# 1927 New York Yankees season

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.
Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig finished the 1927 season with 12.6 and 11.9 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), respectively. These totals are among the top ten highest single-season WAR by a player in MLB history, with Ruth’s 12.6 ranking third (behind his 12.8 WAR in 1921 and 14.1 WAR in 1923) and Gehrig’s 11.9 ranking sixth.

## Regular season

The Yankees' 110 victories broke the previous American League mark of 105 (set by the 1912 Boston Red Sox) and would stand as the American League single-season record until it was broken by the Cleveland Indians in 1954. But counting their World Series sweep, the 1927 Yankees had a total record of 114–44 --- which is still the all-time highest single-season winning percentage (.721) in American League history. The 1998 Yankees, who also won their World Series in a sweep, are second with a full-season mark of 125–50 (.714).
This was the first year the Yankees acknowledged their team nickname on their uniforms, albeit their road uniforms. Their home uniforms remained free of any kind of logo except for the "NY" on their caps.
The roster included nine future Hall of Famers: Pitchers Herb Pennock and Waite Hoyt, Infielders Lou Gehrig and Tony Lazzeri, outfielders Babe Ruth and Earle Combs, Manager Miller Huggins, Team President Ed Barrow and Owner Colonel Jacob Ruppert.

### Babe Ruth

With the race long since decided, the nation's attention turned to Babe Ruth's pursuit of his own home run mark of 59, set in 1921. Early in the season, Ruth expressed doubts about his chances: "I don't suppose I'll ever break that 1921 record. To do that, you've got to start early, and the pitchers have got to pitch to you. I don't start early, and the pitchers haven't really pitched to me in four seasons. I get more bad balls to hit than any other five men...and fewer good ones." Ruth was also being challenged for his slugger's crown by teammate Lou Gehrig, who nudged ahead of Ruth's total in midseason, prompting the New York World-Telegram to anoint Gehrig the favorite. But Ruth caught Gehrig (who would finish with 47), and then had a remarkable last leg of the season, hitting 17 home runs in September. His 60th came on September 30, in the Yankees' next-to-last game against the Washington Senators at Yankee Stadium. Tied 2–2, he hit a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning off of Tom Zachary, where they won the game 4–2. Ruth was exultant, shouting after the game, "Sixty, count 'em, sixty! Let's see some other son of a bitch match that!" In later years, he would give Gehrig some credit: "Pitchers began pitching to me because if they passed me they still had Lou to contend with." In addition to his career-high 60 home runs, Ruth batted .356, drove in 165 runs and slugged .772.

