Babe Herman Trade Altered Baseball History

It was a trade that made front page news back in 1932.

Babe Herman of the Brooklyn Dodgers apparently wasn't happy.

The star outfielder was holding out during spring training because, according to stories in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle prior to the season, he didn't like the $15,000 offer from the Dodgers after making $19,000 in 1931.

On March 14, Herman was traded by the Dodgers with Wally Gilbert and Ernie Lombardi to the Cincinnati Reds for Tony Cuccinello, Joe Stripp and Clyde Sukeforth.

In 1931, Herman had what seemed to be an off season with a .313 batting average, 18 homers and 97 RBI. Prior to that season, he posted years of 35 homers, 130 RBI and .393 in 1930 and 21 homers, 113 RBI and .381 in 1929.

Although he led the National League in triples with 19 for the Reds in 1932, that was he only season in Cincinnati. The Reds shipped him to the Chicago Cubs before the next season.

However as with most trades, time has a way of determining if a swap was good or bad. From a historical standpoint, this trade worked out well for both organizations because of the catchers involved.

After the trade, an article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle had it as a deal for two starters for one in the case of the Dodgers. Cuccinello would become the team's second baseman, while Stripp was the starter at third. Sukeforth was the backup catcher.

Perhaps because Cincinnati was in last place in 1931, all three of the players the Reds acquired were used as starters with Herman in right field, Gilbert at third and Lombardi behind the plate.

Herman played 13 seasons in the big leagues with his best years coming in Brooklyn. He part of one of the more infamous moments in baseball history as he was one of three Dodgers to end of on third base during a game in the 1926 season, but that's a whole other story. Let's just say he is the only player in big league history to ever double into a double play.

For Gilbert, the 1932 season with the Reds was his last of five years in the majors.

Cuccinello was an all-star for the Dodgers in 1933 and later for the Boston Braves in 1938 during his 15 seasons. A veteran of 11 seasons, Stripp played six years for the Dodgers.

The Throw In Players

At the time, the two catchers in the deal appeared to be guys added to the swap, but both would become prominent figures in the game with their new teams.

Lombardi was the second string backstop for the Dodgers in 1931, while Sukeforth had been with the
Reds for six years, but in 1931, he didn't have a homer and knocked in just 25 runs.

In Cincinnati, Lombardi became the biggest star in the six-player trade. He was an all-star from 1936 to 1940. He won the NL batting title in 1938 with an average of .342, which led his selection as the Most Valuable Player.

The Reds would win the NL pennant in 1939 and 1940 with a World Series title in the second of those two years.

After his time in Cincinnati, Lombardi would finish his 17-year career with an all-star season with the Boston Braves in 1942 before moving on to the New York Giants from 1943 to 1947. He made his seventh and final all-star team in 1943.

Lombardi would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.

Sukeforth played 10 seasons in the big leagues with the Reds from 1926 to 1931 and with the Dodgers from 1932 to 1934. His final season came in 1945 as teams struggled to fill their rosters near the end of World War II.

From 1943 to 1951, Sukeforth was a coach for the Dodgers after serving as a manager in the minors.

However, it was his role as a scout where he helped change the course of baseball history.

Brooklyn president Branch Rickey sent Sukeforth to Chicago to watch Jackie Robinson. Sukeforth convinced Robinson to return to Brooklyn to meet with Rickey. Soon after that meeting, major league baseball would become integrated.

Baseball History: Ossee Schrecongost

Ossee Schrecongost

The Fourth of July and baseball have tradition rich connection.

Although doubleheaders are nearly gone from today's schedules at one time they were routine in the national pastime.

Back in 1905, a record for catchers was set in a twinbill featuring the Philadelphia A's and the Boston Americans (Red Sox). The A's won both games that day in Boston 5-2 and 4-2.

It was the second contest that was historic as Philadelphia backstop Ossee Schrecongost caught all 25 innings of the affair as Rube Waddell went the distance to get the win. Boston's Cy Young also tossed a complete game.

Adding three frames behind the plate in the opener, Schrecongost worked a record 28 innings that afternoon.

Schrecongost was the primary catcher for the A's that season as they won the American League pennant, but lost four games to one to the New York Giants in the World Series.

At 30-years old, Schrecongost played in a career-high 123 games with a .271 batting average with 19 doubles and six triples. He didn't have a home run.

With a 27-10 mark and an ERA of 1.48, Waddell led the Philadelphia pitching staff that featured Eddie Plank (24-12) and Chief Bender (18-11).

The 38-year old Young was near the end of his career as he finished the season 18-19.

Played 11 Seasons in Majors

Schrecongost began his 11-year career in the National League during 1897 with Louisville. He also played with Cleveland and St. Louis in the NL.

With the formation of the AL in 1901, he joined Boston and went to Cleveland the following year before moving on to the A's at the end of the 1902 season.

He played in Philadelphia until 1908 before he finished his big-league career with the Chicago White Sox at the end of that season.

Schrecongost appeared in 895 games and was a career .271 hitter. He managed to hit nine homers in his career.

