BP cage… opening day.
PacBell Park 2001.
“Why the rematch, Babe? I mean, it’s good to see you again and all, but… we didn’t even win in ’01.”
“Sevety-three reasons, Barry.” The Babe winked.
“Really?” Barry grinned.
“Yeah, but we’re the ’23 Yanks now. This is a tougher bunch. And we’ll be in the brand new Stadium. 420-plus to deep right-center. 490 to center and left-center. 420 to left. Your righty hitters are gonna HATE the place. They’ll be cussin’ it out.”
“And me?”
“You’ll be cussin our pitchers for walking you like the gutless bastards they are.” Ruth grinned. “Just kidding. Actually, this staff you’re gonna face is pretty damn good. We got a lefty, Herb Pennock, now. We got five aces.”
“I think that’s where you got us, Babe. Our pitching is okay. But just okay.”
“Yeah, and we got two tough hitting parks… Frisco and the Stadium. No cheap homers. If you can pull it down the line at Yankee Stadium, you’ll do okay. But if you miss and hit it to right-center…” Babe grinned. “I’ll catch it for you.”
“You’re playing right this year?”
“Yeah. Meusel is playing left. I got a good arm, but Bob has a cannon. You need that in left. You’ll see.”
“Yep. We’ll see. Good luck, Babe. Let’s hit ‘em.”
Game 5. PacBell Park, San Francisco 2001.
Both Barry and the Babe have encountered tough sledding getting out of the gate. Bonds enters the 5th game with no homers – in fact he’s hitless (0-10) with five walks. Ruth is doing little as well… 2 singles and seven walks in four games, which the two squads have split. The only ones doing any serious raking are New York 1st baseman Wally Pipp and left-fielder Bob Meusel. Pipp, who was 2nd on the team in RBI in ’23, has driven home 10 in the first four games here. He’s 8-17 (.471). Meusel is 10-17 (.588) with 4 RBI.
But in the bottom of the 5th Yankees southpaw Herb Pennock tosses a slow curve. Barry Bonds turns on it and lines it over the brick wall in right field, over the hundreds of fans standing on the catwalk, and into McCovey’s Cove with a splash. The bomb comes with Aurelia aboard, gives the Giants a 3-2 lead, and ultimately wins the game. The Giants head to New York with a 3-2 edge in games as well.
Game 6 SF 4-3 3-3
1st game at new Yankee Stadium, 1923.
At Batting Practice:
“You might know I hit the 1st one here in ’23.”
“Figures.” Answered Barry. “None went out today. You’re right. This place is huge.”
“Yep. Fits 70,000. And you gotta nail it… other than straight away right.”
In BP Bonds puts on a show, lining pitch after pitch into the brand new bleachers that would soon become ‘Ruthville’. The fans are stunned but soon cheer the display. Bonds might well have practiced looking at pitches instead. During the game that’s all he does, walking three times. But he scores two of San Fran’s four runs, as the win 4-3.
Game 8 SF 8-2 4-4
“Well, my boys are pitching to you a little more.”
“Yeah, Babe. You’re right about this park. I’d pitch to me too. Or anybody. Just keep it off the plate to lefties.”
“Yeah, but if you go the other way with it… and run… that ball will roll a long way.”
“Damn right. Better not make me chase it, Babe! It gets hot out in New York in July.” The Babe winked.
“So do I, kid!”
Barry belts his first Yankee Stadium home run – beating the Babe – and everyone else – to the punch. Bob Meusel follows a couple innings later but the Giants attack is balanced and thorough. Six men drive in runs. Armando Rios leads the way with three and leads his mates to a 8-2 win. The two teams are again tied at 4 wins apiece.
Two days later Barry does it again - as does Bob Meusel. Each belts a 2-run bomb and lines a run scoring double. But San Francisco wins their 3rd straight at the big new ball yard in the Bronx.
10 Games 4-6
Ruth .143 .228 0 HR 1 RBI 10 BB .333 OBP
Meusel .405 .714 2 HR 12 RBI
Pipp .341 .561 1 HR 13 RBI
Bonds .206 .552 3 HR 7 RBI 14 BB .465 OBP
Aurelia .390 .439 0HR 8 RBI
Kent .294 .382 0HR 10 RBI
Shawkey 1-1 13 inn 4.73
Bush 2-0 17 inn 1.53
Hoyt 1-1 19 inn 2.33
Jones 0-3 14 inn 7.07
Pennock 0-1 12 inn 4.26
Mays 0-0 8 inn 5.63
The Giants and the Yanks split the 1st 16 games. Then the Bay Area Bombers shocked everybody including quite possibly themselves. They rip off an 11-game winning streak and take 13 of 15.
