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Home , 1910 World Series, Baseball bat, Cleveland Blues (NL), Dead ball, Forkball, Fred Snodgrass

University of Wisconsin Eau Claire

Dead and Gone: How the Home Lifted Of

the Dead Era

By: Zac Thome

Dr. James Oberly Department of History History 489 20 April, 2007

1 "The game of base ball has now become beyond question the leading feature of the outdoor sports of the United States ... It is a game which is peculiarly suited to the American temperament and disposition; ... in short, the pastime suits the people, and the people suit the pastime."1 Author Charles A. Peverelly 1866

Charles Peverelly was an author in the mid 1800‟s. He was one of the first authors in American history to write about modern sports.2 As Peverelly states, baseball is a pastime. It is often referred to as America‟s pastime. In some cases it has even been called a religion. Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) in the movie Bull

Durham said, "The only church that truly feeds the soul, day-in day- out, is the Church of Baseball."3 Comparing baseball and religion may sound absurd, but nobody can deny that baseball, too many

Americans, has become a large part of their every day lives. In the early years of the game only a few hundred thousand people came out to support their favorite teams. As popularity grew Major

League Baseball attendance jumped over seven million people from 1900 (1,829,490) to 1920 (9,120,875).4 The season was longer in 1920 which is why ticket sales were up, but it is only one reason. The season length went from 136 games in 100 to 154

1 Baseball Almanac, http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ (accessed 1 March, 2007). 2 Guttmann, Allen. . “Who's on First? Or, Books on the History of American Sports.” The Journal of American History, Vol. 66, No. 2. (Sep., 1979), pp. 348-354.

3 Ron Shelton, Bull Durham, (: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, 1988). 4 1880-1899 Attendance http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/attendance.htm (accessed 18 April, 2007

2 games by 1920.5 With its growing popularity stadiums grew larger to hold the thousands of people migrating to the ball parks of their favorite teams. It is a special moment walking into a big league stadium for the first time. To see the green grass and thousands of fans cheering on their favorite team and players, to eat a hot dog or bratwurst with one hand while your is in the other hoping to a fly ball, are events that many people cherish. However, this wasn‟t always the case. The game of baseball that is loved by many went through transitions to get to where it is today. There may be no bigger transition than the entrance to the era from the era. What knocked baseball out of the dead ball era into the live ball era was the shift in scoring via the .

The sport of baseball has been played in this country since the early 1800‟s. There was not a major league at this time. In fact, during this time period baseball did not have any set rules.

The original teams were informal, and the rules were different pending on what town you were playing in. The modern game of baseball was not invented until the mid 1800‟s. Alexander Joy

Cartwright, in 1845, invented the modern . This field and game was based off of the English game called “rounders”.

The first recorded baseball game was in 1846 when Alexander

Cartwright's Knickerbockers lost to the New York

Baseball Club in Hoboken, New Jersey. Twelve years after the first

5 Year-by-Year Baseball History, http://www.baseball-almanac.com/yearmenu.shtml

3 recorded baseball game the National Association of Base Ball

Players (NABBP) was born.6

The NABBP, in 1876, gave way to the which is still around today. There were eight teams in the league

( White Stockings, St. Louis Brown Stockings, Hartford

Dark Blues, Boston Red Caps, , ,

Philadelphia Athletics, and ). In 1901 a new league was formed that joined the National League and eventually became . This league also had eight original teams which made up the new

(Chicago White Stockings, Boston Americans, ,

Philadelphia Athletics, , Washington Senators,

Cleveland Blues, and the Milwaukee Brewers).7 In 1903 the first

World was held and the champion of the National League met the champion of the American League.8 This tradition still occurs every October/November (no in 1904).

