1927 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1927 throughout the world.

Overview of the events of 1927 in baseball
Years in baseball
  • ← 1924
  • 1925
  • 1926
  • 1927
  • 1928
  • 1929
  • 1930 →

1927 in sports
  • Air sports
  • American football
  • Aquatic sports
  • Association football
  • Athletics
  • Badminton
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Canadian football
  • Chess
  • Climbing
  • Combat sports
    • Sumo
  • Cricket
  • Cycling
  • Dance sports
  • Darts
  • Equestrianism
  • Esports
  • Field hockey
  • Flying disc
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Handball
  • Ice hockey
  • Ice sports
  • Korfball
  • Lumberjack sports
  • Mind sports
  • Modern pentathlon
  • Motorsport
  • Orienteering
  • Paralympic sports
  • Precision sports
    • Shooting
  • Racquetball
  • Roller sports
  • Sailing
  • Skiing
  • Speedway
  • Rugby league‎
  • Rugby union
  • Snooker
    • 1926–27
    • 1927–28
  • Strength sports
    • Weightlifting
  • Squash
  • Table tennis
  • Tennis
  • Triathlon
  • Volleyball

Headline Event of the Year

Champions

NNL Championship Series World Series
ECL Atlantic City 3
NNL1 Chicago 4 NNL Chicago 5
NNL2 Birmingham 1

Awards

Statistical leaders

American League National League Negro National League Eastern Colored League
Stat Player Total Player Total Player Total Player Total
AVG Harry Heilmann (DET) .398 Paul Waner (PIT) .380 Roy Parnell (BIR) .422 Jud Wilson (BAL/NYL) .422
HR Babe Ruth (NYY) 60 Cy Williams (PHP)
Hack Wilson (CHC)
30 Willie Wells (SLS) 29 Oscar Charleston (HBG)
Martín Dihigo (CSE)
13
RBI Lou Gehrig (NYY) 173 Paul Waner (PIT) 131 Turkey Stearnes (DES) 114 Dick Lundy (AC) 76
Wins Waite Hoyt (NYY)
Ted Lyons (CWS)
22 Charlie Root (CHC) 26 Bill Foster (CAG) 21 Darltie Cooper (HBG)
Luther Farrell (AC)
16
ERA Wilcy Moore (NYY) 2.28 Ray Kremer (PIT) 2.47 Bill Foster (CAG) 2.03 Darltie Cooper (HBG) 2.51
K Lefty Grove (PHA) 174 Dazzy Vance (BKN) 184 Ted Trent (SLS) 133 Luther Farrell (AC) 138

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

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American League
W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 110 44 0.714 57–19 53–25
Philadelphia Athletics 91 63 0.591 19 50–27 41–36
Washington Senators 85 69 0.552 25 51–28 34–41
Detroit Tigers 82 71 0.536 27½ 44–32 38–39
Chicago White Sox 70 83 0.458 39½ 38–37 32–46
Cleveland Indians 66 87 0.431 43½ 35–42 31–45
St. Louis Browns 59 94 0.386 50½ 38–38 21–56
Boston Red Sox 51 103 0.331 59 29–49 22–54

National League final standings

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National League
W L Pct. GB Home Road
Pittsburgh Pirates 94 60 0.610 48–31 46–29
St. Louis Cardinals 92 61 0.601 55–25 37–36
New York Giants 92 62 0.597 2 49–25 43–37
Chicago Cubs 85 68 0.556 50–28 35–40
Cincinnati Reds 75 78 0.490 18½ 45–35 30–43
Brooklyn Robins 65 88 0.425 28½ 34–39 31–49
Boston Braves 60 94 0.390 34 32–41 28–53
Philadelphia Phillies 51 103 0.331 43 34–43 17–60


Locations of AL teams for the 1923–1931 MLB seasons
American League
Locations of NL teams for the 1923–1931 MLB seasons
National League

Negro leagues final standings

All Negro leagues standings below are per Seamheads.[1]

