1926 In Baseball

Champions

*World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over New York Yankees (4-3)
*Negro World Series: Chicago American Giants over Bacharach Giants (5-4-2)

Awards and honors

* League Award
**George Burns, Cleveland Indians, 1B
**Bob O'Farrell, St. Louis Cardinals, C

Statistical leaders

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

National League final standings

Negro leagues final standings

Negro National League final standings

*Kansas City won the first half, Chicago won the second half.
*Chicago beat Kansas City 5 games to 4 games in a play-off.

Eastern Colored League final standings

†Homestead was not in the league, but these games counted in the standings.

Events

*January 15 – The Cincinnati Reds purchase the contract of first baseman Wally Pipp from the New York Yankees for $7,500.
*February 6 – The St. Louis Browns acquire catcher Wally Schang from the New York Yankees in exchange for pitcher George Mogridge and cash considerations. Although Schang is 36 years old, he will hold the job as the regular catcher for the Browns for the next four seasons.
*April 13
**In one of the greatest Opening Day pitchers' duels ever, Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators defeats Eddie Rommel and the Philadelphia Athletics, 1–0, in a 15-inning battle. Johnson strikes out nine and gives up just six hits.
**Future Hall of Famers Tony Lazzeri and Paul Waner made their debuts in the Major Leagues. Lazzeri with the New York Yankees, in a 12-11 victory against the Boston Red Sox, while Waner does the same with the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 7–6 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
*April 19 – Boston Red Sox center fielder Ira Flagstead ties a Major League record by starting three double plays in one game from the outfield.
*April 27 – Future Hall of Famer Mel Ott makes his major league debut with the New York Giants and strikes out in his only at-bat.
*April 29 – Future Hall of Famer Joe Cronin makes his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates a 16–9 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Forbes Field.
*May 8 - The left field bleachers and grand stand roof at Fenway Park are lost in a three alarm fire. The cash strapped Red Sox use the insurance money to pay for operations, leaving a vacant lot where the bleachers once were.
*May 12 – Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators records his 400th career win when he defeats the St. Louis Browns, 7–4, to reach the rarely achieved milestone.
*May 22 – The contest between the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators is called after eight innings, resulting in a 6-6 tie.
*May 26 – The New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox, 9–8, for their sixteenth victory in row.
*June 14- John McGraw, manager of the New York Giants trades outfielder Billy Southworth to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Heinie Muller. The trade is a flop. Southworth goes on to become a member of the "Gashouse Gang" in St. Louis and becomes part of a dynasty. Mueller struggles at the plate and leaves the Giants after two unproductive seasons.
*June 24 – At Sportsman's Park, the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates play to a 3–3 tie.
*July 4 – The contest between the New York Yankees and Washington Senators is called after six innings, resulting in a 4-4 tie. It is Washington's second tie of the season.
*August 11 – Tris Speaker of the Cleveland Indians hits his 700th career double, but Cleveland loses to the Chicago White Sox, 7–2. The double came in the third inning off Sox pitcher Joe Edwards.
*August 21 – Ted Lyons pitches a no-hitter in a 6–0 Chicago White Sox win over the Boston Red Sox.
*September 8 – Hal Wiltse and the Boston Red Sox defeat the New York Yankees, 5-2, to end their seventeen-game losing streak.
*September 15 – At Dunn Field, the New York Yankees defeat the Cleveland Indians, 6–4. Nevertheless, the Indians take four of the six-game series to reduce the Yankees' lead in the American League to 3½ games from its peak of eleven.
*September 23 – After fifteen innings, the contest between the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies at the Baker Bowl is called a 6–6 tie.
*September 25 – Excluding the tie on the 23rd, the Cincinnati Reds lose their sixth game in a row, 6–1, against the Philadelphia Phillies. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals, who had been playing poorly themselves, clinch the National League title.