Today‟s league has many different dimensions than in the

1800‟s and early 1900‟s. The rules were different, for example, base runners could be called out by being struck with the ball.9 The of teams that make up the league are different. In 1998

6 The History of Baseball, http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbaseball.htm (accessed 1, April 2007). 7 Year-by-Year in Baseball History, http://www.baseball-almanac.com/yearmenu.shtml (accessed 1March, 2007). 8 World Series History, http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/wsmenu.shtml (accessed 1, March, 2007) 9 Rader, Benjamin G., Baseball: A History of America’s Game. Chicago: University of Press, 1992, 4.

4 major league baseball had it most recent expansion with the additions of the and the Tampa Bay Devil

Rays. That gave the league a total of 30 teams. The league increased by four divisions, two in the American League and two in the National League equaling a total of six divisions. They are put into divisions based on where they are geographically.

As the game became more modern there was a greater emphasis placed on statistics. Leonard Koppett, who wrote the book, A Thinking Man's Guide to Baseball said, "Statistics are the lifeblood of baseball. In no other sport are so many available, and studied so assiduously by participants and fans."10 There is one stat in particular that people talk about more than any other, the home run. If you follow sports two numbers, 714 (‟s career home run mark) and 755 (‟s career home run mark) are sacred to baseball. Currently is on the verge of breaking what many sports fans call the most hallowed record in all of sports, the career home run record.

Home runs now fly out of ball parks at very high numbers.

They are one of the most exciting parts of the game of baseball.

However, the home run was not always an important part of the game. Strategies like base stealing, the and run, and bunting were the best ways to advance base runners and score runs. In

10 Baseball Almanac, http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/statmaster.php (accessed 6, March 2007)

5 today‟s game hitting for power and hitting home runs are seen as the best way to score. Why did the concept of how to score change around 1920 when it moved from the dead ball era to the live ball era? Were their modifications in equipment, or rule changes that lead to the increased importance of the home run? What did the stadiums look like? Were they built for the home run like today‟s newly built stadiums? In order to uncover the reasons behind the increase in home run totals we must first learn what the dead ball era is and what changed around the year 1920 to help baseball leave the dead ball era and enter the live ball era.

The dead ball (1901-1919) era was the era in baseball where home runs were not very common. In this era was a greater emphasis placed on strategy and nuances of the game. The ball itself did not carry as well as the of today. The baseball that was used was softer, and it was rarely changed during the game, if ever. The bats that the players used were compared to wagon-tongues.11 They way the players swung their bats was even different. There were few hitters in the dead ball era that held the bat at the end and took full swings.12 Hitters tried to punch the ball over the ‟s heads and managers would go as far as fining or benching free swinging players.13 Tactics like the hit-and-run, sacrifice , and base stealing were more important to the game

11 New York Times, 29 June, 1963. 12 Rader, 89. 13 Rader, 89.

6 of the dead ball era as compared to today. The average number of homeruns by a player who lead the league between the years of

1901-1919 was 12 a year.14 The highest home run total by a dead ball hitter was 29 in 1919, by Babe Ruth.15 These numbers are far lower than the numbers of today. Between the years of 2000 and

2005 the average number of home runs by the league leader was

51 a year, much higher than the 12 home run per year average by the dead ball era sluggers.16

One of the dead ball eras most famous sluggers was John

Franklin Baker. Better known as “Home Run” Baker. Bakers first season in the big leagues was in 1909. He played third base for the Philadelphia Athletics. His first game of the 1909 season Baker stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a .17 Baker lead the American league in home runs four times

(1911, 1912, 1913, and 1914) with his highest number of home runs coming in the 1913 season where he hit 12.18 In 1920 Babe

Ruth hit 54 home runs, a total far higher than the 12 by Home Run

Baker in 1913.19 There were other aspects of the game that allowed this era to be called the dead ball era.

