Harry Greb "runs the gauntlet" - part three

In this installment, Harry begins to work his way through some of the legendary names from the Golden Age of boxing . . .

1919 AL - Ruth's chase for the all-time home run record

Player	Year	Team	GP	HR
Ruth, Babe	1919	Boston AL	98	28
Williamson, Ed	1884	Chicago NL	107	27
Freeman, Buck	1899	Washington NL	155	25
Pfeffer, Fred	1884	Chicago NL	112	25
Cravath, Gavvy	1915	Philadelphia NL	150	24
Dalrymple, Abner	1884	Chicago NL	111	22
Anson, Cap	1884	Chicago NL	112	21
Schulte, Frank	1911	Chicago NL	154	21
Thompson, Sam	1889	Philadelphia NL	128	20

1919 AL - Games of Friday, 22 August

Red Sox 3, Indians 2: And then one man stood alone at the summit - Babe Ruth hit a solo home run, his fifth blast of the three-game series, to provide the margin of victory for Boston and surpass Ed Williamson of the 1884 Cubs as the single-season sultan of swat. In the 4th inning, the prodigious left-handed swinger sent one of Jim Bagby's (12-13) slants over the right-field screen at League Park and onto Lexington Avenue to give Boston a 3-1 lead (Ruth had also driven home the first Sox score with a 1st-inning triple) that Herb Pennock would nurse to the close of play. Pennock (9-10) allowed a single run in the 6th, but retired eight of the final nine Indians to earn the series win for the visitors. With 30 games remaining in the season, the sky's the limit as to where Ruth might set the bar for himself or for future generations by the time the record books have been closed on the 1919 campaign. [box]

1919 AL - Ruth's chase for the all-time home run record

Player	Year	Team	GP	HR
Ruth, Babe	1919	Boston AL	97	27
Williamson, Ed	1884	Chicago NL	107	27
Freeman, Buck	1899	Washington NL	155	25
Pfeffer, Fred	1884	Chicago NL	112	25
Cravath, Gavvy	1915	Philadelphia NL	150	24
Dalrymple, Abner	1884	Chicago NL	111	22
Anson, Cap	1884	Chicago NL	112	21
Schulte, Frank	1911	Chicago NL	154	21
Thompson, Sam	1889	Philadelphia NL	128	20

1919 AL - Games of Thursday, 21 August

Red Sox 9, Indians 6: Babe Ruth had five hits and homered three times to tie the all-time single season home run record, and he drove in all nine Boston runs as they outlasted Cleveland in a slugfest. Ruth homered to plate the first two runs of the game in the 1st inning, tripled home two more in the 3rd, hit a two-run homer in the 7th, and equaled the record with a three-run shot in the 8th. The final blow gave BOS a 9-1 lead, but Cleveland rallied to score one in the 8th and four in the 9th; the tying run came to the plate with two outs, but Allen Russell came off the bench to induce a game-ending ground ball from Bill Wambsganss. The three-hit performances of Ossie Vitt, Joe Harris and Jack Graney were lost in the glare of The Babe's incandescent afternoon. [box]

1919 AL - Ruth's chase for the all-time home run record

Player	Year	Team	GP	HR
Williamson, Ed	1884	Chicago NL	107	27
Freeman, Buck	1899	Washington NL	155	25
Pfeffer, Fred	1884	Chicago NL	112	25
Ruth, Babe	1919	Boston AL	96	24
Cravath, Gavvy	1915	Philadelphia NL	150	24
Dalrymple, Abner	1884	Chicago NL	111	22
Anson, Cap	1884	Chicago NL	112	21
Schulte, Frank	1911	Chicago NL	154	21
Thompson, Sam	1889	Philadelphia NL	128	20

1919 AL - Games of Wednesday, 20 August

Indians 11, Red Sox 10: Cleveland stormed back from a huge deficit in the 8th inning to win in a minor miracle at League Park. Boston had posted two four-run frames as they ran out to a big lead, with only a three-run 3rd fueled by two unearned runs putting a dent in the Red Sox parade of runs. When Babe Ruth's 24th home run of the season made the score 10-3, there could have been none but the most fanatical in the crowd who truly thought the Indians had a chance. But four walks by Sad Sam Jones - who had not walked a batter in the previous seven innings - set the table for a four-run CLE inning that gave them hope, and Tris Speaker's 9th inning triple scored two more and set him up to tally the game-tying run on Joe Harris' single. Elmer Myers (11-2) put down the Sox in order in the 10th, and Bob McGraw (0-2) walked three more men to load the bases in the bottom half before Harris won it with another RBI base hit. Harris, Ray Chapman and Larry Gardner had three hits apiece for Cleveland while Jack Graney drew three bases on balls. [box]