*The following is an excerpt from the post '1932 Yankees vs. 1976 Cincinnati Reds!'
Game 152 Batting Practice
Wrigley Field, Chicago
The 1932 Yanks vs. the 1976 Cincinnati Reds (September 2011). The Yanks have slumped, going 22-38 since starting the season 47-44. They are 69-82. With the season long decided, the Bambino has taken the Reds to visit 1932 Wrigley Field... where Joe Morgan asks the Babe one of baseball's eternal questions... did he or didn't he?
George Foster and Joe Morgan watch as the aging Bambino launches several BP tosses into the Wrigley Field bleachers… and a couple over them. Then Babe comes out to join them as Lou Gehrig takes his hacks.
“This is still the best part of the day for me,” Ruth wiped his brow and grinned broadly. “This is why I show up.”
“This is why we played as kids, Babe.” Joe replied.
“George…” Ruth was still breathing hard. “You went over 200 RBI’s. That’s amazing, pal.”
“You went over that scoreboard yesterday, George!!”
Foster grinned. “That’s amazing.”
Note: Ruth’s home run yesterday traveled approximately 512 feet, leaving the park to the right of the scoreboard.
“You know, I had a teammate named George Foster?”
“No kidding?” Foster queried.
“Yep… everyone called him Rube… just like the Negro Leaguer. And just like the Negro Leaguer, George was a great pitcher. He was our Ace on the ’15 Red Sox… the World Champion Red Sox.”
“You were pretty good yourself that year, Babe.” Said Joe Morgan.
“We had a staff!” The Babe mused. “I won 18 games. And I didn’t get to start in the World Series!”
“Damn!” Exclaimed George Foster. “Why not?”
“Partly because of that damn George Foster!” Foster. Morgan and Ruth all laughed. “Seriously, Rube won 20, won 2 more in the Series. And he went 4 for 8.”
“Did you ever hit against the Black Rube Foster, Babe?” Asked Joe.
“Nah… he was before my time. He was a manager by the time I was a rookie. I did hit against Cannonball Redding and Smoky Joe Williams. And of course, there was Satch.”
“You hit against Satch?” Foster asked excitedly.
“Nah…” Ruth grinned. Foster looked dejected. “I mostly missed.” They all grinned. “I homered off of him once. But he was tough. Remember, he was in his twenties. He had it going!”
“Who was the fastest?” Morgan asked.
“That’s a tough one. Redding was the toughest to hit because he pitched inside. Pushed you off the plate. Then again, I was older when I faced Satch. And Williams was in his forties when he faced me.”
"Tell me about '32, Babe." Said Joe Morgan.
“The bench jockeying was fierce Joe.” The Babe said quietly. “They called me ‘Nigger…’”
“Really…” Joe answered, a bit disquieted.
“Yeah. I got that a lot. Some guys were vicious. And I think it hurt them more tham it hurt me.”
“I can believe that.” Morgan nodded.
“Ben Chapman… he was a Hall Of Fame talent. He could do it all. Actually, Joe, he played like you. Steal bases, hit homers, .300-hitter, good fielder… he could do it all. But I think he let that crap ruin his career.”
“What about you, Babe?” Joe asked.
Babe smiled. “See that scoreboard out in center field?”
“Yep.”
“That ball I hit in ’32 went right past it… just to the right.” Babe winked. “And I owe that to those bastards on the Chicago bench.” For the first time both Morgan and Ruth grinned. Then Joe asked the question.
“What about it Babe? Did you call it?”
“It’s all right there in the papers.”
“C’mon Babe!”Joe insisted.
“I’ll tell you just what I did. I pointed to the pitcher, Root. I said ‘I’m gonna knock the next pitch right down your throat!’” Ruth winked again. “Guess I got under it a bit.” Joe and the Babe both laughed.
Game 152 Cincy wins 13-11 the Yanks fall to 69-83
Yanks 22-39 since going 47-44
Wrigley Field, Chicago
PLAYER …….POS… AB H 2B 3B HR TB
Babe Ruth…….RF… 5 4 0 0 4 16
Lou Gehrig…....1B … 5 5 0 0 2 11
HR: B.Chapman (1),
B.Ruth 4 (59), L.Gehrig 2 (38)
RBI: B.Chapman (1),
B.Ruth 7 (174), L.Gehrig 2 (168), F.Crosetti (1)
HR: K.Griffey Sr. (10)
RBI: P.Rose 2 (2), K.Griffey Sr. 3 (79), G.Foster (203), T.Perez (161), J.Bench (1), D.Concepcion 4 (4),
G.Nolan (1)
1st: Ruth grounds out to Perez at 1B, unassisted.