*September 26 – The Philadelphia Athletics take their third game in a row from the Cleveland Indians, relegating them to the second place in the American League two games behind the New York Yankees.
*October 2 – After scoring a run in the first inning on two hits, the St. Louis Cardinals are held hitless for the next seven innings by Herb Pennock. Jim Bottomley singles in the ninth, but is left stranded as the New York Yankees win Game One of the 1926 World Series, 2–1.
*October 3 – Grover Cleveland Alexander gives up two runs to the Yankees in the second inning, but sets down the last 21 batters, striking out 10, in Game Two of the World Series. A three-run home run by Billy Southworth breaks a 2–2 tie, while Tommy Thevenow collect three hits for a 6–2 Cardinals win.
*October 5 – In Game Three of the World Series, Jesse Haines pitches a five-hit shutout and hits a three-run home run as the Cardinals beat the Yankees, 4–0, to take a 2-1 lead in the Series.
*October 6 – Babe Ruth hits three home runs to lead the Yankees to a 10–5 victory over St. Louis in Game Four of the World Series to tie the Series at two games apiece. His first inning curtain-raiser is a majestic 395-footer, exiting Sportsman's Park over its right field bleacher roof. His second homer clears the roof in right center, carrying 515 feet, breaking a window on the other side of Grand Avenue. Ruth's final foray, however, is the main attraction, carrying deep into the never-before reached centerfield bleachers, far beyond the 430-foot mark. Estimated at 530 feet, it is still deemed, as of April 2012, the longest home run in World Series history. On October 18, , Reggie Jackson became the second player in history to hit three home runs during a single World Series game. On October 27, , Albert Pujols became the third player in history to hit three home runs in single World Series game.
*October 7 – Mark Koenig scores on a sacrifice fly by Tony Lazzeri in the tenth inning, giving the Yankees the 3–2 victory in Game Five of the World Series, to take a 3-2 lead in the Series.
*October 9 – Grover Cleveland Alexander scatters eight hits in Game Six of the World Series, while St. Louis tee off New York at Yankee Stadium for a 10–2 romp that sends the Series to a seventh game.
*October 10 – The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the New York Yankees, 3–2, in the decisive Game Seven of the World Series to clinch their first World Championship. One day after picking up his second complete-game victory of the Series, 39-year-old Grover Cleveland Alexander saves the game after fanning Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, then proceeding to no-hit New York the rest of the way. The Series would feature thirteen future Hall of Famers. The series ends when Babe Ruth is thrown out trying to steal second base making it the only World Series to end on a caught stealing to this day.
*November 30 – Bill Carrigan, popular Boston Red Sox manager who won World Series pennants for the team in 1915 and 1916, is drafted out of retirement in an attempt to resurrect the moribund Red Sox.
*December 5 – St. Louis Cardinals catcher Bob O'Farrell is named National League MVP. O'Farrell hit .293 in 146 games and polls 79 points. Cincinnati Reds second baseman Hughie Critz is runner-up with 60 and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Ray Kremer (20-6, 2.61 ERA) is third with 32. Critz set a major-league record handling 588 assists, which will be topped by Frankie Frisch with 643 in .
*December 20 – Rogers Hornsby is traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the New York Giants in exchange for Frankie Frisch and Jimmy Ring.

Births

January

*January 2 – Stan Hollmig
*January 3 – Harry Fisher
*January 6 – Ralph Branca
*January 8 – Dick Lajeskie
*January 10 – George Strickland
*January 18 – Bob Scherbarth
*January 23 – Chico Carrasquel
*January 25 – Frances Janssen
*January 26 – La Ferne Price
*January 27 – Bob Borkowski
*January 31 – Tom Alston

February

*February 5 – Hank Workman
*February 6 – Sam Calderone
*February 6 – Dale Long
*February 7 – Mary Flaherty
*February 7 – Jerry Lane
*February 7 – Danny Lynch
*February 10 – Randy Jackson
*February 12 – Joe Garagiola
*February 12 – Ruth Williams
*February 13 – Bob Habenicht
*February 15 – Bubba Harris
*February 16 – Howie Judson
*February 17 – Jack Crimian
*February 27 – Audrey Kissel

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