Negro National League final standings

This was the third season in which a playoff was held to determine the pennant, for which the first half leader would be matched against the second half winner. Chicago won the first half while Birmingham won the second half. As such, they met for a best-of-seven Championship Series. Chicago would win the series in five games to win their fifth pennant.[2]

vs. Negro National League vs. Major Black Teams
Negro National League W L T Pct. GB W L T Pct.
Chicago American Giants 61 32 1 .654 61 32 1 .654
St. Louis Stars 62 37 0 .626 2 62 37 0 .626
Kansas City Monarchs 55 33 0 .625 55 33 0 .625
Birmingham Black Barons 53 44 3 .545 10 53 44 3 .545
Detroit Stars 52 47 0 .525 12 52 47 0 .525
Cuban Stars (West) 23 46 1 .336 26 23 46 1 .336
Cleveland Hornets 13 36 0 .265 26 14 38 0 .269
Memphis Red Sox 25 69 3 .273 36½ 25 69 3 .273


Locations of teams for the 1927 Negro National League season
Negro National League
Traveling team: Cuban Stars (West)

Eastern Colored League final standings

vs. Eastern Colored League vs. Major Black Teams
Eastern Colored League W L T Pct. GB W L T Pct.
Atlantic City Bacharach Giants 55 35 1 .610 55 35 1 .610
Harrisburg Giants 38 31 0 .551 38 31 0 .551
Cuban Stars (East) 31 29 2 .516 9 31 29 2 .516
Baltimore Black Sox 34 36 2 .486 11 34 36 2 .486
Hilldale Club 38 48 1 .443 15 38 48 1 .443
New York Lincoln Giants 10 15 0 .400 12½ 11 21 0 .344
Brooklyn Royal Giants 11 23 0 .324 16 11 23 0 .324


Independent teams final standings

The Homestead Grays were not a part of any league but were considered major-league tier.

vs. All Teams
Independent Clubs W L T Pct. GB
Homestead Grays 8 2 0 .800

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

  • September 3 :
    • The New York Yankees are shut out for the only time all season by Lefty Grove and the Philadelphia Athletics.
    • Tied for first place, the Pittsburgh Pirates sweep a two-game series from the St. Louis Cardinals. They maintain sole possession of first place for the remainder of the season.
  • September 4 – At Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Babe Ruth hits his 400th career home run and his 44th of the year. The landmark homer comes against Rube Walberg in a 12–2 Yankees win.
  • September 5 – The Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 12–11 in eighteen innings.
  • September 6 – Babe Ruth and the Yankees come to Fenway Park for a doubleheader. In game 1, Ruth hits his 45th and 46th home runs of the year against Tony Welzer, and the Yankees win, 14–2. One of Ruth's round-trippers clears the center-field fence and is reputedly the longest ever hit at Fenway. In game 2, the Red Sox win, 5–2, despite Ruth's 47th home run, hit against Jack Russell.
  • September 7 – Babe Ruth follows up on his three-homer day at Fenway Park with two more. Against Danny MacFayden, Ruth hits his 48th and later cracks number 49 against Slim Harriss. The Yankees win, 12–10, and Ruth now has 8 home runs at Fenway Park.
  • September 11 – Back At Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth continues his home run barrage. He hits number 50, this one against Milt Gaston of the Browns; the Yankees lose nonetheless, 6–2.
  • September 13 – A big day for the Yankees and Babe Ruth. In a doubleheader against the Indians, Ruth hits his 51st home run against Willis Hudlin and his 52nd off Joe Shaute. The Yankees win both games by the score of 5–3 and clinch the AL pennant in their 139th game of the season. In addition, Waite Hoyt wins his 20th game.
  • September 18 – At Yankee Stadium, New York sweeps the Chicago White Sox in a doubleheader, 2–1 and 5–1. In the nightcap, against pitcher Ted Lyons, Babe Ruth hits his 54th home run of the year. Besides, Lou Gehrig weighs in with his third grand slam of 1927.
  • September 22 – At Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth homers against Detroit Tigers pitcher Ken Holloway for his 56th of the season. Earl Combs hits three consecutive triples, as the Yankees win, 8–7.
  • September 27 – Babe Ruth hit a grand slam against Lefty Grove of the Philadelphia Athletics. it is Ruth's 57th home run of the season. The Yankees win, 7–4.
  • September 29 – Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees hits two homers to tie his own 1921 record of 59 home runs as the Yankees beat the Washington Senators, 15–4.
  • September 30 – With the score tied 2–2 in the eighth inning, and a runner on third, Babe Ruth hits his 60th home run of the season off Washington Senators pitcher Tom Zachary for a Yankees 4–2 victory. Ruth's 60-HR season-record would not be broken for 34 years.