#### Babe Ruth's 60 home runs

| HR | Date | Pitcher | Threw | Team | Location | Result | Score | Inning | Type of HR |
| 1 | April 15, 1927 | Howard Ehmke | Right | Philadelphia Athletics | Yankee Stadium | Won | 6–3 | Bottom of the 1st | Solo |
| 2 | April 23, 1927 | Rube Walberg | Left | Philadelphia Athletics | Shibe Park | Lost | 3–4 | Top of the 1st | Solo |
| 3 | April 24, 1927 | Sloppy Thurston | Right | Washington Senators | Griffith Stadium | Won | 6–2 | Top of the 6th | Solo |
| 4 | April 29, 1927 | Slim Harriss | Right | Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | Won | 9–0 | Top of the 5th | Solo |
| 5 | May 1, 1927 | Jack Quinn | Right | Philadelphia Athletics | Yankee Stadium | Won | 7–3 | Bottom of the 1st | 2-Run HR |
| 6 | May 1, 1927 | Rube Walberg | Left | Philadelphia Athletics | Yankee Stadium | Won | 7–3 (2nd HR) | Bottom of the 8th | Solo |
| 7 | May 10, 1927 | Milt Gaston | Right | St. Louis Browns | Sportsman's Park | Won | 8–7 | Top of the 1st | 3-Run HR |
| 8 | May 11, 1927 | Ernie Nevers | Right | St. Louis Browns | Sportsman's Park | Won | 4–2 | Top of the 1st | 2-Run HR |
| 9 | May 17, 1927 | Rip Collins | Right | Detroit Tigers | Navin Field | Won | 9–2 | Top of the 8th | Solo |
| 10 | May 22, 1927 | Benn Karr | Right | Cleveland Indians | Dunn Field | Won | 9–2 | Top of the 6th | 2-Run HR |
| 11 | May 23, 1927 | Sloppy Thurston | Right | Washington Senators | Griffith Stadium | Lost | 2–3 | Top of the 1st | Solo |
| 12 | May 28, 1927 | Sloppy Thurston | Right | Washington Senators | Yankee Stadium | Won 1st Game | 9–2 | Bottom of the 7th | 3-Run HR |
| 13 | May 29, 1927 | Danny MacFayden | Right | Boston Red Sox | Yankee Stadium | Won | 15–7 | Bottom of the 8th | Solo |
| 14 | May 30, 1927 | Rube Walberg | Left | Philadelphia Athletics | Shibe Park | Won 2nd Game | 6–5 in extra innings | Top of the 11th | Solo |
| 15 | May 31, 1927 | Jack Quinn | Right | Philadelphia Athletics | Shibe Park | Won 1st Game | 10–3 | Top of the 1st | 2-Run HR |
| 16 | May 31, 1927 | Howard Ehmke | Right | Philadelphia Athletics | Shibe Park | Won 2nd Game | 18–5 | Top of the 5h | 2-Run HR |
| 17 | June 5, 1927 | Earl Whitehill | Left | Detroit Tigers | Yankee Stadium | Won | 5–3 | Bottom of the 6th | Solo |
| 18 | June 7, 1927 | Tommy Thomas | Right | Chicago White Sox | Yankee Stadium | Won | 4–1 | Bottom of the 4th | Solo |
| 19 | June 11, 1927 | Garland Buckeye | Left | Cleveland Indians | Yankee Stadium | Won | 6–4 | Bottom of the 3rd | 2-Run HR |
| 20 | June 11, 1927 | Garland Buckeye | Left | Cleveland Indians | Yankee Stadium | Won | 6–4 (2nd HR) | Bottom of the 5th | Solo |
| 21 | June 12, 1927 | George Uhle | Right | Cleveland Indians | Yankee Stadium | Lost | 7–8 | Bottom of the 7th | Solo |
| 22 | June 16, 1927 | Tom Zachary | Left | St. Louis Browns | Yankee Stadium | Won | 8–1 | Bottom of the 1st | 2-Run HR |
| 23 | June 22, 1927 | Hal Wiltse | Left | Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | Won 1st Game | 7–4 | Top of the 5th | Solo |
| 24 | June 22, 1927 | Hal Wiltse | Left | Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | Won 1st Game | 7–4 (2nd HR) | Top of the 7th | 2-Run HR |
| 25 | June 30, 1927 | Slim Harriss | Right | Boston Red Sox | Yankee Stadium | Won | 13–6 | Bottom of the 4th | 2-Run HR |
| 26 | July 3, 1927 | Hod Lisenbee | Right | Washington Senators | Griffith Stadium | Lost | 5–6 | Top of the 1st | Solo |
| 27 | July 8, 1927 | Don Hankins | Right | Detroit Tigers | Navin Field | Won 2nd Game | 10–8 | Top of the 2nd | 3-Run HR (Inside The Park) |
| 28 | July 9, 1927 | Ken Holloway | Right | Detroit Tigers | Navin Field | Won 1st Game | 19–7 | Top of the 1st | 2-Run HR |
| 29 | July 9, 1927 | Ken Holloway | Right | Detroit Tigers | Navin Field | Won 1st Game | 19–7 (2nd HR) | Top of the 4th | 3-Run HR |
| 30 | July 12, 1927 | Joe Shaute | Left | Cleveland Indians | Dunn Field | Won | 7–0 | Top of the 9th | 2-Run HR |