After two more seasons in the minors, Schrecongost ironically played his last game at Louisville.

The Wrong Side of Perfect

Schrecongost appeared in a pair of perfect games on the losing end.

In 1904, Young and his Boston teammates beat the A's 3-0 on May 5 in the first perfect game in the history of the AL.

In the final major league game of his career, Schrecongost and the White Sox were blanked by Cleveland's Addie Joss 1-0 on Oct. 2, 1908.

Baseball History: Dazzy Vance

Dazzy Vance was elected to the
National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

After an unimpressive beginning to his major league career, Dazzy Vance eventually became a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

Vance started in the big leagues in 1915 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees and went 0-4 that season. Vance also had a stint in 1918 with the Yankees, but it took him four more years before he was actually classified as a rookie.

At 31, Vance returned to the big leagues with Brooklyn in 1922. He was 18-12 that year and the next season he posted a 18-15 mark.

In 1924, Vance had the best season of his 16-year career as he was selected as the league’s Most Valuable Player, while winning the pitcher’s triple crown. Vance was 28-8 with a 2.16 ERA and a career-high 262 strikeouts.

A year later, Vance tossed the only no-hitter of his career, but nearly had another in the same week.

On Sept. 8, Vance surrendered one hit to Philadelphia as Brooklyn blanked the Phillies 1-0 at Ebbets Field. The only blemish for Vance was a second-inning single by Chicken Hawks. Hawks was thrown out trying to steal, which allowed Vance to face the minimum of 27 batters.

The Phillies would be the victim of Vance’s no-hitter on Sept. 13 as the Dodgers would win 10-1 at home.

After Brooklyn built a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first, it was Philadelphia’s turn at the plate. Hawks reached base on a two-base error by Brooklyn left fielder Jimmy Johnston. Hawks made it to third on the same play as Johnston was charged with another miscue on the throw back to the infield. Hawks would score on a sacrifice fly by Bernie Friberg.

Brooklyn went on to score four runs in the fourth and added single runs in the seventh and eighth, so the game was never in doubt as Vance dominated the Phillies. He faced 29 hitters and fanned nine.

Dick Cox led Brooklyn with four hits, while Johnston and Milt Stock knocked in three runs each.

Vance would finish the 1925 season with a 22-9 record on his way to Cooperstown. He would finish his career with 197 wins and 140 losses. He led the National League in strikeouts seven straight seasons from 1922-1928.

In 1934, the 43-year old Vance was part of the famous “Gas House Gang” that won the World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Baseball History: Howard Ehmke

There are a lot of people today who claim that the pace baseball is slow.

Just takes too much time and not enough action. Those people would have been happy to be at Navin Field when that afternoon’s contest lasted one hour and 13 minutes on Aug. 8, 1920.

Detroit right-hander Howard Ehmke tossed a three-hit shutout against the New York Yankees as the Tigers would only need a fourth-inning run to win the game.

Ehmke had eight strikeouts in the fast paced performance, while surrendering hits to Roger Peckinpaugh, Del Pratt and Ping Bodie. Babe Ruth walked and was eventually caught stealing.

Ty Cobb scored the run for the Tigers as he led the way with two hits against Yankees hurler Rip Collins. Collins gave up just six hits as he suffered the tough-luck loss.

Tosses No-Hitter

Ehmke’s best season came in 1923 when he was 20-17 in his first year with the Boston Red Sox. He threw a no-hitter at Shibe Park against the Philadelphia A’s on Sept. 7.

The Red Sox won 4-0 as Ehmke fanned one and walked another in his gem. It only took 94 minutes to play that game.

1929 World Series

Despite those two outstanding performances, Ehmke’s claim to fame came late in his career when he started the opener of the 1929 World Series for the A’s against the Chicago Cubs. He was traded in a five-player deal during the 1926 season from Boston to Philadelphia.

During the 1929 season, Ehmke made eight starts in 11 appearances with a 7-2 record and a 3.29 ERA.

With the Cubs lineup featuring only one left handed batter, Philadelphia manager Connie Mack chose Ehmke to start the first game of the series in Chicago instead of George Earnshaw (24-8) or Lefty Grove (20-6).

The series opened on Oct. 8, Ehmke had not pitched since Sept. 13. The inactivity didn‘t cause any problems for Ehmke as he set a World Series record with 13 strikeouts in the 3-1 complete game win over the Cubs.

The game, which took just over two hours to play, was scoreless until the seventh when Jimmie Foxx hit a solo homer off Cubs starter Charlie Root. The A’s added two more runs in the ninth, while the Cubs picked up an unearned tally in the bottom of the frame.

Although Ehmke would only last into the fourth inning of the fifth contest of the series, the A's would win the game and the title.

Ehmke pitched 15 years in the big leagues and posted a 166-166 record, while playing for Buffalo (1915 Federal League), Detroit (1916-1922), Boston (1923-1926) and Philadelphia (1926-1930).