14 Year by Year Leaders for Home Runs, http://www.baseball- almanac.com/hitting/hihr5.shtml (accessed 2, March 2007) 15 James, Bill. The Baseball Historical Abstract. New York: Villard Books, 1986, 88. 16 Year by Year Leaders for Home Runs. 17 New York Times, 29 June, 1963. 18 New York Times, 29 June, 1963 19 Year by Year Leaders for Home Runs

7 In 1900 home plate was changed from a twelve inch square to a five-sided figure. The new home plate was seventeen inches across. The plate added approximately 200 extra square inches of for the batters to cover. There was another rule change that affected the game of baseball in the early 1900‟s. In 1901 the

National League changed its foul strike rule and the American

League followed suit in 1903. This new rule counted the first two foul balls as strikes. Before this rule changed foul balls counted as nothing. Hitters could foul off as many balls as they wanted and they did not have to worry about striking out. As a result, jumped by more than 50 percent, while averages, home runs, and runs per game sank to all time lows.20

The game of baseball went through some major transitions to allow itself to get out of the dead ball era. Many of the transitions involved equipment which is very different from what is used today.

We are currently in an era where home runs totals are up from twenty years ago. There are a few reasons for this. However, two of them are only speculation. The first reason is that there was a change in the baseball to allow it to fly better, and the second reason is steroids. Baseball today is currently in the “steroid era”.

There have been very few players who have been using steroids so it is all based on speculation. Another reason for today‟s

20 Rader, 87.

8 increase in home run totals is that the ballparks are far different from the early 1900‟s.

Baseball parks today are noticeably smaller than they were during the dead ball era. If you look at today‟s ballpark dimensions the average distances are 330 feet in left field, 375 feet in left center, 405 feet in center, 375 feet in right center, and 330 feet in right field.21 The fields of today are far shorter on average than the fields players of the early 1900‟s played on. Players like Babe Ruth competed on fields like Yankee Stadium and . Fenway

Park measures 310 in left field line: 379 feet in left center field; 390 feet in center field; 420 feet in deep center field; 380 feet in deep right field; and 302 feet the right field line.22 When Babe Ruth played at Fenway Park between 1915 and 1919, the field had different dimensions. Fenway was 321 feet in left, 488 feet in deep left center, 550 feet in deep center field, 430 feet in center field, 420 feet in right center, 400 feet in deep right, and 313 feet down the right field line.23 (See figure 1) Babe Ruth also played in Yankee

Stadium, or as it is also called “The House that Ruth Built.” When he played the Dimensions of the field were 301 feet down the left field line; 402 feet in deep left field; 460 feet in left center, 490 feet in center field, 429 feet in right center, and 295 feet down the right

21 Jenkinson, Bill. The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2007, 341. 22 Fenway Facts, http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/facts.jsp. (accessed 15, March 2007) 23 Jenkinson, 342.

9 field line.24 (See figure 2) Today Yankee Stadium‟s dimensions are very different. The stadium is 318 feet in left, 399 in left center, 408 in center, 385 in right center, and 314 feet in right field.

Figure 1: Diagram of Fenway Park 2007

25

Figure 2: Yankee Stadium 1925

26

24 Jenkinson, 394. 25 Fenway Facts, http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/facts.jsp (accessed 15, March 2007)

10

The stadiums of the dead ball era were noticeably bigger in terms of distance than the stadiums of today. In Babe Ruth‟s twenty-two seasons he was able to amass seventy-six major league baseball records, most notably the all-time home run record.27 There were other star players that shortly after 1920 began to have huge statistical seasons. For example in 1922

Rogers Hornsby, and not Babe Ruth, led Major League Baseball with a total of 42 home runs.28 What are the reasons for the increase in home runs if it is not small stadiums built for home run hitters?

Many believe that the increase was due to a change in the way the baseball was made. George A. Reach, President of the

George A. Reach Company, produced the first -centered baseball in 1910 and was used in the .29 In an interview Reach said,

The next year the ball was the liveliest it had ever been. In fact we had to tone it down. It was a fallacy to believe that the cork center was entirely responsible for the lively ball. The resiliency of the ball is governed by the way the wool yarn is wrapped around the core, rather than the texture of the core.30

26 http://www.ballparktour.com/Yankee_Stadium_1925_Dia.gif (accessed 15, March 2007)

27 New York Times, 3 June, 1935. 28 Year by Year Leaders for Home Runs, http://www.baseball- almanac.com/hitting/hihr5.shtml (accessed 2, March 2007) 29 New York Times, 8 December, 1954. 30 New York Times, 8 December, 1954.

