Attendance dropped off dramatically!

Followers of major league baseball were reminiscing, perhaps for the very last time, about how their heroes weren't playing to win. Club owners were debating a variety of ways to liven up the game to bring back fan interest.

More than just nostalgia was needed.

In the winter of 1920-1921, downtrodden owners chose Federal Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis baseball's high commissioner gave him the sole-power to clean up the gambling tainted game. And, indeed he did.

Landis threw out eight White Sox players and others during 1920-1922.

Few observers could have dreamed that 'the old ball game' was moving into a new 'golden age of cash and glory.' The ball was made livelier and the news-making exploits of Babe Ruth was enthralling fans to return to the stadiums and see the 'new big-bang offense.'

The rest is baseball history!

The fun loving Bambino (Ruth) diverted attention away from the Black Sox scandal.

The Boston Red Sox sold Ruth to the New York Yankees for an astonishing sum of money for this time period - $125,000, and Ruth, now a full time outfielder, broke all records by hitting 54 homers.

The lofty hitting of first baseman George Sisler of the old St Louis Browns also played a big part in fans' interest. The Hall of Famer hit a robust .407 in 1920 and a remarkable .420 in 1922.

Rogers Hornsby, with four full seasons under his belt - 1914-1919 - collected 155 hits, 171 hits, 117 hits and 163 hits in those four years - now went on a batting binge. Starting in 1920, he lined 218 hits, 235 hits, and 250 hits, thanks mainly to the 'new ball.' His batting average soared from a four-year average of .312 upwards to a unheard of .370, .397, .401 .384, .424, .403 from 1920-1925.

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Last of the Dead Ball Players -

* Charlie Hollocher, Chicago Cubs Shortstop - a high-range shortstop, he led the league twice in fielding percentage - .963 in 1921... and .965 in '22. Broke into the majors with Cubs in 1918 and historians rate his rookie season as high-end when Hollocher led the NL in hits with 161... with the lively ball in use during the early 1920s, he lined 201 hits in '22 but was 49 hits shy of Rogers Hornsby's league leading total of 250... Charles Hollocher 7-year career totals: .304 Batting Average, 145 Doubles, 35 Triples, 14 Hr, 241 RBIs, 94K, 277W.

* Zack Davis Wheat, Brooklyn Dodgers Left Fielder, 1909-1926 - born in Hamilton, Missouri in 1888 not long after the Civil War had ended, and was named after Union General Zachary Taylor and Confederate President Jefferson Davis... a line drive hitter, Wheat could hit the curveball as well as any hitter in this era. Giants' manager John McGraw always ordered his pitchers: 'never to threw a curve to Zach.' Wheat carried an 11-year batting average of slightly over .300 into the 1920s, including a league leading .335 in 1918... then, Zack Wheat went on a tare: hitting from 1920 on - .328, .320, .335, .375, .375, .359, .290, .324, .317...

* Milt Stock, St Louis Cardinals Third Baseman - one of the best fielders during the 1910s, the Chicago born infielder collected 151 hits in 1919, setting a yearly high after six major league seasons... then, in 1920, Milton Stock lined 204 hits, a .319 batting average... although he hit only .300 once in his first 6-seasons, he batted - .319, .307, .305 from 1920-22 and hit a career high of .328 in 1925 while with the Brooklyn Dodgers... Milt Stock career stats: .289 BA, 270 Ds, 58 Ts, 22 Hr, 455 RBIs in 6,249 games.

* Ivy Olson, Cleveland Indians 1911-14; Brooklyn Dodgers 1915-1924 - Shortstop - a contact hitter, the 5-ft, 10-inch, 175-pounder was one of the National League's best defensive infielders... he played 1,054 games at the shortstop position, 288 at second base, and 155 at third... Olson averaged around 100 hits per/year in the 1910s, thereafter, he had 162 hits in 1920, 174 in 1921, 150 in 1922. Ivy Olson 14-year numbers: .258 BA, 191Ds, 69Ts, 13Hr, 1,575 hits in 1,574 games, 730 Runs, 446 RBIs and struck out just 222 times in 6,111 at-bats.

Baseball Historian

The advent of the lively ball that propelled the home run totals of Babe Ruth and the lofty .400 batting averages by George Sisler, Rogers Hornsby, Harry Heilmann and Ty Cobb in the early 1920s made the country's fans return to the Stadiums after the 'Black Sox' threw the 1919 World Series. (In fact: in 1922, three players hit over .400)

Batting Leaders: 1920-1925

1920 - George Sisler, St Louis Browns .407... Tris Speaker, Cleveland Indians .388... Shoeless Joe Jackson, Chicago White Sox .382... Babe Ruth, New York Yankees .376...

1921 - Rogers Hornsby, St Louis Cardinals .398... Harry Heilmann, Detroit Tigers .394... Ty Cob, Detroit Tigers .389... Babe Ruth, NY Yankees .378...

1922 - George Sisler, St Louis Browns .420... Ty Cobb, Tigers .401... Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals .401...

1923 - Harry Heilmann, Tigers .403... Babe Ruth, Yankees .393... Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals .384... Tris Speaker, Indians .380...

1924 - Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals .424... Babe Ruth, Yankees .378... Zach Wheat, Brooklyn Dodgers .375...

1925 - Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals .403... Harry Heilmann, Tigers .393... Tris Speaker, Indians .389... Al Simmons, Philadelphia Athletics .387...

baseballhistorian.com - Archives - Baseball History

Few trends in sports' history, as expressed by any measurable data, can spark a debate like the past and present of baseball purists. The major leagues' baseball players during the 'lively ball era' of the 1920s and 1930s and the 'rapid ball' of the late 1990s running thru the present time have a much higher batting average than any other time period in baseball history.