Barry starts them off in the 17th game. He wows the 71,000 Yankee Stadium throng with his plate discipline, sharp batting eye, speed, and finally, tremendous power. Bonds sees 17 pitches on the afternoon. The first 16 are off the plate as he walks four times. He comes around to score twice – once all the way from 1st on a long single from Rich Aurelia. On the 17th pitch… the 1st one he sees in his fifth plate appearance, Bonds swings at a high hard one and lines the only strike he sees deep into Ruthville for a two-run homer. Aurelia, Jeff Kent and Armando Rios combine for 7 RBI as the Giants win going away 9-3.
30 Games 10-20 (2-8)
Ruth .245 .468 4 HR 14 RBI 36 BB .454
Meusel .289 .471 3 HR 21 RBI
Pipp .308 .450 2 HR 26 RBI
Bonds .244 .433 6 HR 18 RB 49 BB .511
Aurelia .313 .453 3 HR 22 RBI
Kent .283 .382 0HR 26 RBI
Shawkey 2-2 42 inn 5.27
Bush 3-3 41 inn 3.67
Hoyt 2-2 46 inn 3.52
Jones 0-6 36 inn 6.63
Pennock 1-2 36 inn 4.25
Mays 0-1 21 inn 5.57 18g, 2 SV
Pipgras 1-2 16 inn 5.94 25g, 4 SV
“What a sorry sack of .240 hitters we are, eh Babe?”
“Yeah!” But then Ruth grinned. “But we’ve both hit some bombs. Just not often enough. Are you sure this team didn’t win? Seems a lot tougher than the ’02 bunch.” Barry shook his head.
“I’ll never figure it out, Babe. You are right. This squad should have gone all the way. Aurelia was like Lou Gehrig… by the way, isn’t he on your bench?”
“Yeah but he never got in in ’23. Replaced Pipp in ’25.”
“Damn! Pipp was good. He can hit AND field! Gehrig must have impressed you guys.”
It’s around this time of the season that the Giants find inspiration in an unlikely source. It starts when Dusty Baker gives JT Snow a day off. Coming in at first base is none other than the 40-year-old Big Cat; ex-batting champ and cancer survivor Andres Galarraga. Galarraga led the NL in batting and RBI. Then the Big Cat won an even bigger battle, missing a whole year to battle the dreaded disease a few years back.
Here Galarraga seizes the opportunity. He doubles home a run in his 1st game, a 4-0 win (game 29). In the 2nd game the Big Cat wows the huge NY crowd by powering a Bullet Joe Bush fast ball past Bush, past centerfielder Whitey Witt, past the flagpole in center, and over the distant CF wall. The ball lands up in the bleachers 525 feet from home plate. It’s an even more majestic blast than the 488 foot shot the Bambino boomed to left-center later in the game. Dusty gives Andres a 3rd start when the clubs move back to San Francisco (and forward 78 years) for game 31. Galarraga gets a standing ovation when he comes to bat in the home 1st. He gets a few more cheers when he collects three hits and two RBI. The Giants win 6-5. Two days later San Fran does it again, a 6-5 win (game 33). Galarraga is in the thick of it, doubling to left and belting a long home run to deep left-center, an enormous drive that falls just short of the huge fielder’s glove with the 501 foot sign on it.
Game 35. Barry Bonds is walked three times, giving him 55. What managers deemed good strategy against the dangerous home run champ isn’t working here. Armando Rios, quietly having a fine season, drives in three to give him 30 in 35 games. And it’s the Big Cat… again. He doubles three times. Then in the 10th he hits a two-run home run to give the Giants a 7-6 come-from behind victory.
San Francisco is now 16-3 since the two teams were knotted at 8-8.
Galarraga goes 0-8 in two more starts and manager Dusty Baker finally rests him. But game 40 at Yankee Stadium sees southpaw Herb Pennock on the hill, and Dusty goes for the platoon advantage, calling on the 40-year-old Venezuelan veteran one more time. Andres again stuns the partisans at jammed-packed Yankee Stadium. He doubles in the 1st and cracks another to deep left in the 3rd. Then the Big Cat drives Hall-of-Famer Pennock from the game in the top of the 6th with a deep drive that soars directly over Bob Meusel… maybe 40-50 feet overhead before landing 454 feet away. Home run. Finally Galarraga hits a rifle-shot down the left-field line. It’s only 281 to the foul pole but the ball is still rising at it lands in the stands a good 410 feet away. Two homers, ten total bases, four-for-four, and a rousing ovation from the NY faithful as he dents home plate in the eighth – even though he helped demolish their heroes 12-4.