11

The new cork-centered baseball was also adopted by other manufacturing companies. A.G. & Brothers also made their own cork-centered balls. Before the cork-centered baseball,

Spalding made baseballs that were hand sewn by women in their homes and as a result, there was poor quality control.31 (See figure

3) The new baseballs had a new cork center, and were made in factories which allowed for higher quality baseballs.

Figure 3: Spalding Baseball Pre 1910

32

Figure 4: Major League RBI Totals (Runs Batted In)

Major League RBI Totals Year 7858 1910 9318 1911 9346 1912 8350 1913 7862 1914 7868 1915 7518 1916 7557 1917 6200 1918 7425 1919 33

31 Voight, David. American Baseball: Volume II. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1970, 50. 32 Voight, 50.

12 When you look at figure four you see an increase in the amount of runs scored right after the new baseball is introduced.

Then by 1914 the amount of runs scored per game drop off to record lows. This tells us that there is another reason for the increase in home runs starting with the 1920 season.

The new baseball was introduced in 1910 for the World

Series. Its first full year in baseball was in 1911. As you can see when looking at Figure 4 the RBI totals made a significant jump in

1911 and 1912 before falling to 6200 Runs Batted In (RBI‟s) in

1918. The ball paid dividends in its first few years, but the success for hitters soon tapered off to levels at or below the levels before the cork-centered baseball was introduced. The RBI numbers in

1920 were higher than the previous ten years. In 1920 the Major

League RBI total was 9,338 Runs Batted In.34 The sudden increase in runs scored and home runs in 1920 resulted in many fans believing that there was a change in the baseball. Many believed that a more “lively” ball was developed because in 1920

Babe Ruth hit an unimaginable 54 home runs (previous league high was 29).35 However, there was not a switch in baseballs. Some of the reason for the increase may have been due to better yarn

33 League By League Totals For Runs Batted In, http://www.baseball- almanac.com/hitting/hirbi3.shtml (accessed 15, March 2007) 34 League By League Totals For Runs Batted In, http://www.baseball- almanac.com/hitting/hirbi3.shtml (accessed 15, March 2007) 35 James, 125.

13 quality which became available after World War I.36 The new yarn helped the resiliency of the baseball, but the dramatic changes in offensive numbers were not because of new yarn.37 Many sports writers came up with theories about the baseball. Many argued that the ball was changed to make it more „lively”. Manufactures such as Spalding refuted the statements given by sports writers asserting that the ball was the same as it had always been.38 (See

Figure 5)

Figure 5: Spalding’s Cork Centered Baseball

39

36 James, 125. 37 James, 125. 38 James, 125. 39 Voight, 51.

14 The cork-centered baseball that Major League Baseball began to use in 1911 was the same ball that was used when offensive numbers such as the home run exploded in 1920. There were no dramatic changes in the parks in which baseball was played, and the composition of the baseball was the same. Yet there was an offensive explosion that led to the end of the dead ball era and the entrance into to live ball era in 1920. There are a few often overlooked reasons for the home run boom. There were key rule changes that helped to add to the offensive explosion. Pitches became outlawed and there were changes in the that allowed for the home run to become an important part of the way the game was played.

In 1908 Major League Baseball passed a rule prohibiting from soiling the baseball. They could no longer rub the ball on the ground, on clothing, or on shoes. The also had discretionary power to forbid a to throw a ball after he drops it. This prevented pitchers from dropping a ball on purpose and grabbing dirt or gravel as they pick up the baseball.40 This rule was enacted well before the end of the dead ball era. However, it is a stepping stone to later rule changes that helped to create a game where offensive players began to hit home runs, and drive in runs in record numbers. Even with the implementation of the new rule,

40 New York Times, 8 February, 1908

15 the baseball still became soiled when they were hit into the dirt and grass that make up the playing fields.

