Yankees History: George Pipgras’ crazy day in 1932

Generally, if you allow double-digit hits in a game as a pitcher, you and your team probably aren’t going to win that game. If you then add in eight walks to the equation, your odds are going to take an even greater dip. These days, it’s probably not even possible for a pitcher to put up a stat line like that, as a manager is probably pulling his pitcher well before they reach double-digit hits allowed.

However, baseball does not work in absolutes. Especially back in the day, a team often would just let their pitcher go, even if they clearly didn’t have their best stuff. Also, it’s possible to allow a bunch of baserunners but manage to escape innings with just a couple runs allowed. That was the story for Yankees’ pitcher George Pipgras in one 1932 game, where he put up one of the strangest winning pitching lines you’ll ever see.

On September 8, 1932, the Yankees in were in Detroit for a doubleheader, making up an August 2nd game that had been rained out. In the opening game of the twin bill, Joe McCarthy sent Pipgras to the mound, but he quickly fell behind.

Having already worked around two singles in the first, Pipgras allowed the first four runners of the second to reach base, with a single from Billy Rhiel scoring a run. After Pipgras then finally got a batter by striking out opposing pitcher Elon Hogsett, the order flipped back around and Harry Davis drove home two more runs with a single.

The Yankees got one run back when Samuel Byrd led off the third with a homer, and then added another in the fourth via a Byrd RBI single. As that was happening, Pipgras had to continue working out of trouble, as he didn’t record a single clean inning until the fifth. Byrd was then once again the hero, as he rewarded that with a two-run homer in the sixth to give the Yankees the lead. It was an impressive game from Byrd, who was more known as a bench player who got the nickname “Babe Ruth’s Legs” for how often he came in as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner for Ruth. In fact, he was in the lineup that day as Ruth was out while dealing with appendicitis.

Having left the bases loaded in the sixth and managing to deal with runners in every other inning, Pipgras got to the ninth with the Yankees still up a run. However, his bid for the victory didn’t end there. Leading off the ninth, the Tigers’ Earl Webb took Pipgras deep for a game-tying homer. The pitcher kept Detroit there, but the game was now off to extras.

In extras, Pipgras and Tigers’ reliever George Uhle exchanged zeroes, but once again the Yankees’ pitcher needed to get out of some sticky situations. He helped his own cause in the 11th when he picked Gee Walker off at first base to end the inning. Then in the 13th, the Tigers had the bases loaded, just 90 feet away from a walk-off. However, Pipgras got Walker to ground out to end the threat, and that allowed the offense to finally get something going themselves.

In the top of the 14th, Lou Gehrig led off with a single and was bunted over by Tony Lazzeri. Catcher Bill Dickey came through with a single, scoring Gehrig to give the Yankees the lead back. Dickey had also moved up to second on a throw home on his hit and that allowed him to come around himself when Frankie Crosetti added another RBI single. At that point, McCarthy sent up a pinch-hitter for Pipgras, trying to add to the advantage, but the offense was unable to, meaning it was 6-4 going into the bottom of the 14th.

In Pipgras’ place, Wilcy Moore took the mound in the bottom of the 14th. Like the starter, Moore had to work around some trouble, as he gave up singles to Billy Rogell and Ray Hayworth. However again like Pipgras, he did so, inducing a Davis’ ground out to finish things off.

The conceit of this article was highlighting the ridiculous day, so let’s take a gander at his final line. In 13 innings on the mound, Pipgras allowed 14 hits, eight walks, and a hit-by-pitch for a grand total of 24 baserunners allowed. In total, he faced 59 batters in the game, which means 41% of them reached base. Despite that, Pipgras only had four of those runners cross home plate. While he didn’t pitch the final inning, as he was still technically in the game when the go-ahead runs scored, he also went down as the winning pitcher. Twenty-four baserunners allowed is the most by a Yankee pitcher in a game where they were also the winning pitcher of record. In total, the Tigers were 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position and left 18 on base.

For several reasons, I don’t think we will be seeing a final line like George Pipgras’ on September 8, 1932 anytime soon.

Resources

Baseball Reference

New York Times, September 9, 1932