 1
Johnny Grabowski 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 29 0 2 0 TOTALS 30 4 11 4
1927 NEW YORK YANKEES 000 000 000 -- 0
1920 CLEVELAND INDIANS 011 000 11x -- 4
LOB--1927 NEW YORK YANKEES 6, 1920 CLEVELAND INDIANS 5.
2B--Joe Dugan, Tris Speaker, Elmer Smith, Ray Chapman (2),
Steve ONeill. 3B--Doc Johnston. HBP--Pat Collins. SACF--Tris
Speaker, Steve ONeill, Jim Bagby BZ.
1927 NEW YORK YANKEES IP H R ER BB SO HR
Herb Pennock BZ [L] 7.00 10 3 3 0 0 0
Bob Shawkey BK 1.00 1 1 1 0 0 0
1920 CLEVELAND INDIANS
Jim Bagby BZ [W] 9.00 2 0 0 3 3 0
Game #2: Cleveland 5, New York 4 (11 inn.)
The Yankees took a 4-2 lead thanks to a Pat Collins solo homer and a three-run home run by Tony Lazzeri. It stayed 4-2 until the bottom of the ninth. Charlie Jamieson tripled and scored on Doc Johnston’s groundout to cut the deficit to 4-3. With two outs, Tris Speaker doubled and then scored the tying run on Elmer Smith’s single. In the bottom of the 11th, Johnston reached base on an error and eventually scored the winning run on a two-out single by Steve O’Neill.
1927 NEW YORK YANKEE AB R H BI 1920 CLEVELAND INDIA AB R H BI
Earle Combs 4 1 0 0 Charlie Jamieson 5 1 1 0
Tony Lazzeri 5 1 2 3 Doc Johnston 6 2 2 1
Babe Ruth 2 0 1 0 Tris Speaker 6 2 2 1
Lou Gehrig 5 0 0 0 Elmer Smith 6 0 4 2
Bob Meusel 5 0 0 0 Steve ONeill 6 0 1 1
Pat Collins 5 1 1 1 Larry Gardner 3 0 1 0
Mark Koenig 5 0 0 0 Ray Chapman 4 0 2 0
Joe Dugan 5 1 1 0 Bill Wambsganss 5 0 0 0
Urban Shocker BRZ 2 0 0 0 Stan Coveleski AXZ 3 0 1 0
Johnny Grabowski 1 0 0 0 Joe Evans 1 0 0 0
Duster Mails AXZ 0 0 0 0
TOTALS 39 4 5 4 TOTALS 45 5 14 5
1927 NEW YORK YANKEES 010 030 000 00 -- 4
1920 CLEVELAND INDIANS 200 000 002 01 -- 5
LOB--1927 NEW YORK YANKEES 7, 1920 CLEVELAND INDIANS 13.
ERR--Mark Koenig, Urban Shocker BRZ, Earle Combs, Ray
Chapman, Larry Gardner. 2B--Tris Speaker (2), Elmer Smith.
3B--Stan Coveleski AXZ, Charlie Jamieson. HR--Tony Lazzeri,
Pat Collins. SACB--Urban Shocker BRZ. SB--Tony Lazzeri, Doc
Johnston.
1927 NEW YORK YANKEES IP H R ER BB SO HR
Urban Shocker BRZ 9.00 13 4 4 3 1 0
Wilcy Moore AXZ [L] 1.67 1 1 0 2 1 0
1920 CLEVELAND INDIANS
Stan Coveleski AXZ 9.00 4 4 4 3 8 2
Duster Mails AXZ [W] 2.00 1 0 0 1 1 0
Game #3: Cleveland 5, New York 3
Cleveland hit two home runs in the first 18 games of the season, then hit two in the third inning. Elmer Smith led off with a solo shot and Ray Chapman later had a two-run homer to make it 3-0 Indians. New York closed the gap to 3-2, but Cleveland restored the three-run lead on Steve O’Neill’s sacrifice fly in the fifth and Joe Evans’ RBI single in the sixth. Guy Morton struck out 11 in the win, including all three batters in the ninth inning to end it.