40 Games NY is 14-26 (6-18 last 24)
Ruth .266 .508 6 HR 26 RBI 49 BB .469
Meusel .288 .475 4 HR 36 RBI
Pipp .314 .428 2 HR 32 RBI
Bonds .250 .435 7 HR 22 RB 62 BB .500
Aurelia .312 .459 3 HR 27RBI
Kent .276 .391 0HR 35 RBI
Shawkey 3-2 59 inn 4.42
Bush 4-4 62 inn 2.81
Hoyt 2-3 62 inn 4.73
Jones 1-8 51 inn 6.49
Pennock 1-3 48 inn 4.99
Mays 0-2 27 inn 5.67 18g, 2 SV, 3 bsv
Pipgras 1-3 21 inn 7.17 32g, 4 SV, 1 bsv
Andres Galarraga:
.400 BA (18-45) .933 SA 5 HR 14 RBI (11 starts)
As the season progresses the pitchers of both squads continue to deal cautiously with Barry and the Babe. As a result their home run totals are down but their walk, on-base and run totals are high. Bob Meusel runs away with the RBI race, batting clean-up behind Ruth.
On the other hand the Giants are taking turns driving in Bonds, who is well on his way to a 200-walk (and maybe 200-run) year. Rich Aurelia, Jeff Kent, Armando Rios and even part-timer Andres Galarraga are taking turns driving in Barry – and each other.
And the approach works. The 2001 Giants, who did not even win their five team division, fight the 1923 World Champions to a standstill – and in fact, pull ahead.
Game 78: NY wins 5-2 teams are 39-39.
Bob Meusel LF 100 4 2 0 0 2 8
Barry Bonds LF 100 2 1 0 0 1 4 3 bb (113)
B.Bonds hits his 15th home run. His solo shot provides his 49th RBI. Why are his numbers so low? Bonds also walks three times to give him 113 in 78 games.
Bob Meusel is not walked. He homers twice and drives home four of the five Yankee runs.
HR: B.Meusel 2 (12)
RBI: B.Ruth (1), B.Meusel 4 (92)
“So, Babe, after 78 games, we have settled nothing.”
“I still say our team is better than the one in ’21. But I think your team is way stronger than your ’02 squad. Your line-up top-to-bottom… your staff… everything. Even your bench. I don’t get it, Barry.”
“Me neither. But man… those fans of yours are booing the shit out of your guys for walking me so much.”
“Little secret, Barry. Out in right field… so am I.”
Both men grinned.
90 Games : NY is 43-47
Ruth .330 .602 16 HR 76 RBI 113 BB .515
Meusel .292 .518 12 HR 101 RBI
Pipp .326 .439 4 HR 70 RBI
Bonds .253 .452 16 HR 53 RBI 127 BB .485
Aurelia .282 .380 3 HR 46RBI
Kent .280 .385 2HR 60 RBI
Rios 65 RBI
Shawkey 10-3 132 inn 3.14
Bush 8-7 135 inn 2.92
Hoyt 6-8 132 inn 5.16
Jones 7-10 136 inn 3.84
Pennock 3-8 108 inn 5.52
Mays 3-5 50 inn 6.43
Pipgras 2-4 41 inn 7.46 63g, 6 SV
Andres Galarraga:
.333 BA (51-153) .627 SA 9 HR 32 RBI
120 Games 58-62 (4-6)
Ruth .329 .596 21 HR 90 RBI 148 BB .510
Meusel .287 .503 17 HR 131 RBI
Pipp .318 .424 4 HR 97 RBI
Bonds .249 .454 21 HR 68 RBI 168 BB .481
Aurelia .305 .424 9HR 75 RBI
Kent .278 .386 2HR 78 RBI
Rios 84 RBI
Shawkey 14-5 189 inn 3.80
Bush 10-12 194 inn 3.70
Hoyt 11-8 187 inn 4.42
Jones 7-12 168 inn 3.86
Pennock 6-9 147 inn 5.45
Mays 3-9 76 inn 6.16 7 SV, 7 bsv
Pipgras 3-5 60 inn 5.67 87g, 8 SV
Andres Galarraga:
.338 BA (52-154) .630 SA 9 HR 33 RBI
Game 125
Giants need to go 16-14 to clinch the season.