| 31 | July 24, 1927 | Tommy Thomas | Right | Chicago White Sox | Comiskey Park | Won | 3–2 | Top of the 3rd | Solo |
| 32 | July 26, 1927 | Milt Gaston | Right | St. Louis Browns | Yankee Stadium | Won 1st Game | 15–1 | Bottom of the 1st | 2-Run HR |
| 33 | July 26, 1927 | Milt Gaston | Right | St. Louis Browns | Yankee Stadium | Won 1st Game | 15–1 (2nd HR) | Bottom of the 6th | Solo |
| 34 | July 28, 1927 | Lefty Stewart | Left | St. Louis Browns | Yankee Stadium | Won | 9–4 | Bottom of the 8th | 2-Run HR |
| 35 | August 5, 1927 | George Smith | Right | Detroit Tigers | Yankee Stadium | Won | 5–2 | Bottom of the 8th | Solo |
| 36 | August 10, 1927 | Tom Zachary | Left | Washington Senators | Griffith Stadium | Won | 4–3 | Top of the 3rd | 3-Run HR |
| 37 | August 16, 1927 | Tommy Thomas | Right | Chicago White Sox | Comiskey Park | Won | 8–1 | Top of the 5th | Solo |
| 38 | August 17, 1927 | Sarge Connally | Right | Chicago White Sox | Comiskey Park | Won | 3–2 in extra innings | Top of the 11th | Solo |
| 39 | August 20, 1927 | Jake Miller | Left | Cleveland Indians | Dunn Field | Lost | 8–14 | Top of the 1st | 2-Run HR |
| 40 | August 22, 1927 | Joe Shaute | Left | Cleveland Indians | Dunn Field | Lost | 4–9 | Top of the 1st | Solo |
| 41 | August 27, 1927 | Ernie Nevers | Right | St. Louis Browns | Sportsman's Park | Won | 14–4 | Top of the 8th | 2-Run HR |
| 42 | August 28, 1927 | Ernie Wingard | Left | St. Louis Browns | Sportsman's Park | Won | 10–6 | Top of the 1st | 2-Run HR |
| 43 | August 31, 1927 | Tony Welzer | Right | Boston Red Sox | Yankee Stadium | Won | 10–3 | Bottom of the 8th | Solo |
| 44 | September 2, 1927 | Rube Walberg | Left | Philadelphia Athletics | Shibe Park | Won | 12–2 | Top of the 1st | Solo |
| 45 | September 6, 1927 | Tony Welzer | Right | Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | Won 1st Game | 14–2 | Top of the 6th | 3-Run HR |
| 46 | September 6, 1927 | Tony Welzer | Right | Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | Won 1st Game | 14–2 (2nd HR) | Top of the 7th | 2-Run HR |
| 47 | September 6, 1927 | Jack Russell | Right | Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | Lost 2nd Game | 2–5 | Top of the 9th | Solo |
| 48 | September 7, 1927 | Danny MacFayden | Right | Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | Won | 12–10 | Top of the 1st | Solo |
| 49 | September 7, 1927 | Slim Harriss | Right | Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | Won | 12–10 (2nd HR) | Top of the 8th | 2-Run HR |
| 50 | September 11, 1927 | Milt Gaston | Right | St. Louis Browns | Yankee Stadium | Lost | 2–6 | Bottom of the 4th | Solo |
| 51 | September 13, 1927 | Willis Hudlin | Right | Cleveland Indians | Yankee Stadium | Won 1st Game | 5–3 | Bottom of the 7th | 2-Run HR |
| 52 | September 13, 1927 | Joe Shaute | Left | Cleveland Indians | Yankee Stadium | Won 2nd Game | 5–3 | Bottom of the 4th | Solo |
| 53 | September 16, 1927 | Ted Blankenship | Right | Chicago White Sox | Yankee Stadium | Won | 7–2 | Bottom of the 3rd | Solo |
| 54 | September 18, 1927 | Ted Lyons | Right | Chicago White Sox | Yankee Stadium | Won 2nd Game | 5–4 | Bottom of the 5th | 2-Run HR |
| 55 | September 21, 1927 | Sam Gibson | Right | Detroit Tigers | Yankee Stadium | Lost | 1–6 | Bottom of the 9th | Solo |
| 56 | September 22, 1927 | Ken Holloway | Right | Detroit Tigers | Yankee Stadium | Won | 8–7 | Bottom of the 9th | 2-Run HR |
| 57 | September 27, 1927 | Lefty Grove | Left | Philadelphia Athletics | Yankee Stadium | Won | 7–4 | Bottom of the 6th | Grand Slam |
| 58 | September 29, 1927 | Hod Lisenbee | Right | Washington Senators | Yankee Stadium | Won | 15–4 | Bottom of the 1st | Solo |
| 59 | September 29, 1927 | Paul Hopkins | Right | Washington Senators | Yankee Stadium | Won | 15–4 (2nd HR) | Bottom of the 5th | Grand Slam |
| 60 | September 30, 1927 | Tom Zachary | Left | Washington Senators | Yankee Stadium | Won | 4–2 | Bottom of the 8th | 2-Run HR |