In August of 1920 tragedy struck the .

While playing a game against the Ray

Chapman, a fan favorite, died after being hit in the head by a .

Chapman was not able to see the dirty gray baseball fast enough and it struck him in the head. The death of Chapman caused league officials to meet and find a solution to their new problem.41

The league came up with a few ideas on how to prevent tragedies like the Chapman accident from happening again. Commissioner

Tener in 1917 talked about the .

The moist-ball or spitball is doomed. It will be abolished after this season. The wet ball is disgusting and unsportsmanlike and leaves the ball in a condition which causes inaccuracy in throwing after the ball has been hit. It is also a handicap for the when throwing the ball to second. The pitcher will not be permitted to use any artificial or foreign substances when delivering the ball.42

There was not a change in the rule at the start of the 1918 season. The spitball was still in use by Major League Pitchers. In

February of 1920, the winter before Chapman died, rule changes regarding the spitball again were talked about in league meetings.

In this winter meeting both the American and National League

Presidents agreed that rules will probably be passed prohibiting the

41 James, 126. 42 New York Times, 4 February, 1917

16 spitball, the emery pitch, or any other freak deliveries; however the rule was only to be operative for new pitchers coming into the league.43 Players already in the league would be grandfathered and allowed to still use the spitball pitch.

After the death of Chapman on August 17, 1920, league officials enacted rules that they had previously talked about in . At the time of Chapman‟s death the deliberate discoloration of the baseball was illegal. However, if a ball became dirty from natural use it was still allowed to be put in play. Baseball used to chew tobacco or black licorice and spit it into their gloves to help make the ball darker.44 Acts like these caused the league to place an emphasis on keeping fresh clean baseballs in play. , who was the author of the book wrote, “We hardly ever saw a new baseball, a clean one. If the ball went into the stands and the ushers couldn‟t get it back from the spectators, only then would the umpire throw out a new one.”45 Major League then put into law its new rule in 1921. It stated:

If a player intentionally moistens, discolors, or roughens the ball to the pitcher in what are conventionally termed “freak deliveries,” he is put out of the game; if someone other than the pitcher has done it and the real culprit is not discovered, the pitcher is put out.46

43 New York Times, 4, February, 1920 44 James, 126. 45 James, 126. 46 New York Times, 30 March, 1920.

17

The new league rules regarding the treatment of baseballs had a dramatic effect on offensive totals. In 1921, the first year with the rule changes, the American league batting average was up nine points to .292; runs per game rose from 9.5 to 10.2; and home runs in 1921 totaled 477 (HR total in 1920, 370).47 The National League batting average rose from .274 in 1920 to .289 in 1921; runs per game rose from 7.9 to 9.2; and home runs rose from 261 to 460.48

Earned Run Average (ERA) is the statistic that tells how many runs a pitcher gives up every nine he pitches. Pitchers ERA also went up with the new rule changes. From the years 1909-1920 all

Major League pitchers had a combined ERA of 2.95, while spitball pitchers had a combined ERA of 2.77 runs per nine .49

There was another important rule change in 1920 that allowed for an increase in home run totals. Before 1920 home runs were not ruled fair or foul according to where they crossed over the fence. They were judged according to where they landed, or were last seen.50 Today it is considered a home run if it goes over the fence and hooks around the foul pole and lands in foul territory. Babe Ruth who retired with 714 career home runs lost out

47 Rader, Benjamin G., Baseball: A History of America’s Game. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1992, 113. 48 Rader, 113. 49 Rader, 115. 50 Jenkinson, 374.

18 on at least fifty home runs due to this rule, but the number could be as high as seventy-eight.51 Babe Ruth could still be the all time home run leader if that rule was in place when he made his first major league appearance in 1914.