October

  • October 2 – Harry Heilmann goes seven-for-nine with a walk in a double header on the final day of the season, as he won his fourth American League batting championship – and led both leagues – with a .398 average. One more hit during the season would have raised his average to .400 for the second time in his career, as Heilmann had hit .403 in 1923.
  • October 5 – Two errors by the Pittsburgh Pirates lead to three unearned runs as the New York Yankees take game one of the 1927 World Series, 5–4.
  • October 6 – Once again, sloppy play by the Pittsburgh Pirates helps the Yankees cruise to a game two victory as they score runs on an error, wild pitch and hit batsman.
  • October 7 – A three-run home run by Babe Ruth caps off a six-run seventh inning as the Yankees cruise to an 8–1 victory in game three of the World Series.
  • October 8 – The New York Yankees defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4–3, in Game 4 of the World Series, to win their second World Championship, four games to none. This was the first sweep by an American League team over the rival National League. Babe Ruth's fifth-inning home run gives the Yankees a 3–1 lead, but Pittsburgh ties the game later. In the top of the ninth inning, Earle Combs walks, Mark Koenig hits a bunt single, and Ruth walks to fill the bases. Two outs later, a wild pitch rolls far enough away for Combs to score the winning run.

November

  • November 28 – Billy Evans quits as American League umpire to become business manager of the Cleveland Indians, following the purchase of the club by a group headed by Alva Bradley, to become the first general manager in major league history. Evans, who worked as an AL umpire from 1906 to 1927, became, at age 22, the youngest umpire in major league history, and later became the youngest to officiate in the World Series at age 25.

December

Births

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

January

  • January 3 – Ham Avery, 72, who at age 20 and 21 umpired in nine games in the first professional league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in 1874 and 1875, and later became a successful Cincinnati lawyer.
  • January 13 – Bob Ingersoll, 44, pitcher for the 1914 Cincinnati Reds.
  • January 27 – Drummond Brown, 41, pitcher from 1912 to 1914 for the National League Boston Braves and the Kansas City Packers of the Federal League.

February

  • February 11 – Bobby Rothermel, 56, infielder who played with the 1899 Baltimore Orioles.
  • February 13 – Vive Lindaman, 49, pitcher for the Boston Doves/Beaneaters of the National League from 1906 to 1909.
  • February 17 – Harry Little, 76, outfielder/second baseman for the St. Louis Brown Stockings and Louisville Grays of the National League during the 1877 season.
  • February 19 – Katsy Keifer, 35, pitcher for the 1914 Indianapolis Hoosiers of the Federal League.
  • February 21 – Ike Rockenfield, 50, second baseman for the St. Louis Browns of the American League in the 1905 and 1906 seasons.
  • February 24 – Charlie Bennett, 72, star catcher whose career was ended when a train accident cost him his legs.

March

  • March 4 – Horace Wilson, 84, American professor of English at Tokyo University during the modernization of Japan after the Meiji Restoration, who is credited with introducing baseball to Japan in either 1872 or 1873.
  • March 6 – John Tilley, 72, left fielder for the Cleveland Blues, Toledo BlueStockings and St. Paul WhiteCaps in parts of two seasons spanning 1882–1884.
  • March 16 – Jake Wells, 63, catcher and left fielder for the 1888 Detroit Wolverines and the 1890 St. Louis Browns.
  • March 27 – Joe Start, 84, prominent first baseman of the 1860s and 1870s.

April

  • April 1 – Ben Harris, 37, pitcher for the Kansas City Packers of the Federal League from 1914 to 1915.
  • April 2 – Mike Lynch, 46, pitcher for the Pittsburgh PIrates and New York Giants from 1904 through 1907.
  • April 7 – Billy Alvord, 63, third baseman for five seasons from 1885 to 1893.
  • April 7 – Ray Miller, 39, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1917.
  • April 13 – Kirtley Baker, 57, National League pitcher for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Senators in parts of five seasons spanning 1890–1899.
  • April 13 – Tommy Johns, 75, left fielder for the Baltimore Marylands of the National Association during the 1873 season.
  • April 18 – Pop Smith, 70, infielder for 12 seasons from 1880 to 1891.
  • April 26 – Bill Gannon, 54, outfielder for the Chicago Orphans of the National League in 1901.

