Murderers' Row

This article is about the baseball team. For the 1962 novel, see Murderers' Row (novel). For the 1966 motion picture based on the novel, see Murderers' Row (film). For the group of boxers, see Murderers' Row (boxing).

The 1927 New York Yankees.

Murderers’ Row was the nickname given to the New York Yankees baseball team of the late 1920s, in particular the first six hitters in the 1927 team lineup: Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri.

Original "Murderers' Row"

The term was originally coined in 1918 by a sportswriter to describe the pre-Babe Ruth Yankee lineup of 1918. A 1918 newspaper article described it: "New York fans have come to know a section of the Yankees' batting order as 'murderers' row.' It is composed of the first six players in the batting order -- Gilhooley, Peckinpaugh, Baker, Pratt, Pipp, and Bodie. This sextet has been hammering the offerings of all comers."

1927 Yankees

The term was eternally associated with the advent of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig Yankee teams beginning in the mid-1920s, and is commonly recognized to refer specifically to the core of the 1927 Yankee hitting lineup.

Owner Jacob Ruppert is the man most often credited with building the team, although general manager Ed Barrow may have had as much to do with it. In a game of a July series against the Washington Senators, the Yankees beat their opponents 21-1, and prompted Senators’ first baseman Joe Judge to say, “Those fellows not only beat you but they tear your heart out. I wish the season was over.”

Season results

The 1927 season was particularly spectacular by baseball standards for the Yankees. After losing in the 1926 World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, they went 110-44 the next year, winning the A.L. Pennant by 19 games and sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1927 World Series. Only four teams have won more regular season games: the 1906 Chicago Cubs and the 2001 Seattle Mariners with 116, the 1998 Yankees with 114 and the 1954 Cleveland Indians with 111. However, the 1998 Yankees and 2001 Mariners played in 162-game schedules. Both the Cubs and the Indians lost the World Series in their years, and the Mariners did not reach the World Series in 2001, losing to the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The 1998 Yankees went 11-2 in the playoffs, sweeping the San Diego Padres in the World Series.

The 1927 Yankees batted .307, slugged .489, scored 975 runs, and outscored their opponents by a record 376 runs. Center fielder Earle Combs had a career best year, batting .356 with 231 hits, left fielder Bob Meusel batted .337 with 103 RBIs, and second baseman Tony Lazzeri drove in 102 runs. Gehrig batted .373, with 218 hits, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs, a then record 175 RBIs, slugged at .765, and was voted A.L. MVP. Ruth amassed a .356 batting average, 164 RBIs, 158 runs scored, walked 137 times, and slugged .772. Most notably, his 60 home runs that year broke his own record and remained the Major League mark for 34 years until Roger Maris broke it.

The pitching staff led the league in ERA at 3.20, and included Waite Hoyt, who went 22-7, which tied for the league lead, and Herb Pennock, who went 19-8. Wilcy Moore won 16 as a reliever. The 1927 Yankees would eventually send six players along with manager Miller Huggins and president Ed Barrow to the Baseball Hall of Fame; only the 1928 Yankees had more with 9 players along with Huggins and Barrow. Three other Yankee pitchers had ERAs under 3.00 that season. After sweeping the Pirates in the Series, the Yankees repeated the feat by sweeping the Cardinals in the 1928 World Series. The Yankees remain the only team to ever sweep the World Series in consecutive years; the Yankee teams of 1938-1939 and 1998-1999 repeated the feat.

Roster

Key

‡	Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Starting lineup

#	Player	Position	Games	AB	Hits	Batting average	On-Base %	Slugging %	Home runs	Runs batted in
01 !1	Combs, EarleEarle Combs‡	Center fielder	152	648	231	.356	.414	.511	6	64
02 !2	Koenig, MarkMark Koenig	Shortstop	123	526	150	.285	.320	.382	3	62
03 !3	Ruth, BabeBabe Ruth‡	Right fielder	151	540	192	.356	.486	.772	60	164
04 !4	Gehrig, LouLou Gehrig‡	First baseman	155	584	218	.373	.474	.765	47	175
05 !5	Meusel, BobBob Meusel	Left fielder	135	516	174	.337	.393	.510	8	103
06 !6	Lazzeri, TonyTony Lazzeri‡	Second baseman	153	570	176	.309	.383	.482	18	102
07 !7	Dugan, JoeJoe Dugan	Third baseman	112	387	104	.269	.321	.362	2	43
08 !8	Collins, PatPat Collins	Catcher	92	251	69	.275	.407	.418	7	36

Bench

Player	Position	Games	AB	Hits	Batting average	Home runs	Runs batted in
Bengough, BennyBenny Bengough	Catcher	31	85	21	.247	0	10
Grabowski, JohnnyJohnny Grabowski	Catcher	70	195	54	.277	0	25
Gazella, MikeMike Gazella	Infielder	54	115	32	.278	0	9
Morehart, RayRay Morehart	Infielder	73	195	50	.256	1	20
Wera, JulieJulie Wera	Infielder	38	42	10	.238	1	8
Durst, CedricCedric Durst	Outfielder	65	129	32	.248	0	25
Paschal, BenBen Paschal	Outfielder	50	82	26	.317	2	16

Pitchers

Player	Role	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Hoyt, WaiteWaite Hoyt‡	Starting pitcher	36	256 1⁄3	22	7	2.63	86
Pennock, HerbHerb Pennock‡	Starting pitcher	34	209 2⁄3	19	8	3.00	51
Pipgras, GeorgeGeorge Pipgras	Starting pitcher	29	166 1⁄3	10	3	4.11	81
Ruether, DutchDutch Ruether	Starting pitcher	27	184	13	6	3.38	45
Shocker, UrbanUrban Shocker	Starting pitcher	31	200	18	6	2.84	35
Thomas, MylesMyles Thomas	Relief pitcher	21	88 2⁄3	7	4	4.87	25
Shawkey, BobBob Shawkey	Relief pitcher	19	43 2⁄3	3	4	2.89	23
Giard, JoeJoe Giard	Relief pitcher	16	27	0	0	8.00	10
Beall, WalterWalter Beall	Relief pitcher	1	1	0	0	9.00	0
Moore, WilcyWilcy Moore	Relief pitcher	50	213	19	7	2.28	75

Legacy

The term "Murderers' Row" is commonly used as a descriptor for teams with formidable talent.

See also

• 1927 New York Yankees season