### Season standings

vteAmerican League :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| New York Yankees | 110 | 44 | .714 | — | 57‍–‍19 | 53‍–‍25 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 91 | 63 | .591 | 19 | 50‍–‍27 | 41‍–‍36 |
| Washington Senators | 85 | 69 | .552 | 25 | 51‍–‍28 | 34‍–‍41 |
| Detroit Tigers | 82 | 71 | .536 | 27½ | 44‍–‍32 | 38‍–‍39 |
| Chicago White Sox | 70 | 83 | .458 | 39½ | 38‍–‍37 | 32‍–‍46 |
| Cleveland Indians | 66 | 87 | .431 | 43½ | 35‍–‍42 | 31‍–‍45 |
| St. Louis Browns | 59 | 94 | .386 | 50½ | 38‍–‍38 | 21‍–‍56 |
| Boston Red Sox | 51 | 103 | .331 | 59 | 29‍–‍49 | 22‍–‍54 |

### Record vs. opponents

1927 American League recordvte Sources: :
| Team | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | NYY | PHA | SLB | WSH |
| Boston | — | 11–11 | 15–7 | 5–17 | 4–18 | 6–16 | 6–16 | 4–18 |
| Chicago | 11–11 | — | 8–14 | 13–8 | 5–17 | 8–14 | 15–7 | 10–12 |
| Cleveland | 7–15 | 14–8 | — | 7–15 | 10–12 | 10–12 | 10–11 | 8–14 |
| Detroit | 17–5 | 8–13 | 15–7 | — | 8–14 | 9–13 | 14–8–1 | 11–11–2 |
| New York | 18–4 | 17–5 | 12–10 | 14–8 | — | 14–8–1 | 21–1 | 14–8 |
| Philadelphia | 16–6 | 14–8 | 12–10 | 13–9 | 8–14–1 | — | 16–6 | 12–10 |
| St. Louis | 16–6 | 7–15 | 11–10 | 8–14–1 | 1–21 | 6–16 | — | 10–12–1 |
| Washington | 18–4 | 12–10 | 14–8 | 11–11–2 | 8–14 | 10–12 | 12–10–1 | — |