The 1920‟s was a time period where batters flourished.

Pitchers were faced with rule changes that placed limitations on what they were allowed to do. Old tricks that had been used for generations were now outlawed. The age of the home run hitter was permanently cemented into baseball. Pitchers in 1921 complained that they were unable to grip the new ball properly.

The new ball had a gloss that covered it. The pitchers of the era wanted to use a rosin to rub off the excess gloss. Instead of having pitchers rub the balls umpires began to rub the game balls down.

This is still something that happens today. 52 Pitchers began to develop and use new pitches like the curve ball, , , , and . (Figure 6 shows the rotation of the baseball and the way they curve when you throw those pitches) A quote from the New York Times does a good job explaining the feelings of most pitchers. It says, “The “deader” baseball was a pretty healthy sphere.”53

Figure 6: Ball Rotation:

51 Jenkinson, 374. 52 James, 126. 53 New York Times, 21 May, 1931.

19 54

There was a lot of attention given to the rule changes and the changes to the baseball. There is another piece of baseball equipment that is often overlooked that changed dramatically during the early 1920‟s. The baseball bat that was widely used before 1920 was called choke bat. This style of bat was meant for placing balls in the field, not hitting home runs. It was virtually just as thick at the handle as it was at the end of the bat. The new style of bat had a long thin handle with all the weight at the end of the baseball bat. There was also a round piece of carved down by the grip called the butt. This allowed the batter to grip the bat easier.55

Circa 1880-90’s Hand Turned Baseball Bat.

56

54 http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/329/lectures/img400.png (accessed 18 April, 2007) 55 New York Times, 19 July, 1925. 56 Vintage Baseball Bats, http://www.antiqueathlete.com/vintage-baseball-bats.shtml (accessed 10 March, 2007)

20

Circa 1900-05 Sears and Roebuck “Mushroom” Bat

57

1930’s Babe Ruth Goldsmith Baseball Bat

58

The Hand Turned bat and the Mushroom bat were the style of bats in the 1800‟s and early 1900‟s. By 1920 many of the players began to swing a bat that looked like the Goldsmith Bat

Babe Ruth used in 1930. The thin handle with the weight concentrated at the end of the bat allowed the player to swing with greater force and , or turn his wrists over, allowing for more power and more home runs. The newer bats were also much lighter allowing for better bat speed.59

There have been rule changes that have lead to an increase in home runs and advances in equipment such as the baseball and

57 Vintage Baseball Bats 58 Vintage Baseball Bats 59 New York Times, 29 June, 1963.

21 the bat. Also, the way the game was played changed with the rules and equipment. These changes influenced the way great hitters such as Babe Ruth performed but he himself changed the game.

In 1914, his rookie year, he was 6‟2 185 pounds.60 He was considered big for his time, and as he got older he put on more and more weight. His height and weight gave him a lot of power. He also had a powerful swing. Babe had a full swing. By the early

1920 hitters began to copy Ruth‟s full swing which allowed hitters to strike the ball more squarely then their old shortened swing.61 With the players adapting the swinging style of Babe Ruth, tactics like the hit-and-run and sacrifice bunting became less of a factor.62

Batters stopped going up to the plate chocking up on their bats to place their hits, rather they dug their feet into the dirt and tried to hit home runs.63

Babe Ruth‟s swing changed the way the game was played, it also changed the way the players were paid. Owners quickly saw that fans liked to see homeruns. Stadiums like Yankee Stadium built more and more seats to allow fans to pack in. In 1923, the year Yankee Stadium opened, it seated 58,000 people. It grew to hold 82,000 fans by 1927.64 Today Yankee Stadium holds

60 Jenkinson, 3. 61 Rader, 116. 62 New York Times, 19 July, 1925. 63 New York Times, 19 July, 1925. 64 Yankee Stadium, http://www.baseball-almanac.com/stadium/yankee_stadium.shtml (accessed 22 March, 2007)

22 approximately 58,000 people.65 Many other stadiums added seats to allow for more fans to enter their ballpark. Ticket selling was a great way for teams to get revenue which explains why stadiums increased their seating capacity. Before television and radio it was the only way to generate money. Large revenues allowed teams to offer big contracts to get their desired players, which after 1920 became home run hitters.

