When Babe Ruth Punched An Umpire In A No Hitter
Babe Ruth punched an ump, then Ernie Shore retired 26 in a row
Before he was the most feared hitter in the game, Babe Ruth was one of the most feared pitchers in the game - to batters and umpires, best seen on June 23, 1917. Babe took the mound for the Red Sox against the Washington Senators, and after walking the leadoff man, Ruth began arguing with umpire, Brick Owens. Thinking he missed two strikes, he told the umpire, “Open your eyes and keep them open.” After Owens threatened to eject him if he didn’t keep quiet, Babe responded by saying, “You run me out and I will come in and bust you on the nose.”
Unsurprisingly, that warranted an ejection, and as written in the newspaper:
"Then in rushed Ruth. Chester Thomas tried to prevent him from reaching Owens, who had not removed his mask, but Babe started swinging both hands. The left missed the arbiter, but the right struck him behind the left ear. Manager Barry and several policemen had to drag Ruth off the field. All season Babe has been fussing a lot. Nothing has seemed to satisfy him. Oddly enough, this wasn't the first time that season that violence had broken out on the field. What was odd is that, to some, this was 'Great stuff!'"
Once Ruth was gone, Ernie Shore came to the rescue and delivered the game of his life. The Red Sox caught the leadoff man stealing at 2nd, then Shore retired the next 26 batters despite only striking out two. While initially viewed as a perfect game, it is recorded as the first of the 21 combined no-hitters in MLB history, although Babe Ruth didn’t really do much besides complain and throw a punch.
About as unique a no-hitter as you can get, and funny enough, Ernie Shore was also a peacemaker between Babe Ruth and a heckler who pulled a knife on him in 1920 during an exhibition game. So Shore was seemingly always there to help Ruth when he got in trouble.
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This Day In Sports History
1972: Richard Nixon signs Title IX.
1981: Longest game in pro baseball history is played between Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings at 33 innings.
2003: Barry Bonds becomes 1st player with 500 home runs & 500 steals.
1994: Houston Rockets win 1st NBA title in 7 games over Knicks.
1994: Ken Griffey Jr. breaks Babe Ruth’s record with 31 home runs by June.
2008: Felix Hernandez becomes 1st pitcher since Jim Bunning in 1971 to hit a grand slam.
Random Stat Of The Day
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