### Roster
## Player stats

* = Indicates team leader

### Batting
#### Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| C | Pat Collins | 92 | 251 | 69 | .275 | 7 | 36 |
| 1B | Lou Gehrig | 155 | 584 | 218 | .373 | 47 | 173 |
| 2B | Tony Lazzeri | 153 | 570 | 176 | .309 | 18 | 102 |
| 3B | Joe Dugan | 112 | 387 | 104 | .269 | 2 | 43 |
| SS | Mark Koenig | 123 | 526 | 150 | .285 | 3 | 62 |
| OF | Earle Combs | 152 | 648 | 231 | .356 | 6 | 64 |
| OF | Babe Ruth | 151 | 540 | 192 | .356 | 60 | 165 |
| OF | Bob Meusel | 135 | 516 | 174 | .337 | 8 | 103 |

#### Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| Johnny Grabowski | 70 | 195 | 54 | .277 | 0 | 25 |
| Ray Morehart | 73 | 195 | 50 | .256 | 1 | 20 |
| Cedric Durst | 65 | 129 | 32 | .248 | 0 | 25 |
| Mike Gazella | 54 | 115 | 32 | .278 | 0 | 9 |
| Benny Bengough | 31 | 85 | 21 | .247 | 0 | 10 |
| Ben Paschal | 50 | 82 | 26 | .317 | 2 | 16 |
| Julie Wera | 38 | 42 | 10 | .238 | 1 | 8 |

### Pitching
#### Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| Waite Hoyt | 36 | 256.1 | 22 | 7 | 2.63 | 86 |
| Herb Pennock | 34 | 209.2 | 19 | 8 | 3.00 | 51 |
| Urban Shocker | 31 | 200.0 | 18 | 6 | 2.84 | 35 |
| Dutch Ruether | 27 | 184.0 | 13 | 6 | 3.38 | 45 |
| George Pipgras | 29 | 166.1 | 10 | 3 | 4.11 | 81 |

#### Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| Wilcy Moore | 50 | 213.0 | 19 | 7 | 2.28 | 75 |
| Myles Thomas | 21 | 88.2 | 7 | 4 | 4.87 | 25 |
Note: Wilcy Moore led the Yankees and the American League with 13 saves.

#### Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
| Bob Shawkey | 19 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2.89 | 23 |
| Joe Giard | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.00 | 10 |
| Walter Beall | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 0 |

## 1927 World Series

| Game | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Score | Record (NYY-PIT) | Attendance |
| 1 | October 5 | New York Yankees | 5 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 4 | 1–0 | 41,467 |
| 2 | October 6 | New York Yankees | 6 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 2 | 2–0 | 41,634 |
| 3 | October 7 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 | New York Yankees | 8 | 3–0 | 60,695 |
| 4 | October 8 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 3 | New York Yankees | 4 | 4–0 | 57,909 |
| New York Yankees win 4–0 ||||||||

## Awards and honors

* Lou Gehrig, AL MVP Award
Since a voter could select only one player per team, two good candidates from the same team could find their votes split and both of their chances of winning hurt. In addition, the clause prohibiting repeat winners led to unusual results like Babe Ruth's 1927 (one of the greatest offensive seasons of all time) not being eligible for the award. As The New York Times wrote in 1925, "[T]he purpose, of course, is to pass the honor around, but the effect is to pass an empty honor around."

### League leaders

* Babe Ruth, Major League Baseball home run champion (60)
* Earle Combs, American League leader, triples (23)
* Lou Gehrig, American League RBI champion (175)

### Franchise records

* Earle Combs, Yankees single season record, triples in a season (23)

## In popular culture

In 2016, ESPN announced 1927: The Diary of Myles Thomas, part of a new genre of storytelling known as "real-time historical fiction." The core of the project is a historical novel in the form of a diary of Myles Thomas, written by Douglas Alden, complemented by a wealth of fact-based content from the season, all published along the same timeline as the events unfolded almost 90 years ago. Through Myles Thomas's diary entries, additional essays and real-time social-media components (including Twitter) "re-living" that famous Yankees season, the goal is to explore the rarefied nexus of baseball, jazz and Prohibition — defining elements of the remarkable world that existed in 1927. The diary runs the length of the full 1927 season, from April 13 through October 10, 1927.