As stated earlier was one of the stars of the dead ball era who played third base for the Philadelphia

Athletics and was part of the $100,000 . The infield made up of Stuffy McInnis, , and Jack Berry‟s combined salaries totaled $100,000.66

Other star dead ball era players such as made far less money than the players in the 1920‟s. In 1915 Cobb made $20,000 a year.67 Power hitters of the 1920‟s had salaries that were higher than $50,000. From the years 1922 to 1926 Babe Ruth‟s salary was $50,000 a year, and he made $70,000 a year from 1927 to

1929.68 In 1930 and 1931 Babe Ruth made $80,000 a year.69

There were other teams that spent a lot of money on power hitters.

In 1920 the Cleveland Indians paid $55,000 for and

65 Yankee Stadium, http://www.baseball-almanac.com/stadium/yankee_stadium.shtml (accessed 22 March, 2007) 66 New York Times, 29 June, 1963. 67 Voight, 66. 68 New York Times, 3 June, 1935 69 New York Times, 3 June, 1935

23 the paid $50,000 for Eddie Collins.70 In 1921 the New York Giants paid $75,000 for a prospect, Billy

Cunningham, and obtained Emil McGraw for cash and players worth $100,000.71 Pitchers were also able to see bigger contracts during this time. The top pitchers in the league received larger contracts to be rewarded for their ability to pitch in the new era.

Walter Johnson had a pay increase of $13,000 during this time period.72 Major League Baseball saw an increase in offensive statistics in the 1920‟s. There was also a large increase in players salaries due to the higher revenues generated by many of the ball clubs. There is a direct correlation between player‟s salaries and home run hitting during the 1920‟s. This is still true today.

Baseball was in the dead ball era where offense was at a premium. Pitchers dominated games and runs were hard to come by. It only took a few short years for players to begin hitting home runs and offensive records to be broken. The change was not always seen as a good thing. There were baseball purists that liked the old game better. The new home run barrage of the 1920‟s was called an “epidemic.”73 It did not take long for nay-sayers to back down. Baseball attendance was on the rise. Seats were

70 Voight, 67. 71 Rader, 117. 72Monopsony in Manpower: Organized Baseball Meets the Antitrust Laws: The Yale Law Journal, Vol. 62, No. 4. (Mar., 1953), pp. 605.

73 New York Times, 19 July, 1925

24 being added to ball parks and stadiums. Owners were making more money than ever, thus allowing the owners to pay the players more. The game of baseball changed dramatically in 1920. Fans were in awe of and the other power hitters of the generation. This new style of baseball was something that had never been seen before. The United States was coming off a

World War and entering into the roaring twenties which was a big transition from ten years earlier. After World War I, the economy was booming and for the first time baseball fans were able to afford to go watch their beloved teams. Our country was in a major period of change, along with baseball, and both were never to return to their old ways.

There was a chain of events that allowed for the game of baseball to change in 1920. New styles of baseballs were developed. The new balls were higher quality, and had a cork center. After the new baseballs were developed rule changes were made. By 1920 it was illegal to moisten, discolor, or rough up the baseball. Baseballs also were changed regularly throughout the game which allowed the hitters to have better vision of the ball.

Pitches became outlawed. Pitchers could no longer throw .