1920 CLEVELAND INDIA AB R H BI 1927 NEW YORK YANKEE AB R H BI
Charlie Jamieson 3 0 0 0 Earle Combs 5 0 1 1
Doc Johnston 4 0 1 0 Tony Lazzeri 5 0 1 0
Tris Speaker 1 0 0 0 Babe Ruth 3 0 0 0
Joe Evans 2 1 1 1 Lou Gehrig 4 0 0 0
Elmer Smith 5 1 2 1 Bob Meusel 4 1 1 0
Steve ONeill 4 0 1 1 Pat Collins 2 1 1 0
Larry Gardner 2 1 0 0 Mark Koenig 4 0 1 0
Ray Chapman 3 1 1 2 Joe Dugan 2 1 1 1
Bill Wambsganss 4 1 2 0 Dutch Ruether BZ 1 0 0 1
Guy Morton CXY 2 0 0 0 Johnny Grabowski 1 0 0 0
Ray Morehart 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 30 5 8 5 TOTALS 32 3 6 3
1920 CLEVELAND INDIANS 030 011 000 -- 5
1927 NEW YORK YANKEES 010 100 010 -- 3
LOB--1920 CLEVELAND INDIANS 9, 1927 NEW YORK YANKEES 9.
HR--Elmer Smith, Ray Chapman. HBP--Tris Speaker. SACF--Steve
ONeill. SACB--Guy Morton CXY (2), Joe Evans, Dutch Ruether
BZ. SB--Bob Meusel.
1920 CLEVELAND INDIANS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Guy Morton CXY [W] 9.00 6 3 3 6 11 0
1927 NEW YORK YANKEES
Dutch Ruether BZ [L] 6.00 8 5 5 5 2 2
George Pipgras BXYW 2.00 0 0 0 0 2 0
Bob Shawkey BK 1.00 0 0 0 1 1 0
Game #4: New York 7, Cleveland 1
After recording only seven runs and 13 hits in the first three games, the Yankees finally got their offense going and scored seven runs on 12 hits to avoid the sweep. Waite Hoyt became the third pitcher in the league to win five games. New York scored three in the first inning on Lou Gehrig’s sacrifice fly and Mark Koenig’s two-run single. Babe Ruth led off the third inning with a solo home run, putting him into a tie for the league lead with nine. Pat Collins also had a two-run double in the third. Tony Lazzeri added a solo homer in the fourth to make it 7-0. Cleveland avoided a shutout on Doc Johnston’s RBI single in the seventh.
1920 CLEVELAND INDIA AB R H BI 1927 NEW YORK YANKEE AB R H BI
Charlie Jamieson 5 0 0 0 Earle Combs 5 0 2 0
Doc Johnston 3 0 1 1 Tony Lazzeri 5 2 1 1
Tris Speaker 3 0 0 0 Babe Ruth 3 2 2 1
Elmer Smith 4 0 0 0 Lou Gehrig 3 1 1 1
Steve ONeill 4 0 3 0 Bob Meusel 3 2 1 0
Larry Gardner 4 0 0 0 Pat Collins 2 0 1 2
Ray Chapman 4 0 1 0 Mark Koenig 4 0 3 2
Bill Wambsganss 4 1 1 0 Joe Dugan 4 0 0 0
Ray Caldwell CYZ 0 0 0 0 Waite Hoyt AYZ 4 0 1 0
Joe Evans 1 0 0 0
Jack Graney 1 0 0 0
Smoky Joe Wood 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 34 1 6 1 TOTALS 33 7 12 7
1920 CLEVELAND INDIANS 000 000 100 -- 1
1927 NEW YORK YANKEES 303 100 00x -- 7
LOB--1920 CLEVELAND INDIANS 9, 1927 NEW YORK YANKEES 7.
ERR--Waite Hoyt AYZ. 2B--Ray Chapman, Steve ONeill (2), Pat
Collins. 3B--Mark Koenig. HR--Babe Ruth, Tony Lazzeri.
HBP--Doc Johnston, Pat Collins, Bob Meusel. SACF--Lou
Gehrig.
1920 CLEVELAND INDIANS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Ray Caldwell CYZ [L] 3.00 9 6 6 0 1 1
Dick Niehaus C 3.00 2 1 1 1 1 1
Bob Clark CR 2.00 1 0 0 1 1 0
1927 NEW YORK YANKEES
Waite Hoyt AYZ [W] 9.00 6 1 1 2 1 0
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 