So many players (45) hit over .300 in 1925 that the names of those hitters seemed to be lost among statistical accounts of that period. See how many of the .350 hitters' names can be recalled today... Maybe half???

1925 Batting Average Leaders:

Rogers Hornsby, St Louis Cardinals .403... Harry Heilmann, Detroit Tigers .393... Tris Speaker, Cleveland Indians .389... Al Simmons, Philadelphia A's .387... Ty Cobb, Tigers .378...

Al Wingo, Tigers .370... Jim Bottomley, Cardinals .367... Zack Wheat, Brooklyn Dodgers .359... Kiki Cuyler, Pittsburgh Pirates .357... Bill Lamar, Athletics .356... Jack Fournier, Brooklyn .350... Sam Rice, Washington Senators .350...

George Harper, Philadelphia Phillies .349... Eddie Collins, Chicago White Sox .346... George Sisler, St Louis Browns .345... Max Carey, Pirates .343... Ray Blades, Cardinals .342... Earle Combs, New York Yankees .342... Baby Doll Jacobson, Browns .341... Dick Burrus, Boston Braves .340...

Edd Roush, Cincinnati Red Stockings .339... George Burns, Indians .336... Joe Sewell, Indians .336... Goose Goslin, Senators .334... Frankie Frisch, New York Giants .331... Ike Boone, Boston Red Sox .330...

Dick Cox, Brooklyn .329... Irish Meusel, NY Giants .328... Milt Stock, Brooklyn .328... Clyde Barnhart, Pirates .325... Jimmy Dykes, Phil A's .323... Pie Traynor, Pirates .320... Dave Bancroft, Boston Braves .319... Lew Fonseca, Phillies .319... Bing Miller, Phil A's .319... Bill Terry, NY Giants .319...

Curt Walker, Cinc Reds .318... Earl Sheely, White Sox .315... Jimmy Welsh, Boston Braves .312... George Kelly, NY Giants .309... Glenn Wright, Pirates .308... Gus Felix, Braves .307... Lu Blue, Tigers .306... Eddie Brown, Brooklyn .306... Charlie Grimm, Chicago Cubs .306... Bill Falk, White Sox .301...

Howard Freigau, Cubs .299... Johnny Mostil, White Sox .299... Eddie Moore, Pirates .298... Jim Poole, Philadelphia Athletics .298...

In 1930 New York Giants first baseman Bill Terry, a life-time .341 hitter, led the major leagues in hits with 254 hits, and in batting with .401. Career-wise, Terry ranks 9th highest in batting average among all players in all eras.

Baseball Historian

The 6-ft, 1-inch, 200-pound Terry lined 2,193 career hits in 6,428 at-bats, including 373 doubles, 112 triples, 154 home runs from 1923-1936, all with the New York Giants. And, is the last National Leaguer to hit .400.

Al Simmons, an outfielder for the old Philadelphia Athletics, led the American League in batting with .381. A life-time .334 hitter, he lined 539 doubles, 149 triples, 307 homers and ranks 19th on the all-time list in career batting average.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, the 5-ft, 11-inch, 190-pound Simmons played for numerous teams during the Great Depression years - the Athletics 1924-1932; White Sox 1933-1935; Tigers 1936; Senators 1937-1938, Boston Braves 1939; Reds 1939; Athletics 1940-1941; and during World War II; he returned and played 40 games with the Red Sox in 1943 and 4 more games with the A' in 1944.

Major League Batting Leaders 1930:

Bill Terry, New York Giants .401... Babe Herman, Brooklyn Dodgers .393... Chuck Klein, Philadelphia Phillies .386... Lefty O'Doul, Phillies .383... Al Simmons, Philadelphia Athletics . 381...

Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees .379... Freddy Lindstrom, NY Giants .379... Paul Waner, Pittsburgh Pirates .368... Pie Traynor, Pirates .366... Carl Reynolds, Chicago White Sox .359...

George Herman (Babe) Ruth, NY Yankees .359... Mickey Cochrane, Phil Athletics .357... Hack Wilson, Chicago Cubs .356... Kiki Cuyler, Cubs .355... Johnny Hodapp, Cleveland Indians .354... Heinie Manush, Washington Senators .350... Dick Porter, Cleveland Indians .350...

Ed Morgan, Indians .349... Mel Ott, NY Giants .349... Sam Rice, Senators .349... Joe Cronin, Senators .346... Frankie Frisch, St Louis Cardinals .346... Earle Combs, NY Yankees .344...

Arthur (Pinky) Whitney, Phillies .342... Earl Averill, Indians .339... Gabby Hartnett, Cubs .339... Del Bissonette, Brooklyn Dodgers .336... Chick Hafey, Cardinals .336... Elwood (Woody) English, Cubs .335...

Jimmie (Jimmy) Foxx, Athletics .335... Johnny Frederick, Dodgers .334... Charlie Gehringer, Detroit Tigers .330... Freddy Leach, NY Giants .327... Dale Alexander, Tigers .326... Joe Judge, Senators .326... George Grantham, Pirates .324...

Earl Webb, Boston Red Sox .323... Glenn Wright, Dodgers .321... Dick Bartell, Pirates .320... Marty McManus, Tigers .320... Ben Chapman, Yankees .316... Earl (Sparky) Adams, Cardinals .314...

Adam Comorosky, Pirates .313... Smead Jolley, White Sox .313... Ralph (Red) Kress, St Louis Browns .313... Tony Cuccinello, Cincinnati Red Stockings .312... Wally Berger, Boston Braves .310... Goose Goslin, Browns .308... Curt Walker, Red Stockings .307... baseballhistorian.com - Archives