May

  • May 3 – Otto Schomberg, 62, first baseman and right fielder for the 1886 Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the American Association and the 1887-88 Indianapolis Hoosiers of the National League.
  • May 16 – Pat Murphy, 70, backup catcher who played from 1887 through 1890 for the New York Giants of the National League.
  • May 18 – Patrick O'Loughlin, 67, Irish outfielder who appeared in one game for the 1883 Baltimore Orioles of the American Association.
  • May 26 – Herm Merritt, 26, shortstop for the 1921 Detroit Tigers of the American League.

June

  • June 7 – Pat Griffin, 34, pitcher for the 1914 Cincinnati Reds of the National League.
  • June 13 – Jim Johnstone, 54, Irish-born umpire who worked 1,736 games in American League (1902), National League (1903–1912) and "outlaw" Federal league (1915), and the 1906 and 1909 World Series; inventor of the face mask used by home-plate umpires for much of the 20th century.
  • June 18 – Jack Harper, 33, pitcher for the 1915 Philadelphia Athletics.

August

  • August 6 – Chick Pedroes, 57, Cuban outfielder in two games for the 1902 Chicago Cubs of the National League.
  • August 8 – Billy Gilbert, 51, second baseman for four different teams from 1901 through 1909, and member of the 1905 New York Giants World Champion team.
  • August 16 – Jerry Denny, 68, third baseman for seven National League teams in 13 seasons spanning 1881–94.
  • August 22 – Mike Shea, 60, pitcher in two games for the 1887 Cincinnati Red Stockings of the American Association.
  • August 25 – Harry Cheek, 48, backup catcher for the 1910 Philadelphia Phillies of the National League.

September

  • September 6 – Lave Cross, 61, third baseman and catcher for over 20 seasons, captain of the 1902 and 1905 AL champion Philadelphia Athletics, and one of the first ten players to collect 2,500 hits.
  • September 27 – Ben Hunt, 38, pitched for the Red Sox and Cardinals in the early 1910s.
  • September 30 – Hank Morrison, 61, pitcher for the 1887 Indianapolis Hoosiers of the National League.

October

  • October 4 – John Richter, 54, third baseman for the 1898 Louisville Colonels of the National League.
  • October 11 – Mike Corcoran, 69, pitcher in one game for the 1884 Chicago White Stockings of the National League.
  • October 14 – Ed Hughes, 47, pitcher for the Boston Americans of the American League in the 1905 and 1906 seasons.
  • October 22 – Ross Youngs, 30, Hall of Fame right fielder who hit a career .322 batting average for the New York Giants over 10 seasons from 1917 to 1926, which included four National League pennants and two World Series championships in 1921 and 1922.
  • October 25 – Tom Brown, 67, outfielder who played from 1892 through 1898 for nine teams in four different leagues, collecting 1951 hits in 1788 games, while managing two seasons for the 1897–1898 Washington Senators, and umpiring three full seasons.

November

  • November 7 – Ed Clark, 64, pitcher for the 1886 Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association,
  • November 8 – Phil Bedgood, 29, pitcher from 1922 to 1923 for the Cleveland Indians of the American League.
  • November 22 – John McGlone, 66, third baseman for the 1886 Washington Senators of the National League and the 1887-88 Cleveland Blues of the American Association.
  • November 30 – Jimmy Wood, 84, player/manager for the Chicago White Stockings, Troy Haymakers, Brooklyn Eckfords and Philadelphia White Stockings from 1871 to 1873, who hit .333 in 102 games and posted a 105–99 managerial record.

December

  • December 1 – Danny Shay, 51, shortstop for the Cleveland Blues, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants in parts of four seasons spanning 1901–07.
  • December 1 – Germany Smith, 64, shortstop who played from 1884 through 1898 for seven different teams, most notably for the Brooklyn Grays/Bridegrooms during seven seasons.
  • December 17 – Bill Gilbert, 59, pitcher for the 1892 Baltimore Orioles of the National League.
  • December 24 – Al Myers, 64, second baseman who played from 1894 to 1891 for five teams, most prominently with the Washington Nationals of the National League.
  • December 31 – Jack Sharrott, 58, pitcher/outfielder who posted a 20–17 record with a 3.12 ERA and a .237 batting average for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies from 1890 to 1893.

References

  1. ^ "1927 Season- Seamheads Negro Leagues Database". www.seamheads.com. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  2. ^ "1927 Negro National League Season Summary".
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