Yanks need to go 16-14 to clinch the season.
Wrigley Field, Chicago, 1926
“What the heck is this, Babe?” Asked Barry.
“It’s called a pit stop. Booked us a few games in Chicago on the way to San Francisco. Gonna catch some music. Have some fun. Play some ball.”
“Yeah but these uniforms. This your idea, too?”
“Yep. See… you’re still the Giants. We’re still the Yankees.”
“The Chicago American Giants!” Piped Dusty Baker.
“And the New York Black Yankees…” said the Babe. “Ever hear of Oscar Charleston?”
“Yes!” Said both Baker and Barry simultaneously.
“Picture you’re God-Dad, only left-handed. Or picture yourself playing center field.”
“That’s a helluva complement the Babe just laid on you, Barry,” said Dusty.
“Thanks, Babe.”
“Forget it kid. I heard what you said about Josh Gibson when you hit the 73 homers… how he was still the all time champ with 84. That’s a lot of class.”
“How good was he, Babe?” Asked Barry.
“He used to play in D.C. when the Senators were out of town. Griffith stadium was 405 to the left field corner.” The Babe leaned in close for emphasis and lowered his voice. “Josh would hit more homers than the Senators.”
“Damn!” Exclaimed Barry.
“That’s what Clark Griffith would say. He wanted to sign Gibby, Satch, and a whole lot of other Negro fellows. So did McGraw… he snuck in a couple for the Giants.”
“You played against the boys, didn’t you?”
“You bet. Why not? It’s baseball, ain’t it? That’s why we’re in Chicago. The Negro League All-Star game AND the Whites-only All-Star game were both started here… at Comiskey.”
“Yes sir!” Said Dusty. “Guess who hit the first homer in the white all star game?”
“Who else?” Answered Barry.
“Yeah…” the Babe grinned. “But Josh, Buck Leonard, Cool Papa also did good here.”
“Why are we playing at Wrigley?”
“You guys will be the home team at Wrigley. Then we’ll be the home team at Comiskey. You know, the NL-AL thing.”
“Good luck Babe. And thanks!” Said Dusty. “But we’re tied. And we’re still gonna try and beat your ass!” Babe winked.
“Wouldn’t be fun any other way, would it?”
Game 125 NY 9-5 63-62
Giants need to go 16-13 to clinch.
Yanks need to go 15-14.
Wrigley Field, Chicago, 1926
Babe Ruth goes 4-4, doubles and homers twice. He drives home five of the nine Yankee runs. He passes the 100 RBI mark (102), the 2nd on either squad to do so after Bob Meusel. Barry hits his 22nd in a losing cause. He also walks twice.
Game 126 SF 4-3 63-63
Giants need to go 15-13 to clinch.
Yanks need to go 15-13.
Wrigley Field, Chicago, 1926
Wally Pipp becomes the 3rd to reach 100 RBI. But Rich Aurelia’s two-run homer, his 10th, wins it for the San Francisco Giants.
Game 127 NY 16-1 64-63
Giants need to go 15-12 to clinch.
Yanks need to go 14-13.
Wrigley Field, Chicago, 1926
The Babe gets five hits in six tries. Meusel gets four in five. Two of the Bambino’s blasts leave Wrigley Field, and Meusel also hits one out. Ruth knocks in six, Meusel four, and Wally Pipp for two. And the Yanks are grooming a young Henry Louis Gehrig just in case. The Yanks romp 16-1. They’ve won 6 of 7 to go up over .500 at 64-63.
Game 131 SF 7-5 65-66
Giants need to go 12-11 to clinch.
Yanks need to go 13-10.
Bonds does not walk. Bu he makes the case for walking him - Barry hits a 2 run HR in bottom of 9th to win it for SF. Carl Mays has been banished to the bullpen by Huggins by 1923 and he is having a miserable time of it. He loses here, serving up the winning bomb to Bonds. Dropping to 3-10, his ERA of 6.50 nearly matches his actual 1923 mark of 6.20.
Bonds does it again the next day.
Barry hits a 2 run HR in bottom of 9th to win it for SF.
Game 132 SF 3-2 65-67
Giants need to go 11-11 to clinch the season.
Barry Bonds goes 3-4, doubles and homers.
Game 133 NY 6-4 66-67
Giants need to go 11-10 to clinch.
Bonds homers for the 5th straight day (27th), triples, singles and drives in all four SF runs. He has driven in 12 in the last six games and has 84 RBI. He’s gone 11-27 (.407), with 30 total bases (1.111 Slugging). He walks only twice in that span.