According to its Web site, the Howard Ehmke Manufacturing Company began in 1929. Mack, Ehmke’s former manager with the A’s, purchased a tarp from the company that would be used to cover the infield when it rained. Although the business has changed dramatically over the year, it still operates in Philadelphia today.

Baseball History: Jack Coombs

Jack Coombs was 5-0 in World Series six starts.

Jack Coombs is one of a select group of pitchers to win three complete games in a World Series.

During the Fall Classic in 1910, Coombs won all three of his starts for the Philadelphia A's against the Chicago Cubs.

After winning the second contest in Philadelphia, Coombs was back on the mound two days later at West Park in Chicago for the third affair. Coombs went the distance to earn his second win of the series as the A's beat the Cubs 12-5.

The 27-year old right-hander was also a star at the plate on that day as well with three hits. In the second, Coombs had a run-scoring double. He had a two-run single in the seventh and added another hit in the ninth.

The Cubs won the fourth game, but the A's behind Coombs took the fifth contest and the title.

Five Wins in Three World Series

In addition to the 1910 World Series, Coombs won a contest the following year against the New York Giants as the A's won their second consecutive title. Coombs joined Brooklyn in 1915 and a year later, he won the only game in the series for the Robins as they lost to the Boston Red Sox.

Overall, he was 5-0 in six starts with four complete games during World Series action.

Won Over 20 Games Three Times

Coombs had his best season in 1910 when he was 31-9 with a 1.30 ERA. He also posted 13 shutouts to lead the American League.

In 1911, he led the league in victories for the second straight year with a 28-12 mark. The next season he finished 21-10.

Begining his career in 1906 with the A's, Coombs was in Philadelphia until 1914. He played with Brooklyn from 1915-1918. He ended his career with a 158-110 record in 1920 after two appearances with the Detroit Tigers.

Coombs the Hitter

Coombs played in 62 games in the outfield during his career and managed a .235 batting average with four homers and 100 RBI.

Ironically, all four of his homers were as a pitcher. He hit two of them in 1911 and the final one was an inside-the-park homer. He also had 10 triples and 21 stolen bases.

Baseball History: Urban Shocker

Urban Shocker pitched in the major leagues
from 1916 to 1928.

St. Louis Browns pitcher Urban Shocker surrendered fourteen hits gave up four runs, issued five walks with just one strike out.

Sometimes statements next context. One could think that this isn’t really the greatest pitching line for a day’s work, but it turned out to be pretty decent on Sept. 6, 1924.

It really was literally a day’s work for Shocker as he tossed complete game victories in both games of a doubleheader for the Browns as they beat the Chicago White Sox by identical scores of 6-2.

In the opener, Shocker gave up nine hits with three of them by White Sox left-fielder Bibb Falk. He also recorded his only strikeout on the afternoon as he fanned Chicago first baseman Earl Sheely.

The Browns had 12 hits with first baseman and player/manager George Sisler leading the way with three hits. Second baseman Marty McManus knocked in a pair runs as the Browns never trailed.

Red Faber was the losing pitcher for the White Sox as he fell to 9-7 on the season.
Shocker was better in game two as he held the White Sox to five hits. Falk had two of the hits and knocked in both runs.

McManus led the Browns 13-hit attack with three singles as he drove in three runs. The Browns scored three times in the first frame to knock out Chicago hurler Sloppy Thurston before he could record an out.

With the wins, Shocker would be 15-13. He would add one more victory and finish what would be his last season with the Browns at 16-13 with a 4.20 ERA.

Starting in Canada

Born in Cleveland, Shocker began his professional career in the minors in Canada.

After a losing season in Windsor, the right hander was 20-8 for Ottawa in 1914 and was 19-10 the following year.

In 1916, he was 15-3 with Toronto before joining the New York Yankees at the age of 25. He finished the year at 4-3. After an 8-5 season in 1917, the Yankees traded him to the Browns.

It took two years, but Shocker became one of the more dominate hurlers in the American League as he won over 20 games in four straight seasons with the Browns earning 91 victories from 1920-1923.

Shocker’s best season was in 1921 when he compiled a 27-12 mark. He was 24-17 in 1922 when the Browns finished second in the Yankees in the AL.

Prior to the 1925 season, Shocker was traded back to the Yankees. He was 12-12 that year before going 19-11 as the Yankees won the AL pennant. He went on the pitch in the World Series against the St Louis Cardinals, he lost game two and pitched in the sixth contest, which they Yankees also lost.

Despite an 18-11 record for the 1927 Yankees, Shocker didn’t pitch as New York won the World Series that fall.

The following year would be his last in the big leagues and of his life. Having a life-long heart condition, Shocker appeared in only one game for two innings in a 5-0 loss to the Washington Senators in Yankee Stadium on May 30. He would later die at the age of 37 on Sept. 9.

In 13 seasons, Shocker would finish with a career record of 187-117 with a 3.17 ERA. Because of the grandfather rule permitting pitchers to still use the spitball, Shocker was reported to be the last one to use the pitch legally.