The confidence was visible right away. It was the start of the 1917 baseball season and Babe Ruth was already at war with the rulebook. He argued balls and strikes with veteran umpire Tommy Connolly until his face was red. When Ruth was called out on strikes in the seventh inning, he didn’t just walk away. He turned dramatically. He glared. Then he retreated to the bench.
Pitchers usually pay for this kind of behavior. Ruth didn’t.
He won his first eight decisions. The Boston Red Sox jumped out to a 15-5 start and took the top spot in the American League. But the pressure was mounting. Ruth was exempted from the draft because he was married, so while other major leaguers marched off to register in June, he stayed home. The weight of holding his place atop the pitching charts seemed to crack his composure. After a 3-0 loss to Cleveland where he had the only Red Sox hit, frustration spilled over onto the field.
The Incident That Shook Baseball
It came to a head on June 23 against the Washington Senators.
Ruth was already behind in the count to the lead-off man when words were exchanged with home plate umpire Clarence “Brick” Owens. Tension spiked with every pitch. Ruth walked to the plate for a “discussion.”
Owens warned him. Go back to the mound or get dismissed.
Ruth replied that he would “bust you one on the nose” if he was run out.
Owens ran him out.
That was it. In total frustration, Ruth snapped. He charged the umpire and landed a fat punch on his nose. It wasn’t a love tap. Ruth later admitted he really socked him right in the jaw. The outburst meant immediate ejection from the game.
Manager Jack Barry had no choice but to call in Ernie Shore. The bullpen rules were strict. Shore got the legal limit of eight warm-up tosses. He delivered his first pitch to the second batter.
Then, chaos. Morgan broke from first base in a surprise steal attempt. The throw from catcher Ben Thomas nailed him at second.
Shore had one out. But the momentum had shifted. He set down the next 26 batters in order.
Every single out of the contest was retired with Shore on the mound. He recorded a perfect game. It was only the fourth in major league history. The final score was 4-0 in Boston’s favor.
The Aftermath and the Slide
Babe Ruth was suspended indefinitely by league president Ban Johnson. The Red Sox owner, Harry Frazee, had to smooth things over with some serious talking. Ruth was reinstated after ten days, but he faced a $100 fine.
The incident marked a turning point. The Red Sox began to slide. They dropped behind the surging Chicago team in the standings.
The rest of the season saw Boston take first place only briefly in July. They finished in second place, nine games back. It was the only time between 1915 and 1918 that the Sox did not win the World Series.
Ruth recovered from his slip-up to have his second consecutive outstanding season. It was also his most durable. He went 24-13. He finished second in the AL in wins and third in innings pitched with 326 1/3. He struck out 128 batters, ranking fifth in the circuit. He led the majors with 35 complete games in just 38 starts.
His ERA was a staggering 2.01. He pitched six shutouts.
Fenway’s First Deep Ball
Barry was hesitant to let Ruth pinch-hit, even more so than his predecessor Carrigan. Still, Ruth batted .325 with two home runs.
One of those shots was historic. It was the first ever ball struck into the deepest center field bleachers at Fenway Park.
The lack of a championship stung, but Ruth had settled in Boston. He and Frazee got along. The slick showman appreciated the brash young hurler’s flair for the dramatic. When Ruth got into trouble again shortly after the season in an automobile accident, Frazee let it go. Ruth escaped injury. The bad press was minimal. A 24-game winner who hit .325 was too valuable to punish.
War Changes Everything
The war brought more changes before the 1918 season began. Single men who signed up for the reserves the previous summer were called up for active duty. This included Duffy Lewis, Ernie Shore, and player-manager Jack Barry.
Frazee needed a new manager. He wanted someone willing to handle day-to-day executive duties as well. The answer was Ed Barrow.
Barrow was in the middle of being forced out as president of the struggling International League. He was tough. Confident. He had managed, promoted, and owned clubs at various professional levels. He had less than two years of major league managerial experience, but he proved competent in both field and general manager roles.
Frazee also had to replace nearly a dozen players heading into service. Unlike conservative owners who waited out the war with what they had, “Big Harry” used his checkbook.
Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack was selling off the last of his championship regulars from 1910 to 1914. Frazee paid $60,000 and three second-liners to acquire pitcher Joe Bush, catcher Wally Schang, and outfielder Amos Strunk. A month later, a deal involving Larry Gardner and two lesser players brought first baseman Stuffy McInnis to Boston.
The roster was being rebuilt. The war was changing the game. And the Red Sox were trying to stay ahead of the tide.
Babe Ruth didn’t just want a raise. He wanted double.
After Walter Frazee refused to meet Babe’s demand for a $10,000 annual salary, the two parties settled on a compromise. Ruth would take a $7,000 contract for the 1918 season. But there was a carrot dangling in front of him. Frazee promised an immediate bump to $10,000 for the next year if Ruth delivered a “good year” in 1918.
The definition of that phrase remained vague.
Ruth didn’t leave room for interpretation.
He arrived at spring training carrying over 215 pounds. The extra mass didn’t slow his arm or his bat. In two exhibition games at first base, Ruth launched three home runs. One was a grand slam.
Then he hit the mound.
Babe Ruth would soon move into the starting rotation. As a batter.
