What were the 1927 New York Yankees?

The greatest team of all time; some may argue that the 1998 New York Yankees might have something to say about that. In 1927 the New York Yankees, led by Hall-of-Fame skipper Miller Huggins cruised through the season, going 110-44, winning the AL pennant by 19 games. They were given the nickname “Murderer’s Row” for a reason, outscoring opponents by 376 Runs and setting a then-record homering 158 times.

When discussing the 1927 Yankees, we instantly think about Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, the greatest combination in baseball history, especially that season.

Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig and OTHERS 1927 Stats: 

Babe Ruth: .356 BA, 192 HITS, 60 HR, 165 RBI, .486 OBP, 158 RUNS

Lou Gehrig: .373 BA, 218 HITS, 47 HR, 173 RBI, .474 OBP, 149 RUNS

Tony Lazzeri: .309 BA, 176 HITS, 18 HR, 102 RBI, .383 OBP, 92 RUNS

Bob Meusel: .337 BA, 174 HITS, 8 HR, 103 RBI, .393 OBP, 75 RUNS

Earle Combs: .356 BA, 231 HITS, 6 HR, 64 RBI, .414 OBP, 137 RUNS

Waite Hoyt: 22-7 W-L, 2.63 ERA, 256.1 IP, 1.155 WHIP (32 Starts)

Herb Pennock: 19-8 W-L, 3.00 ERA, 209.2 IP, 1.302 WHIP (26 Starts)

Urban Shocker: 18-6 W-L, 2.84 ERA, 200 IP, 1.240 WHIP (27 Starts)

Wilcy Moore: 19-7 W-L, 2.28 ERA, 213 IP, 1.155 WHIP (12 Starts/50 Apppearances)

However, two hall-of-fame pitchers were Herb Pennock and Waite Hoyt. Also, you had Tony Lazzeri at 2B, and leading off in CF was Earle Combs; both are Hall of Famers. Pennock was solid in 1927, especially in Game 3 of the World Series, pitching a complete game, only allowing one run and three hits. Waite Hoyt led the entire AL with 22 Wins in 1927. Lazzeri had just played his second big league season and drove in 100 or more RBIs for the second year. Earle Combs led the majors in At Bats (648), Hits (231), and Triples (23). In Left Field, Bob Meusel, in just 135 games that season, hit 47 DOUBLES as a right-handed hitter. Despite being 36 years of age, Urban Shocker logged in 200.0 Innings Pitched that season. Wilcy Moore led the MLB in his rookie season with a 2.28 ERA over 213 IP over 50 Appearances, some starts, and some as a long reliever.

When it came time to play the Pirates in the 1927 World Series, despite having HOF studs such as Pie Traynor, Lloyd Waner, and Paul Waner, they were no match for the Yankees. The Yankees won the whole thing in four games, with the Yankees outscoring the Pirates 23-10. While Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were immortal on their respective levels. However, remember that Ruth & Gehrig had an excellent supporting cast around them.

Did the 1998 Yankees win more games, yes? However, in 1927 the season was only 154 games long; in 1998, the season was 162 games long. I’ll end with this who would you rather have the three best hitters on the 1927 Yankees; Ruth, Gehrig, and Combs? Or would you rather have the three best hitters on the 1998 Yankees; Jeter, Williams, and O’Neill?

References:

  1. 1927 New York Yankees via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/1927.shtml