Ruth hits his 29th HR and drives in three (116 on the season). In the last 16 games the Babe has homered nine times and driven in 28.
Game 140 NY 2-1 70-70
Giants or Yanks need to go 8-6 to clinch.
R.Aurilia hits his 11th homer 483 feet to left-center. His 90th RBI is San Fran’s only run.
Babe Ruth’s 30th travels 504 feet to dead center
“I tried to make the Babe hit it to the big part of the park. I succeeded.” Shawn Estes on pitching strategy that would normally work.
140 Games 70-70 (5-5)
Ruth .358 .657 30 HR 121 RBI 172 BB .530
Meusel .288 .497 19 HR 159 RBI
Pipp .315 .412 4 HR 112 RBI
Bonds .265 .498 27 HR 90 RBI 191 BB .485
Aurelia .301 .406 11 HR 90 RBI
Kent .282 .406 6 HR 90 RBI
Rios 94 RBI
Shawkey 17-6 230 inn 3.78
Bush 12-12 222 inn 3.84
Hoyt 14-8 217 inn 4.23
Jones 8-13 187 inn 4.15
Pennock 9-10 181 inn 4.83
Mays 3-12 89 inn 6.93 12 SV, 8 bsv
Pipgras 3-7 70 inn 6.14 101 g, 8 SV
Andres Galarraga:
.350 BA (55-157) .643 SA 9 HR 36 RBI
Game 142 SF 5-1 71-71
Giants or Yanks need to go 7-5 to clinch.
12 games to go! All tied!
HR: Armando Rios hits a two-run homer, leading the Giants to victory. Bonds, Aurilia and Kent all drive in runs.
Game 149 NY 7-3 76-73
Giants need to go 5-0 to clinch.
Yanks need to go 2-3.
HR: B.Bonds hits his 31st homer. Aurelia triples home Bonds later on. Both reach the 100 RBI mark. But Jumping Joe Dugan jumps on a fastball and hits a 3-run homer. That shot and a 2-run job from the Bambino are enough to win their 5th in the last seven.
Game 150 NY 3-0 77-73
Giants need to go 4-0 to clinch a tie and force a playoff.
Yanks need to go 1-3 to clinch the season.
Bob Shawkey ups his record to 19-7 (3.71, 257 innings). He goes the distance and throttled the Yanks on 2 singles.
Bob Meusel gets two singles himself and drives in all three Yankee runs. He has a gaudy 171 on the season.
Game 151 NY 9-5 78-73
With their 78th win the 1923 Yankees clinch the season against a tough 2001 San Francisco Giant squad. Bullet Joe Bush beats Livan Hernandez despite walking eight Giants. Bob Meusel and Wally Pipp combine for four hits and three RBI. Deacon Everett Scott, the NY shortstop, belts a 3-run homer.
Game 153 NY 6-5(11) 80-73
Ruth 32 HR Bonds 31HR Kent 94 RBI Rios 100 RBI
Carl Mays, W (5-12) 98 2.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 26 6.66
Armando Rios goes 3-6 and drives in his 100th run. Andres Galarraga doubles home two. But so does Jumping Joe Dugan. His ties the game in the 9th. And Ev Scott’s single wins it in overtime.
Game 154 SF 4-1 80-74
Barry Bonds 3 bb
2B: J.Kent doubles, triples and drives in three.
Kirk Rueter wins 4-1. The ‘one’ is a Babe Ruth 511 foot bomb to dead center. It’s his 33rd. Bonds walks three times. The last is his 208th.
154 Games 80-74 (10-4)
Ruth .359 .652 33 HR 132 RBI 184 BB .526
Meusel .295 .490 19 HR 175 RBI
Pipp .318 .417 6 HR 125 RBI
Bonds .268 .506 31 HR 101 RBI 208 BB .486
Aurelia .296 .414 12 HR 102 RBI
Kent .277 .405 7 HR 97 RBI
Rios 100 RBI
Shawkey 19-8 265 inn 3.74
Bush 14-12 243 inn 3.84
Hoyt 17-8 240 inn 4.04
Jones 8-13 194 inn 3.99
Pennock 10-11 203 inn 4.79
Mays 5-12 98 inn 6.66 12 SV, 8 bsv
Pipgras 3-8 78 inn 597 112 g, 8 SV
Andres Galarraga:
.345 BA (57-165) .630 SA 9 HR 39 RBI
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