mspence
Warrant Officer
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Post by mspence on Aug 25, 2020 3:25:15 GMT
WI Babe Ruth hadn't been traded to the Yankees?
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1bigrich
Sub-lieutenant
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Post by 1bigrich on Aug 25, 2020 8:29:15 GMT
WI Babe Ruth hadn't been traded to the Yankees?
It wasn't a trade. It was buy. See
The Yankees and the White Sox were the only contenders for Ruth, who had set the American League Home Run Record at 29 in 1919.
Remember too at the time The Babe was also one of the best pitchers in the game. He set the Home Run Record playing left field for the Red Sox when he wasn't pitching. He went 9-5 in 1919, but in 1918 he was 13-7, and in 1917 he was 24-13. As a Red Sox pitcher, he never had an ERA over 3 when he pitched more than 4 games in a season
Ruth wanted a raise after the 1919 season; he knew he was worth more than Frazee, Boston' owner was paying him. Frazee refused, and Ruth threatened not to play or retire.
At the time Ruth went to the Yankees, they were playing in the Polo Grounds, and the National League's Giants were New York's number 1 team. The short right field in the Polo Grounds was perfect for Ruth. In 1920,. he destroyed his own Home Run Record with 54, hit .376 and knocked in 137 RBIs. The next year, 1921, he was even better; 59 home runs, hit .378 with 171 RBIs. The Yankees attendance increase so much, as did their revenue, they had enough money to build Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, which opened in 1923, "The House that Ruth Built" wasn't just a nickname, it was the truth.
If Ruth stays with the Red Sox, they need a different owner. Previously, Frazee had sent Tris Speaker, then his best player, to Cleveland and still won a World Series. Would it be different with Ruth? In 1919, the Red Sox slouched after winning the 1918 Series over the Cubs. finishing in sixth place. If the Red Sox have an owner that sees the value of Ruth and is willing to pay him, the balance of AL power never shifts to New York. The Curse of the Babe never exists. The Red Sox had won 6 AL Pennants and 5 World Series in the first 19 years of the American League. The won the first World Series over the Pirates in 1903, and there was no 1904 World series, so the five titles effectively came in 15 seasons. Assuming he new owner is smart enough not to dismantle the team around Ruth (Frazee sent most of Boston's pitching in subsequent years to the Yankees as well) the Red Sox will dominate the '20s and '30 like the Yankees did. Maybe it will be the Red Sox that build a new stadium to replace Fenway Park. Meanwhile the Yankees will get better in those decades. They'll sign a kid name Lou Gehrig in 1923, bit will likely continue to share the Polo Grounds with the Giants. In 1936, the Yankees will get an outfielder named Joe DiMaggio, and I think that will be one of the things that will lead the Yankees to success. As an aside, the Yankees agree to trade DiMaggio to the Red Sox for Ted Williams, but the deal fell through when the Yankees refused to include Yogi Berra in the trade...
My thoughts,
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