All of the changes in equipment and rules had some help in the game of baseball changing to a game where home runs were more important. However, I would argue that Babe Ruth had the

25 biggest effect on the game. The changes in equipment and rules occurred before Ruth became a full time hitter. The game still was in the dead ball era, and then in 1920 everything changed. Babe

Ruth revolutionized the way the game was played. He showed that you could hit home runs regularly. He did not use the choke swing, but rather a full swing with more power. The bats that players like

Ruth used also changed and the bats were made to hit the ball longer and harder. Power hitters were getting the biggest contracts. Many players in the 1920‟s began to change their swing so they could hit for power which allowed them to get a bigger pay check. Fans loved to see home runs, and there was no turning back. Babe Ruth said in 1920, “The fans would rather see me hit one homer to right that three doubles to left.”74 Baseball was out of the dead ball era for good. This time period is the beginning of the modern game that is played today.

The 1920‟s was a lot like the late 1990‟s. The home run helped pull the game out of scandal. In 1919 players from the

Chicago White Sox were banned from ever playing in the league after purposely loosing the World Series. In the mid 1990‟s Major

League Baseball players went on strike. Attendance was poor at the start of each of the two seasons. The home run helped baseball bounce back in both instances. The reasons for the

74 Smelser, Marshall. The Life That Ruth Built: A Biography. New York: The New York Times Book Company, 1975, 115.

26 increases in home runs are very different. Baseball parks today are smaller than the parks of the 1920‟s. There is also a lot of debate about players using steroids, something that was not talked about in the 1920‟s. However, our generation is not at all different form fans in the 1920‟s. We love to see home runs, and we‟ll buy tickets to see home run hitters no matter what the reason is for the increase.

Even though this paper adds an understanding to how the home run helped to bring and keep baseball out of the dead ball era, it did not explore every aspect of the dead ball era and baseball in the 1920‟s. Additional research could specifically focus on one of the many reasons for the home run boom in the 1920‟s such as changes in equipment, rule changes, or Babe Ruth‟s affect on the game. It would also be interesting to look at the revenue that teams were making during the 1920‟s as opposed to the dead ball era. A mathematician or statistician who knows equations that can be used to compare statistics between eras would be able to gain valuable information by comparing the 1920‟s to other baseball eras such as todays.

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Figure 6: Diagram of a baseball field

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Bibliography-Primary Sources

News Papers

New York Times, 8 February, 1908

New York Times, 4 February, 1917

New York Times, 4, February, 1920

New York Times, 30 March, 1920.

New York Times, 19 July, 1925

New York Times, 3 June, 1935

New York Times, 21 May, 1931.

New York Times, 29 June, 1963.

Journals

Guttmann, Allen. “Who's on First? or, Books on the History of American Sports.” The Journal of American History, Vol. 66, No. 2. (Sep., 1979), pp. 348-354.

“Monopsony in Manpower: Organized Baseball Meets the Antitrust Laws.” The Yale Law Journal, Vol. 62, No. 4. (Mar., 1953): 576- 639.

29 Secondary Sources

Books

James, Bill. The Bill James Baseball Historical Abstract. New York:

Villard Books, 1986, 88

Jenkinson, Bill. The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2007.

Rader, Benjamin G., Baseball: A History of America’s Game. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1992.

Smelser, Marshall. The Life That Ruth Built: A Biography. New York: The New York Times Book Company, 1975.

Voight, David. American Baseball: Volume II. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1970.

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Baseball Almanac, http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ (accessed March 2007)

Fenway Facts, http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/facts.jsp (accessed 15, March 2007)

Fenway Park History, http://pubpages.unh.edu/~bca2/a4.html (accessed 15, March 2007)

The History of Baseball, http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbaseball.htm (accessed 1, April 2007).

Vintage Baseball Bats, http://www.antiqueathlete.com/vintage- baseball-bats.shtml (accessed 10 March, 2007)

1880-1899 Attendance http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/attendance.htm (accessed 18 April, 2007

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http://www.ballparktour.com/Yankee_Stadium_1925_Dia.gif (accessed 15, March 2007)

http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/329/lectures/img400.png (accessed 18 April, 2007)

Movies

Shelton, Ron. Bull Durham. California: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, 1988.

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