The Reds score 5 in the bottom of the first to take the lead, 5-0.
3rd: Ruth hits a 390 foot HR into the right-center field bleachers. Red Ruffing scores ahead of the Babe to make the score 6-3, Cincinnati.
6th: The Babe leads off, and rockets a drive down the right that clears the 353 foot fence and Sheffield Avenue behind it. Ruth’s 2nd HR makes it Reds 8, Yanks 4. Lou Gehrig follows immediately with a blast to right-center, which clangs against a bleacher seat 414 feet away. Reds now lead 8-5.
7th: “Try to get on ahead of me, Ben!” Ruth says to Chapman as both men loosen up in the on-deck circle. Chapman grins and walks to the plate to lead off. Gary Nolan fires a fast-ball, and Ben Chapman lines a home-run to left field. He circles the bases and shakes Ruth’s hand at the plate. “Sorry, Babe!” Chapman yells over the roaring, 39,000-plus crowd. Ruth grins back. Then, after Sparky Anderson relieves Gary Nolan with Pedro Borbon, the Babe swings at a two-strike waste pitch, two feet outside an inches off the ground. The Babe’s 3rd HR soars to the left of the huge CF scoreboard, leaves Wrigley Field, and bounces approximately 550 feet away. In the dugout, Ben Chapman shakes his head… Holy crap!” Ruth’s 3rd home run closes the gap to 9-7.
9th inning: Cincinnati has the game in hand, 13-7. With one out, Will McEnaney walks Ben Chapman. Sparky Anderson shakes his head and comes out to remove him in favor of Pat Darcy. Darcy takes the ball and immediately fires a brushback fast-ball at the Bambino. Bambino, who of course disdains batting helmets, hits the dirt. The fans boo heavily. Ruth gets up slowly. Through the crescendo of boos, the Babe’s face is creased by a grin. He quietly says to catcher Johnny Bench… “Your boy shoulda hit me.” Johnny grinned back. “Go easy on him Babe.” Ruth steps back into the batter’s box and digs in…six inches closer to the plate. And he stares right at Darcy. Darcy throws a change-up, which drops toward the Babe’s shoe-tops… low and inside. Ruth steps back and golfs the pitch. The Babe’s 4th home run soars majestically toward Sheffield Avenue, clearing the bleachers and disappearing from view. As Ruth trots past 2nd, Joe Morgan swats him on the rump with his glove. Ruth comes around third and hears a whistle from the pitching mound. The Babe glances up and Darcy tips his cap ever so slightly. Ruth returns the salute and dents home plate. Bench swats him on the shoulder with his catcher’s mitt as the Babe goes by.
While the Chicago throng is still cheering, Lou Gehrig hits Darcy’s first offering over the RF wall. Lou’s 2nd HR makes the score 13-11. And makes a suddenly nervous Sparky Anderson relieve Darcy with Rawly Eastwick.
“That was the best I’ve ever seen, Babe. And the best I ever hope to see.” Joe Morgan says quietly.
“Thanks, Joe.” Ruth grinned. “But you guys still won. And by the way, your hero, Willie… he hit four in a game in real life. In sixty or sixty-one, sometime around there.”
“Yeah, but I was able to witness this one. You and Gehrig both. What did you have…?”
“Twenty-seven total bases!” Sparky Anderson interjected, having just walked up behind the batting cage. “I could never hit. But I can count with anybody. Lou had 11. And this colossus had six-teen!”
“Hello, Sparky.” Said Ruth.
“Babe, do you know that Sparky’s real name is George?”
“Sunovabee!” Ruth grinned as the two Georges shook hands. Anderson repeated the number, shaking his head.
“Twenty-seven total bases! That’s three singles apiece for the whole starting line-up. Babe, it was an honor to be here and see it… and be a part of it.”
“Thanks, George!” Ruth and Anderson both grinned.
“The most amazing thing… at least two of those homers came on pitches nowhere near the plate. Darcy’s… that was a great pitch!”
“Yes it was.” Nodded the Babe. “If I could explain how I’d hit it…”
“You hit it because you’re Babe-friggin-Ruth!” Interjected Sparky Anderson. Ruth grinned.
“Sometimes that helps.” Joked Ruth.
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